Eliza Carthy has shared a video for The Snow it Melts the Soonest, the first single from Queen Of The Whirl, her forthcoming album featuring her band The Restitution. The album marks her 30th year as a professional musician and includes 15 of her most loved tracks.
The Snow it melts the Soonest featured on her 1998 Topic Records album Red Rice on which Eliza had twin melodeon accompaniment from Saul Rose and Tristan Glover. On this transformational revisit, Eliza and her band take it to another level entirely. Saul Rose is back with melodeon alongside David Delarre’s electric guitar, which casts an edgy ambient opening over Phil Alexander’s organ. Ben Seal joins them on bass and Willy Molleson on drums.
It’s mid-way through that things get spicy as Phil Alexander’s organ takes on a gorgeous psych edge over which Willy Molleson delivers some slick, intuitive percussion before they all join in voice on a haunting refrain of ‘Where did they go, what did I do…”
Marry Waterson’s animated video is, like the song, stunning. Capturing winter geese migrating and frosted leaves; there are so many moments that visualise the lyrics, and the whole look and feel is so original.
The Snow it Melts the Soonest is an outstanding single, inventive, edgy and vibrant..it’s also our Song of the Day. Exciting times ahead, I think.
The first single is taken from EP 1, which will be released on 4 August. EP 2 will be released on 1 September, EP 3 on 29 September and EP 4 + the full album on 28 October. The release will be supported by a UK tour in November and December this year.
Recorded with her trusty band, The Restitution, these new versions include favourites from her break-though Mercury Music Prize nominated album Red Rice (1998): ‘The Snow it Melts the Soonest,’ ‘Stumbling On’ and ‘Accordion Song.’ Winner of the 2003 Best Album at BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (and also Mercury nominated), Anglicana was born out of Topic Records’ ‘Voice Of the People’ series and from that is ‘Pretty Ploughboy’ the track which became the album’s centrepiece. ‘In London So Fair,’ also from the album, is also featured. The earliest songs included come from the album Eliza Carthy & The Kings of Calicutt – ‘Whirly Whorl’ and ‘Good Morning, Mr Walker.’ The latter is a tribute to Eliza’s mother, the late, great Norma Waterson, and Slinger Francisco, also known as The Mighty Sparrow, who wrote and recorded Good Morning, Mr Walker in 1968. This new version of Good Morning, Mr Walker is the only track in the collection to feature guests, known collectively as The Sweet Rosemarys, who include Jon Boden and John Spiers, Sheema Mukherjee, Rory MacLeod and the Mighty Sparrow’s bandleader himself, Lane Steinberg.
Queen Of The Whirl Tracklisting
EP 1 (out 4 August)
1. Whirly Whorl
Taken from Eliza Carthy & The Kings of Calicutt (1997)
2. The Snow it Melts the Soonest (single)
Taken from Red Rice (1998)
3. The Company of Men
Taken from Angels & Cigarettes (2000)
4. Jacky Tar
Taken from Heat, Light & Sound (1996)
EP 2 (out 1 September)
1. Stumbling On
*Taken from Red (1998)
2. Mohair
Taken from Rough Music (2005)
3. Mr Magnifico
Taken from Dreams of Breathing Underwater (2008)
4. My Father’s Mansions
Taken from Where Have All the Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger (1998)
EP 3 (out 29 September)
1. Space Girl
Taken from Empire & Love by The Imagined Village (2010)
2. Two Tears
Taken from Wayward Daughter (2013)
3. Blood on my Boots
Taken from Neptune (2011)
EP 4 (out 28 October + full abum)
1. Pretty Ploughboy
Taken from Anglicana (2002)
2. In London So Fair
Taken from Anglicana (2002)
3. Accordion Song
Taken from Red Rice (1998)
4. Good Morning Mr Walker (Slinger and Norma Go To The Dancehall Mix)
Taken from Eliza Carthy & The Kings of Calicutt (1997)
Eliza Carthy & The Restitution on tour 2022:
23 Nov 2022 MASHAM TOWN HALL, MASHAM
24 Nov 2022 DISS CORN HALL, DISS
25 Nov 2022 HOWARD ASSEMBLY ROOMS, LEEDS
26 Nov 2022 LUDLOW ASSEMBLY ROOMS, LUDLOW
28 Nov 2022 THE GLEE CLUB, BIRMINGHAM
29 Nov 2022 BRIGHTON KOMEDIA, BRIGHTON
30 Nov 2022 GLEE CLUB, CARDIFF
01 Dec 2022 TURNER SIMS CONCERT HALL, SOUTHAMPTON
03 Dec 2022 SAGE GATESHEAD, GATESHEAD
04 Dec 2022 BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER
05 Dec 2022 JUNCTION 1, CAMBRIDGE
You can hear The Snow it melts the Soonest on our Regular Folk Playlist.
Eliza Carthy & Restitution are touring in November/December; dates and ticket links are here.
Website: https://www.eliza-carthy.com/