One-third of the award-winning modern folk and storytelling trio Harp & a Monkey, Andy Smith has been kept busy in recent times with his electronica side-project Baboolian, and now he has brought together and blended his myriad of musical stimulants for a first solo album – ‘An English Village’.
‘An English Village’ combines English folk music with abstract electronica and offers a playful and often tongue-in-cheek look at traditional English village life. It manages to seamlessly blend the nostalgic with the modern and will be something of a must for fans of traditional folk as well as those who like a bit of artful experimentation.
Folk Radio UK is delighted to bring you an exclusive taste of the album that will be released in October via this video put together by Smith for the title track – called ‘An English Village’.
This track serves as an introduction to the long-player that provides an 11-track meander through a quintessential village – one in which the listener is taken on a journey that takes in a variety of sights and sounds, from the village school to the local horticultural society and their project to restore the war memorial, through to the council offices, a pause for tea and trip to the manor house and church before a well-earned holiday and celebration of pastoral seasonal cheer.
“With Harp & a Monkey I’ve travelled all over the country and visited some wonderful villages that have really captured my imagination. I wanted to create something that would reflect my feelings about village life and the changes that I have witnessed,” says Andy.
‘An English Village’ will be released in October and was written, recorded, and produced by Andy Smith.