Lavinia Blackwall
Lavinia Blackwall’s “The Making” is her most fully-formed conception yet — frank, dynamic songwriting turbo-charged by Marco Rea’s production. Former Trembling Bells bandmate Alex Neilson travels to her home in the hills of Molise to interview his oldest friend about melody-first writing, escaping mediocre situations, and finding a sense of freedom in Italy and at her off-grid cabin in Carbeth.
Bring Your Own Hammer returns with two new singles, giving voice to figures the archive left in the margins. “The Cruel Father,” from Lavinia Blackwall and Neil Farrell with SJ McArdle, draws on an 1860s ballad about a father who abandoned his infant son. “The Girl from Spark’s Lake,” sung by Sophie Coyle, follows a runaway chasing bluebells.
Lavinia Blackwall’s ‘The Making’ is a masterwork of the acid-folk form, full of confidence and devoid of weak spots. From the title track’s seductive melange of medieval breakdowns to the Midlake classic-sounding backdoor reverie of ‘We All Get Lost’, featuring some marvellous descending vocal phrases that bring Annie Haslam of Renaissance to mind, the highlights are plentiful throughout this exquisite new album from the former Trembling Bells multi-instrumentalist and vocalist.