FISH & BIRD – SOMETHING IN THE ETHER

2014 – Fiddle Head
Records
I’ll start this review off by saying here and now that this is the most unusual album I have heard in a very long time! At times the melodies are recognizable as such, excellent warm melodies; at others there is a strong virtual avant-garde feel to proceedings but interspersed with harmony and melody, often all at the same time and something that is present in most songs at some stage. As I said, an unusual album! For good measure I also detected a free form jazzy feel running through the thread of the album and yet soon it becomes obvious that nothing ever strays too far from the songs basic structure. It’s just that the musicians seem to have the freedom to take the song where they wish, avoiding an over rehearsed feel and to put it mildly keeping things interesting.
The band consists of Taylor Ashton on vocals, banjo and acoustic guitar, Adam Iredale-Gray, fiddle and vocals, Ryan Boeur on electric and acoustic guitars, Ben Kelly, drums and percussion and Zoe Guigueno on upright bass and vocals. All songs were written by Taylor Ashton except for Rivers and Or Was It A Sign? On which Ashton wrote the lyrics and Adam Iredale-Gray wrote the music. Unsurprisingly, all of the songs were arranged by the band, something that will be fairly obvious to anyone listening to this remarkable recording that allows each band member to stamp their own essential imprint on the songs without any feeling of condescension. Taylor Ashtons lead vocal is always beautifully warm and melodic, often having an appealing mellow tone, something that could give the album a little mainstream appeal. Of course, albums such as this should be in the mainstream and selling by the millions but as is often the case the ’mainstream’ attention span is not conducive to complex music.
As a non musician myself, (confirming the old adage, those who can play, play, those who can’t, write, or words to that effect) another thing that particularly struck me was the virtuosic playing by all concerned. It is that almost free form meandering structure that sometimes clashes but is always fascinating and highly listenable and gives the album yet more appeal. I’ve never been a fan of free form or avant-garde jazz but this album stops well short of what, often in those cases, seems like excess for the sake of excess; not that there is anything wrong with that if that is what you want. This is a recording that whilst nodding to those excesses is firmly rooted in folk music, with a little rock, ‘gypsy jazz,’ (for want of a better description!) and a few other indiscernible roots strands seeming to push in what to my ears were new and unique directions. And yet, after numerous listening sessions my opinion had changed and the feeling now is that perhaps they are not new directions but variations on traditional or even contemporary styles. Whichever is correct, assuming either are, this is still a unique and highly skilled album that constantly repays and reveals new depths with repeated listening sessions
Usually I pick out about half the songs to write about, sometimes my choices, other times at random and yet in the case of this album I will pick just three, simply because they help to explain the whole of an album that I still find difficult to describe with any conviction. The album opens with Cold Salty a song that starts off with a jazzy feel, almost free form in some respects, segues into a folksy aspect and then when the chorus hits us there is a contemporary melodic feel to this hugely appealing and rewarding song. I say rewarding guardedly, because if you want instant musical gratification you will struggle with this album. However if you give it a few plays, this and the remainder of the album will gradually inveigle itself into your consciousness. Lonely Resonation is a really lovely melodic tale with a verse that presumably by design could go some way to summing up this extraordinary album:
These mumbled incantations have the most power
When they’re sung in the smallest hours
The tune sounds Appalachian and the words are modern
They sting like a rope burn
The first and second lines in some ways could refer to Ashtons lead vocal, the mellow warmth drawing the listener in and accessing what the song has to say, but at the same time that mellifluous feel is something that perfectly suits late night listening. Certainly there is a lot about the album that has an old time Appalachian feel but with a huge dose of modernity. I can vouch for the fact that the final line has a metaphorical accuracy in terms of the album, emphasizing the impact of this recording, certainly on me! I’m not usually in favour of trying to interpret metaphorical allusion but this album is so unusual it just seemed right to do so, irrespective of the correctness of my interpretation. Last song on the album is Go-To-Bed Light a dark atmospheric, generically indefinable song, with lovely harmonies, powerful deep percussion on a misty mournful tale that lyrically goes a long way to explaining the bands attitude to their art, something that in so many ways sums up the nine songs on this extraordinary album of strange atmospheres.
You could argue that if a recording has an impact on the listener it has done its job whether that impact is the one the musicians intended or not. Music should have an impact, even if it is not a pleasant one, something that many musicians cultivate, but ‘pleasantness’ doesn’t always entail ‘Eagles’ type catchy melodies and perfect harmonies. It is still possible to have music that is powerful and challenging and if the album is also unusual and attractive those are bonuses that allow the listener to interpret the sounds and lyrics in any way they wish. This is such an album.
If you like ‘background music’ playing whilst having a conversation, cooking, ironing or any number of other activities you should probably not go near this recording. However, if like me, you like challenging rootsy music that you can listen to and get lost in you will not find better this year. In fact of its kind I’ve not heard better this century!
http://www.fishandbird.ca/
I’ll start this review off by saying here and now that this is the most unusual album I have heard in a very long time! At times the melodies are recognizable as such, excellent warm melodies; at others there is a strong virtual avant-garde feel to proceedings but interspersed with harmony and melody, often all at the same time and something that is present in most songs at some stage. As I said, an unusual album! For good measure I also detected a free form jazzy feel running through the thread of the album and yet soon it becomes obvious that nothing ever strays too far from the songs basic structure. It’s just that the musicians seem to have the freedom to take the song where they wish, avoiding an over rehearsed feel and to put it mildly keeping things interesting.
The band consists of Taylor Ashton on vocals, banjo and acoustic guitar, Adam Iredale-Gray, fiddle and vocals, Ryan Boeur on electric and acoustic guitars, Ben Kelly, drums and percussion and Zoe Guigueno on upright bass and vocals. All songs were written by Taylor Ashton except for Rivers and Or Was It A Sign? On which Ashton wrote the lyrics and Adam Iredale-Gray wrote the music. Unsurprisingly, all of the songs were arranged by the band, something that will be fairly obvious to anyone listening to this remarkable recording that allows each band member to stamp their own essential imprint on the songs without any feeling of condescension. Taylor Ashtons lead vocal is always beautifully warm and melodic, often having an appealing mellow tone, something that could give the album a little mainstream appeal. Of course, albums such as this should be in the mainstream and selling by the millions but as is often the case the ’mainstream’ attention span is not conducive to complex music.
As a non musician myself, (confirming the old adage, those who can play, play, those who can’t, write, or words to that effect) another thing that particularly struck me was the virtuosic playing by all concerned. It is that almost free form meandering structure that sometimes clashes but is always fascinating and highly listenable and gives the album yet more appeal. I’ve never been a fan of free form or avant-garde jazz but this album stops well short of what, often in those cases, seems like excess for the sake of excess; not that there is anything wrong with that if that is what you want. This is a recording that whilst nodding to those excesses is firmly rooted in folk music, with a little rock, ‘gypsy jazz,’ (for want of a better description!) and a few other indiscernible roots strands seeming to push in what to my ears were new and unique directions. And yet, after numerous listening sessions my opinion had changed and the feeling now is that perhaps they are not new directions but variations on traditional or even contemporary styles. Whichever is correct, assuming either are, this is still a unique and highly skilled album that constantly repays and reveals new depths with repeated listening sessions
Usually I pick out about half the songs to write about, sometimes my choices, other times at random and yet in the case of this album I will pick just three, simply because they help to explain the whole of an album that I still find difficult to describe with any conviction. The album opens with Cold Salty a song that starts off with a jazzy feel, almost free form in some respects, segues into a folksy aspect and then when the chorus hits us there is a contemporary melodic feel to this hugely appealing and rewarding song. I say rewarding guardedly, because if you want instant musical gratification you will struggle with this album. However if you give it a few plays, this and the remainder of the album will gradually inveigle itself into your consciousness. Lonely Resonation is a really lovely melodic tale with a verse that presumably by design could go some way to summing up this extraordinary album:
These mumbled incantations have the most power
When they’re sung in the smallest hours
The tune sounds Appalachian and the words are modern
They sting like a rope burn
The first and second lines in some ways could refer to Ashtons lead vocal, the mellow warmth drawing the listener in and accessing what the song has to say, but at the same time that mellifluous feel is something that perfectly suits late night listening. Certainly there is a lot about the album that has an old time Appalachian feel but with a huge dose of modernity. I can vouch for the fact that the final line has a metaphorical accuracy in terms of the album, emphasizing the impact of this recording, certainly on me! I’m not usually in favour of trying to interpret metaphorical allusion but this album is so unusual it just seemed right to do so, irrespective of the correctness of my interpretation. Last song on the album is Go-To-Bed Light a dark atmospheric, generically indefinable song, with lovely harmonies, powerful deep percussion on a misty mournful tale that lyrically goes a long way to explaining the bands attitude to their art, something that in so many ways sums up the nine songs on this extraordinary album of strange atmospheres.
You could argue that if a recording has an impact on the listener it has done its job whether that impact is the one the musicians intended or not. Music should have an impact, even if it is not a pleasant one, something that many musicians cultivate, but ‘pleasantness’ doesn’t always entail ‘Eagles’ type catchy melodies and perfect harmonies. It is still possible to have music that is powerful and challenging and if the album is also unusual and attractive those are bonuses that allow the listener to interpret the sounds and lyrics in any way they wish. This is such an album.
If you like ‘background music’ playing whilst having a conversation, cooking, ironing or any number of other activities you should probably not go near this recording. However, if like me, you like challenging rootsy music that you can listen to and get lost in you will not find better this year. In fact of its kind I’ve not heard better this century!
http://www.fishandbird.ca/