THE ORPHAN BRIGADE -
SOUNDTRACK TO A GHOST STORY
2015 - Self Released
This strange, unusual album that is so full of melancholy is conversely also quite celebratory in its attempt to make us all remember the past, even though it is a past that none of us ever experienced, in fact everyone that did experience it has been dead a long, long time. There is a pervasive darkness over much of the recording and yet at the same time it is uplifting, much like life's ups and downs I suppose, but this extraordinary recording deals with the extremities of those events.
The thread that binds these tremendous songs together is 'Octagon Hall,' Kentucky, a mansion owned by a powerful confederate plantation owner during the American civil war, (it actually stayed in his family until the early 20th century) but one that was taken over by the union army during that war. Without writing endlessly about the events of that brother against brother war it is not possible in this review to highlight all of the events that went on in and around Octagon Hall, but suffice to say it is a building that is recognized as much haunted by ghosts from that time.
The album came to fruition when talented singer, songwriter, producer Neilson Hubbard got together with a few friends, and were given permission to spend nights in Octagon Hall writing and recording an album that would be a loose tribute to the hall but a powerful tribute to those times and the people involved. There was just one traditional composition, Paddy's Lamentation, which was arranged by Ben Glover, with the writers of the remainder of the songs being Neilson himself, with Ben Glover and Joshua Britt, gradually including in the 'band,' artists of the caliber of Kim Richey, Heather Donegan, Kris Donegan, Danny Mitchell, Dean Marold and Eamon McLoughlin, with a number of others making contributions as well. A film was made and photos taken some of which seemed to show ghostly echoes of the past so hats off to all concerned for having the nerve to spend night after night in a much haunted house!
If you want an album that tugs at the heartstrings, is often uplifting, includes gorgeous melodies, great vocals and playing, brilliant arrangements and atmospheres that flow between deep, dark and spooky, as well as eerie and haunting with occasional flashes of light, yes you guessed it, this is most definitely the album for you! To that little lot you can add a sometimes overwhelming density, not in terms of the sound, but a depth and flow that virtually adheres to the listeners psyche, knowing that all of those various atmospheres and their affect on the listener's emotions are believable depictions of those times. That, despite the fact that none of us can ever really know those times. This album is that rarity in recorded music; an album that is sweeping and majestic in scope and one that will almost certainly leave a lasting impression on all those who hear it and have even a miniscule knowledge of those long gone days.
Following a short instrumental break that introduces the album, the first song is Pale Horse, a beautiful and quite haunting tale, particularly the melodic chorus, with the gorgeous harmonies lifting the song to a crescendo before falling back again on a concise story that includes one of the most emotive lines in any song 'We're known forever by the tracks we leave,' maybe a little over the top, but it helps create the haunting elements that the album is so brilliantly lifted by. On the intro to I've Seen The Elephant there is a spooky fairground feel before Neilson's lead vocal comes in on a highly descriptive tale of the horror and consequences of man's inhumanity to man. That spookiness particularly when the haunting voices come in on the chorus, always with that old eerie fairground element, is something that gives the song a genuinely harrowing feel particularly when considering the factual elements that are tied up in the story. That is followed by Sweetheart, a song with an incredibly strong gospel sound, the basic instrumentation and power coming from the voices and the handclaps, with lyrics that are strongly orientated to the consequences of war, in many ways, as with the very best gospel songs sung in an almost celebratory manner. The song eventually moves from its starting point that gave the impression of being outside and slowly moves inside, with the more studio orientated atmosphere further lifted by the addition of a trumpet. A harmonium gets things going on We Were Marching On Christmas Day, a tremendous tale that is soon joined by a chirpy mandolin on a story that, even before the first lyrics, is starting to take on an intensely dramatic atmosphere with the lyrics eventually giving vent to the feelings common to all men at time of war no matter how hard they try to suppress them. Good Old Flag is a powerful tale of the patriotism that is required to fight a war and the victors returning home to their brave new world. If only that were so! It is an excellent song but unlike most of the others it in many ways glorifies war. The instrumentation is excellent as are the lead and harmony vocals, providing just a little light amongst the pervasive but essential darkness of some of the other songs. Final mention just has to go to Paddy's Lamentation with its melodic electric guitar and latterly acoustic guitar being the only support for an extraordinary vocal performance from Ben Rogers, on this hugely evocative traditional tale that goes a long way to explaining the lot of the Irish Immigrants in the mid 19th century
Some will find this thematically dark album quite uncomfortable to listen to but that should not detract from the excellence of the writing, the tremendous arrangements, evocative vocals and the sometimes stunning beauty of the music. If you listen to this extraordinary recording and are not soon wrapped in its ghostly otherworldly, emotion drenched songs it is sadly well past the time for checking your pulse.
http://www.theorphanbrigade.com/
This strange, unusual album that is so full of melancholy is conversely also quite celebratory in its attempt to make us all remember the past, even though it is a past that none of us ever experienced, in fact everyone that did experience it has been dead a long, long time. There is a pervasive darkness over much of the recording and yet at the same time it is uplifting, much like life's ups and downs I suppose, but this extraordinary recording deals with the extremities of those events.
The thread that binds these tremendous songs together is 'Octagon Hall,' Kentucky, a mansion owned by a powerful confederate plantation owner during the American civil war, (it actually stayed in his family until the early 20th century) but one that was taken over by the union army during that war. Without writing endlessly about the events of that brother against brother war it is not possible in this review to highlight all of the events that went on in and around Octagon Hall, but suffice to say it is a building that is recognized as much haunted by ghosts from that time.
The album came to fruition when talented singer, songwriter, producer Neilson Hubbard got together with a few friends, and were given permission to spend nights in Octagon Hall writing and recording an album that would be a loose tribute to the hall but a powerful tribute to those times and the people involved. There was just one traditional composition, Paddy's Lamentation, which was arranged by Ben Glover, with the writers of the remainder of the songs being Neilson himself, with Ben Glover and Joshua Britt, gradually including in the 'band,' artists of the caliber of Kim Richey, Heather Donegan, Kris Donegan, Danny Mitchell, Dean Marold and Eamon McLoughlin, with a number of others making contributions as well. A film was made and photos taken some of which seemed to show ghostly echoes of the past so hats off to all concerned for having the nerve to spend night after night in a much haunted house!
If you want an album that tugs at the heartstrings, is often uplifting, includes gorgeous melodies, great vocals and playing, brilliant arrangements and atmospheres that flow between deep, dark and spooky, as well as eerie and haunting with occasional flashes of light, yes you guessed it, this is most definitely the album for you! To that little lot you can add a sometimes overwhelming density, not in terms of the sound, but a depth and flow that virtually adheres to the listeners psyche, knowing that all of those various atmospheres and their affect on the listener's emotions are believable depictions of those times. That, despite the fact that none of us can ever really know those times. This album is that rarity in recorded music; an album that is sweeping and majestic in scope and one that will almost certainly leave a lasting impression on all those who hear it and have even a miniscule knowledge of those long gone days.
Following a short instrumental break that introduces the album, the first song is Pale Horse, a beautiful and quite haunting tale, particularly the melodic chorus, with the gorgeous harmonies lifting the song to a crescendo before falling back again on a concise story that includes one of the most emotive lines in any song 'We're known forever by the tracks we leave,' maybe a little over the top, but it helps create the haunting elements that the album is so brilliantly lifted by. On the intro to I've Seen The Elephant there is a spooky fairground feel before Neilson's lead vocal comes in on a highly descriptive tale of the horror and consequences of man's inhumanity to man. That spookiness particularly when the haunting voices come in on the chorus, always with that old eerie fairground element, is something that gives the song a genuinely harrowing feel particularly when considering the factual elements that are tied up in the story. That is followed by Sweetheart, a song with an incredibly strong gospel sound, the basic instrumentation and power coming from the voices and the handclaps, with lyrics that are strongly orientated to the consequences of war, in many ways, as with the very best gospel songs sung in an almost celebratory manner. The song eventually moves from its starting point that gave the impression of being outside and slowly moves inside, with the more studio orientated atmosphere further lifted by the addition of a trumpet. A harmonium gets things going on We Were Marching On Christmas Day, a tremendous tale that is soon joined by a chirpy mandolin on a story that, even before the first lyrics, is starting to take on an intensely dramatic atmosphere with the lyrics eventually giving vent to the feelings common to all men at time of war no matter how hard they try to suppress them. Good Old Flag is a powerful tale of the patriotism that is required to fight a war and the victors returning home to their brave new world. If only that were so! It is an excellent song but unlike most of the others it in many ways glorifies war. The instrumentation is excellent as are the lead and harmony vocals, providing just a little light amongst the pervasive but essential darkness of some of the other songs. Final mention just has to go to Paddy's Lamentation with its melodic electric guitar and latterly acoustic guitar being the only support for an extraordinary vocal performance from Ben Rogers, on this hugely evocative traditional tale that goes a long way to explaining the lot of the Irish Immigrants in the mid 19th century
Some will find this thematically dark album quite uncomfortable to listen to but that should not detract from the excellence of the writing, the tremendous arrangements, evocative vocals and the sometimes stunning beauty of the music. If you listen to this extraordinary recording and are not soon wrapped in its ghostly otherworldly, emotion drenched songs it is sadly well past the time for checking your pulse.
http://www.theorphanbrigade.com/