a r t i s t : The Owl Service
t i t l e : A Garland Of Song
d a t e : 2008
l a b e l : Southern
c a t : 28149-1
s o u r c e : CDDA
g e n r e : Folk
r l s. d a t e : Jun/2008
t r a c k s : 13
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 52,8 MB
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A Garland Of Song was recorded and mixed almost entirely at
home, with a group of like-minded collaborators, between
December 2006 and June 2007; it fuses traditional British folk
ballads with elements of psychedelic rock, occasionally
bordering on a doom-laden garage sound, and is interspersed
with Steven's original instrumental compositions. It recalls
the great acid-folk bands of the late '60s/early '70s but
never once sounds contrived or overtly retro - nobody has
approached trad folk quite like this for over 30 years.
OME WORDS FROM ITS CREATOR:
ôA Garland Of Song was born out of a love for traditional
music - it began as something I needed to get out of my
system, but it soon became an obsession that took over my life
for six months. The original idea was simply to record a
traditional-based album, I didn't really have a theme or idea
of how I was going to go about it. But then the recording was
delayed by a few months and in that time ideas came thick and
fast and the seed soon blossomed. Although it's not exactly a
concept album, a feeling seemed to emanate over the sessions
that tied the songs together and it soon became clear that
(for me at least) this was going to be a very special project.
The first songs I chose to record were those I knew well and
had loved for what felt like a lifetime, but as the album
progressed my thirst for traditional song grew and I begun
unearthing music from the original revival which I'd never
heard before. Every day I was finding new material that I
desperately wanted to tackle and a wealth of songs couldn't be
accommodated (making this very much an ongoing saga). By the
time I had completed the album, with the help of some
wonderful collaborators, I'd managed to truly get inside of
these songs that I ended up feeling as though I'd written them
myself. I set out to make the most exciting English folk album
since Liege And Lief - I'll leave it up to you to decide
whether I actually achieved that: it's certainly a celebration
of the tradition, the beginning of a joyous re-telling of our
song tapestry and ultimately something I'm incredibly proud
of. I sincerely hope you enjoy it.
Steve Collins (Leigh-on-sea, June 2007)
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01-A Garland Of Song (Folk Revival) [02:13]
02-Child Ballad no.49 (or The Rolling Of The Stones) [02:59]
03-Hoodening [02:11]
04-The North Country Maid [02:39]
05-Katie Cruel [03:22]
06-The Lammas [01:46]
07-Oxford City (Or The Jealous Lover) [02:55]
08-Turpin Hero [04:09]
09-The Dorset Hanging Oak [06:33]
10-Apple Tree Man [03:09]
11-Child Ballad no.219 (Or The Gardner Child) [05:17]
12-Corn Dollies [01:27]
13-Flanders Shore [04:46]
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43:26 min