Very happy to see a review of GALW our first album in print. A big thank you to Nathaniel Hardy !
Tinc y Tannau GALW (57 mins)
The Welsh duo conjure up otherwordly sounds
You’ve heard of freeform jazz. What about freeform avant-garde, New Age,
Welsh folk Music ?
This debut from the duo Sianed Jones and Ailsa Mair Hughes is an elemental, esoteric ride through ancient Welsh tradition and the rich, water-filled landscape of Wales itself. Armed simply with a bass viola da gambaeach and their voices, the pair spirit up otherwordly sounds, with eight of the tracks being improvisations, many of them actively imitating natural sounds such as waterfalls and mountain streams. Jones specialises in vocal techniques having worked with musicians in remote communities around the globe, and many of the lyrics and vocal sounds are as much about rhythm as meaning.
Still there is an element of narrative. Two tracks use bardic poetry from the Book of Taliesin, a 14th–century Welsh manuscript. There is also a poem by Federico Garcia Lorca and two songs written by Christine Watkins. Yet the most primeval air of Tinc y Tannau is probably at its most visceral when the voice becomes simply another instrument – wailing, ululating and rhymically rapping like a bird upon a tree. It can feel a little too unmoored at times and won’t be to many tastes, but if you want something weird…
NATHANIEL HANDY
TRACK TO TRY Bwmba Bwmba
Digital downloads of the album are available on our bandcamp page
