Alasdair RobertsThe Wyrd Meme(Drag City) US release date: 20 October 2009 UK release date: 20 December 2009 By Kieran CurranModern FolkScottish singer-songwriter Alasdair Roberts has plied his trade of off-kilter folk music for many years. His resonant, sincere vocals intermingle with stream-of-consciousness/unconsciousness lyrics and instrumental quirkiness: finger-picked folk guitar, glitchy electronica, and indie rock noise. His latest, The Wyrd Meme, opens with “The Hallucinator and the King of the Silver Ship of Time”, an epic which centers around the idea of a hallucinating woman as the artistic music, while “The Yarn Unraveller” sounds like Unhalfbricking-era Fairport Convention, yearning sentiment and experiment intertwined. “The Royal Road at the World’s End” is another epic based around Roberts’ lyrical explorations of historic folk imagery. The EP’s high point, “Coral And Tar”, is a mournful, romantic lament and a paean to human connection as winter closes in. It should be a future live staple. Overall, this EP should serve to convert the unfaithful to Alasdair’s cause. 1 November 2009Related Articles
Alasdair Roberts: SpoilsBy Erin Lyndal Martin02.Jun.09 Alasdair Roberts attempts to carve out new terrain with old tools.
Alasdair Roberts: The Amber GatherersBy D.M. Edwards14.Jun.07 Alasdair Roberts continues on a deceptively simple path, strewing magical depictions of everyday concerns in his wake.
Alasdair Roberts: No Earthly ManBy Jason MacNeil21.Mar.05 Appendix Out's lead singer goes down a dark, dirge-ish and dreary road that makes Gillian Welch's 'Caleb Meyer' sound like 'Memory' by comparison. |
|
Comments