The Owl Service - The View From A Hill (2010)
The Owl Service - The View From A Hill (2010)
MP3 CBR 320kbps | 00:46:39 | 109.79 Mb
British Folk Rock, Psychedelic Folk, Indie Folk | Country: United Kingdom | Label: Rif Mountain
MP3 CBR 320kbps | 00:46:39 | 109.79 Mb
British Folk Rock, Psychedelic Folk, Indie Folk | Country: United Kingdom | Label: Rif Mountain
The Owl Service was an English alternative folk music collective formed in 2006 by multi-instrumentalist Steven Collins (who led the band for its entire 10 year duration), named after the 1967 novel by Alan Garner. The second full-length Owls album, The View From a Hill, was released on 1 May 2010 and was the centrepiece of the Pattern series. The album featured guest appearances from Joolie Wood (of Current 93) and Alison O'Donnell among others.
"What an absolute beauty of a second album. The first thing that hits you is the richness of production and the enveloping feeling of it all. The wonderfully mournful `Banks Of The Nile' is followed by the grin-inducing `Ladies, Don't Go a-Thieving' with its phasing, swirling guitar effects. The interlocking male vocals on `I was a young man' conjure memories of `Morris On' bleeding gently into another striking acapella from Nancy Wallace.
Then comes the killer blow - a truly exceptional reading of `Willie O'Winsbury' with swathes of sitar and delicious burbling Fender Rhodes (?) leading into lovely banjo finger-picking and group vocals that make you want to sign up to this cult immediately. The effortless merging of the voices marries so perfectly to the peerless instrumentation - never is there the feeling that this is anything but a group experience. If this doesn't become a standard for future folk explorers…
`The Bold Poachers' introduces searching strings and earthy woodwind to the mix, book-ended by two vocal and birdsong (!) tunes creating a wonderful song-cycle followed by the sparse `Lover's Ghost' with vocals by Mellow Candle's Alison O'Donnell accompanied by a haunting drone.
`The Ladies Go Dancing at Whitsun' has a superb baroque flourish with its harpsichord and brass adding further depths to this treasure chest of song.
It's notable that while the musicianship is exceptional throughout it is never allowed to swamp the voice which is key. You get the feeling that The Owl Service has really come into its own as an organic collective with an album that eclipses even the heights of their wonderful debut `Garland Of Song'. Even more so does this feel like a natural successor to high water marks in folk rock but never derivative. This is an absolute must for your collection if folk music has the slightest resonance in your tastes. And if not, this is a perfect place to start…" Tee Double You Bee Esq
Track List:
01. Polly on the Shore (01:29)
02. The Banks of the Nile (05:41)
03. Ladies, Don't Go a-Thieving (03:03)
04. I Was a Young Man (03:07)
05. Sorry the Day I Was Married (01:12)
06. Willie O'Winsbury (05:53)
07. In Thorneymoor Woods, pt.1 (01:29)
08. The Bold Poachers (05:38)
09. In Thorneymoor Woods pt.2 (01:01)
10. The Lover's Ghost (03:41)
11. The Ladies Go Dancing at Whitsun (02:46)
12. Willie O'Winsbury (reprise) (01:46)
13. The Loyal Lover (03:12)
14. Within Sound (01:01)
15. Cruel Mother (05:43)