A few nights ago we were stood on Seacombe promenade on the shore of the Mersey Estuary. As we watched, at about 11pm, the bright white lights that were the last visible sign of the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth II slipped out of sight beyond Fort Perch Rock and she was gone - this time for good. We had joined the throng for the official farewell - an impressive firework display that was heralded and acknowledged by the vessel' s deep throated whistle, but it was the more personal and poignant salutes that made the event for me:
Starting with the tugs that helped pull her off Liverpool's new landing stage, each vessel in turn sounded 3 blasts, and each was echoed in turn by the departing giant as she made her way downstream for the final time. Her blast is deep and mournful, audible for miles I'm sure, and it continued as she slipped gracefully past Liverpool's docks, escorted by the 3 operation Mersey Ferries, which added their salutes as they turned back for home, as indeed did every vessel in the docks. Goodbye old friend they were calling. Goodbye.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
CD Review - Yonder
The Art of Whisper
Turn it down is what Yonder do - music at number 1 rather than 11 on the amp - if they bother with such things. Yonder hail from Stockholm and play their own slanted version of traditional er, American, Delta Blues from the old days. I've had all kinds of airy phrases go through my head whilst trying to think of how to describe the music - doily was one of them - a paper disk with so many holes in it that it hardly exists as a disk - this is the sound of music distilled into the very essence of the sound and bottled, then miked up very gently to capture the result.
That result is the kindest, gentlest blues you might hear. Slow and easy, music with spaces in it, guitar, bass and vocals, drums yes - but they often seem to be playing in the shed at the bottom of the garden. Actually Mats Qwarfordt's vocals are really strong - he has a big deep voice but even this is gentle and never really threatens to move that needle near the red line.
The songs are a mixture of spiritual/gospel and sad love songs - April Snow is just the saddest thing, expressed in an ever so slow and melancholy way, with most delightful backing from maybe a zither on top of the guitar, there is a short instrumental on just slide guitar that just feels like the player is on the verge of sleeping it is so dreamy.
In Foggy Straits we find a boat adrift and feel the depair yet in such a beautiful way that it cannot possibly hurt or harm, and there must, please be a happy ending? The music is so pure and clear it belies the foggy, dangerous waters of the song.
I don't know how Gilly does it, but she keeps on finding these gems out there and brings them home for me to be amazed at. So many of them seem to be from Scandanavia too - look out for these guys touring the UK in 2009 and prepare to be whispered at - gently.
Turn it down is what Yonder do - music at number 1 rather than 11 on the amp - if they bother with such things. Yonder hail from Stockholm and play their own slanted version of traditional er, American, Delta Blues from the old days. I've had all kinds of airy phrases go through my head whilst trying to think of how to describe the music - doily was one of them - a paper disk with so many holes in it that it hardly exists as a disk - this is the sound of music distilled into the very essence of the sound and bottled, then miked up very gently to capture the result.
That result is the kindest, gentlest blues you might hear. Slow and easy, music with spaces in it, guitar, bass and vocals, drums yes - but they often seem to be playing in the shed at the bottom of the garden. Actually Mats Qwarfordt's vocals are really strong - he has a big deep voice but even this is gentle and never really threatens to move that needle near the red line.
The songs are a mixture of spiritual/gospel and sad love songs - April Snow is just the saddest thing, expressed in an ever so slow and melancholy way, with most delightful backing from maybe a zither on top of the guitar, there is a short instrumental on just slide guitar that just feels like the player is on the verge of sleeping it is so dreamy.
In Foggy Straits we find a boat adrift and feel the depair yet in such a beautiful way that it cannot possibly hurt or harm, and there must, please be a happy ending? The music is so pure and clear it belies the foggy, dangerous waters of the song.
I don't know how Gilly does it, but she keeps on finding these gems out there and brings them home for me to be amazed at. So many of them seem to be from Scandanavia too - look out for these guys touring the UK in 2009 and prepare to be whispered at - gently.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
