Pencaitland

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Cat No: JOROCK013

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Release Date: 20 June 2011

Label: Johnny Rock Records

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 5060065337379

Genres: Folk Bluegrass

Description
'Pencaitland' continues the collective's journey through eclectic and acoustic soundscapes whilst harvesting their natural folk feel for this timeless music. A folk gem.

Southern Tenant Folk Union's brand new album 'Pencaitland' comes hot on the heels of last year's critically acclaimed 'The New Farming Scene'. A progression from the conceptual nature of the previous record finds the band in a wider world balanced precariously between optimism and other concerns.

The songs centre around the transient nature of an utopian ideal - made flesh in the title track and it's small town of artists/musicians sowing their own seeds of destruction. It also continues the band's ongoing mission to marry the different but related strands of Scottish folk with the old-time string band sound. Other newer musical influences to be heard include stronger emphasis on cinematic/soundtrack moods plus nods to Philadelphia soul, west coast harmony and classical.

A real and democratic band album, 'Pencaitland' was recorded entirely live in the studio with Lau sound engineer Tim Matthew. It features the work of five different STFU songwriters and marks the songwriting debut on record of lead vocalist Ewan Macintyre (with Labour Season) and fiddle player Carrie Thomas (with both The Tide & instrumental JPP) who sings with fragile beauty on her song. As well as the pure Scottish tones of Ewan's lead vocals the cd also heavily features Jed Milroy (The Aliens) on lead vocals with his more classic northern English folk sound.

The themes of the album take the listener from warfare (Ida Won't Go) to broken relationships (At The Break Of Dawn); from the exploitation of workers (The Rights & Interests Of The Laboring Man – based on the infamous George F. Baer quote) to the creation of militia (If You've Got The Heart). Another development is the use of literature and poetry with a song inspired by Chris Beckett's stunning novel 'The Holy Machine' and Jed Milroy's fiery adaptation of the W.B. Yeats poem 'An Irish Airman Forsees His Death'. All that alongside a willingness to experiment with the acoustic music form that simply surprises and inspires.
Tracklisting