In May of this year I reviewed Lanterne, the last album Finvarra would make as a band, or that was what the band told us anyway. Here’s a small quote out of the intro: ‘So Lanterne is not only Finvarra latest CD, no it is also the last album the band will make together. And yes just as you, I secretly – as secret as you can be writing it out right here- hope there will be a reunion somewhere in the future. Listening to the quality of music on the record, I am left craving for more. A lot more!
Well, that wish came out sooner than I thought, Way sooner! ‘Cause here it is, the Finvarra reunion album and even better, it’s a Christmas record! And a surprising one at that as well, perfect for the Christmassy historical folk fan, but first things first. Let’s ask the band about those retirement plans: What happened?
Patrick Broekema picked up on that question:’ Hahaha, good question. At the beginning of this year, we announced that Finvarra would not do anything as a band in the foreseeable future. Originally, that was indeed the idea, but then this crazy year happened, and it inspired us to record Lutesongs for Christmas. We thought, in this year where we are not allowed to hug each other, let’s embrace our fans with some comforting Christmas music. About our future plans? Well, although we stopped planning new activities, we never officially split up as a band, so who knows what the future will bring. For now, we are keeping all options open.’

So here it is Lutesongs for Christmas. For me, Christmas stands for nostalgia, tradition, and warmth; some may even call me old fashioned but I’m fine with that. Every year I get out the stuffed Christmas animals; the straw angels; the old Christmas tree decorations and the German Christmas pyramid (left) Anna’s parents always set when she was young. I don’t even buy new Christmas decorations, I rather go into a second-hand store and search there, being totally happy to find a lovely glass-blown squirrel to hang in the tree. Add an old Christmas record to that and I am totally happy.
Luckily I am not the only one who thinks like that. Finvarra do as well. Just have a look at the instruments used on Lutesongs for Christmas: harpsichord; pump organ; recorder; violin; a music box; Baroque guitar, and of course -hence the title- a lot of instruments of the lute family: the theorbo; bouzouki; mandolin; the Arab ud and the lute itself, the list just oozes traditional music. and that is exactly what you are going to get. Traditional music…, with a twist.

Bells of the East starts simple enough, a nice windchill sound effect, sleighbells coming nearer from the distance, the gentle sound of glass beads hitting each other, and the calming sound of an oriental melody. Yes, I did say oriental! The mystical sound of the Arab ud and the theorbo take me deep into India. The oriental percussion by guest musician Sattar Al Saadi only enhances that feeling. The sleighbells returning at the very end of Bells of the East give me a slight sense of traveling through time and space. How wonderful. How unexpected. My imagination is running wild already.
The next song, I Saw Three Ships only increases that feeling of traveling. Originally a Christmas carol from the 17th century, especially popular in Cornwall, Finvarra recorded a highly danceable, light, almost fairy-like, instrumental version of it, made even lighter by adding a little ol’ jig Humours of Glendart in there.



Now I didn’t know about the origins of I Saw Three Ships, or Bells of the East the first times I listened to them, so the songs left me puzzled, intrigued, and wondering about the sense of it all. Why an oriental song on a Christmas album? The perfect moment for the third song to come: Wexford Carol.
This is the first ‘real’ Christmas song on this album. Traditionally it is an Irish Christmas Carol beautifully sung by Gwendolyn Snowdon (She easily is one of my favorite folk interpreters). There was one sentence in the lyrics that particularly struck me. It went: ‘In Bethlehem upon that morn‘. When I heard THAT sentence it suddenly occurred to me that, Christmas actually originated in the Middle East. In Israel. And if there were indeed three wise men from the east following a star, they must have come from Persia, India, or even a place beyond. All of a sudden those Oriental sounds made so much sense. It was at that point that I and this record clicked. This isn’t a ‘Rudolf-the-red-nosed-winterwonderland-have-a-lot-of-presents-in-the snow’ kind of CD. Finvarra set out to do something totally different.
The band always called themselves a Celtic & Oriental folk band, so it was only logical to have that Oriental touch returning on Lutesongs for Christmas. In the last two years Dieke Elfring and Patrick Broekema have studied Renaissance music and this felt like the perfect moment to use those beautiful instruments and play those old carols, rich in history and tradition.

For me, listening to Lutesongs for Christmas feels like traveling. Traveling back through time, traveling through cultures, traveling to lands far and wide. Just listen to IJswals, a lovely trip to medieval times, I can feel the lords and ladies slowly sliding through the great hall in a dance d’elegance’, celebrating the merry days of yule. Doesn’t it feel romantic?
Talking about those medieval times, Anna and me happened to watch a documentary on how Christmas was celebrated in Tudor times, The famous 12 days of Christmas. In that documentary, a choir performed the Coventry Carol. This carol is part of a mystery play traditionally performed in the 16th century in, indeed, Coventry. The carol itself refers to the Massacre of the Innocents, in which Herod ordered all male infants under the age of two in Bethlehem to be killed, and takes the form of a lullaby sung by mothers of the doomed children. Finvarra’s version is beautiful. Dieke Elfring’s voice is perfect for carrying such a heavy-themed lullaby. One of the best songs on the album
Entre le boeuf et l’âne gris (between the ox and the grey donkey) is another old traditional, again taking us back to medieval times. In this case, it is a French Christmas Carol and talks about little baby Jesus being born between an ox and a donkey.



As Patrick explained at the start of this review, Finvarra wanted to give us a gift with this album, they wanted to embrace us with warm and romantic Christmas music. Did they do that? Totally! The beauty of Lutesongs for Christmas is that Finvarra took those old Christmas carols and made them contemporary, while in keeping with the tradition of them all. They all ooze out warmth, tenderness, and that romantic peacefulness I so love about Christmas. The oriental side of Finvara just blends in perfectly, Songs like Bells of the West or Bells of the East I feel connect those traditional Renaissance songs with us, the ‘Castlefest generation’. Bells of the West has a beautiful pagan folk feel to it, as if Daphyd Sens and Faber Horbach (Sowulo) joined in for this celebration of Yule.
As I said, for me Lutesongs for Christmas sounds like I’m traveling through time, through music, and through history. As if Finvarra went through the mists of time and found us those special songs of solace played way back when, using it to give us a hug of warmth, and a blanket of tenderness in a time when we truly need that. And I love them for that.

– Cliff

editor: Anna Schürmann
cover art: Patrick Broekema
Picture: Cliff de Booy (1)

CeltCast headquarters, about two weeks ago. The new Imbue album Wassail, Wassail! arrived, a special Christmas album even. Within minutes our office was filled with lovely folky music. A cheerful recorder melody accompanied by bouzouki, Violin, and tambourine flowed out of the speakers; beautiful female vocals soon followed suit, and the chairs were put aside for a spontaneous balfolk dance.
We Three Kings, the second song, followed, and again we heard a cheerful folky up-tempo song with beautiful harmonies. While the other members of the CeltCast team started another spinning dance I headed over to the computer to have a look what we are actually playing here. This can’t be Imbue, can it? This is miles, no centuries away from the medieval/Renaissance music they normally play. What happened? Did Imbue change their style all of a sudden? It was high time to give Meidi Goh, one of Imbue’s members a call and ask her all about Wassail, Wassail!

Yes Cliff, it’s correct that this album sounds very different from our other work. This is because this is actually a side project that falls outside of our core repertoire of medieval, Renaissance and early Baroque music. So no, this will definitely NOT herald a shift to a new sound, although of course we learn from each new project and take that on to the next.
In this project, we explored different recording techniques and created a slightly different kind of sound. We also sang together more and Remy had the chance to use his new cornetto skills a few times. We had a really good time implementing one of the key elements of what Imbue is about in this album: finding the bridge between historical music and folk, and use that element to create a form that speaks to modern audiences, but translates the beauty of how it must have been experienced by historical audiences.

This project had a rather different birth than our previous projects. Last year we were asked to perform for several weeks at a Dickens Christmas fair, so we chose a selection of Christmas Carols that we thought would best represent the spirit of the Victorian age (This is why there are no songs about father Christmas in there, as that is post-Victorian age.) The songs of course are a lot more “modern” (and Christian) than our usual choice of songs, but we did add a few older songs, like Coventry Carol and The Boars’ Head for instance, which were both first printed in the 16th century.
The interesting part in the selection of these songs is that, after choosing and arranging them, we immediately started performing them to live audiences several times a day, so we could literally directly see the reactions of people to the songs and our set. This intense period of performing helped us hone the songs and our live performance as a band a lot!
As always, we looked for ways to add personal interpretations to the songs. Unlike some truly classical groups, our aim is not to copy-paste the music as historically correct as possible, but to offer a unique version of a song that adds to the rich tradition of retelling. We did this by writing our own musical bridges for some, like in Good King Wenceslas, and for a few, we combined elements from other songs. For example, in The Boar’s Head we added the tune The King of the Fairies to the original song, which we play in a minor key, instead of the original major key, giving this famous traditional a slightly more pagan and rollicking feeling.

And with that, Meidi made this review redundant, because she already told you all the things you need to know about Wassail, Wassail!. But, I’ll have a go myself regardless!
The first thing I noticed was the timeless feel of the songs. They don’t feel old, although they are at least 100 years old, they definitely are also not modern pop interpretations of them. Imbue really are masters in finding that perfect balance between the two, giving the music a really contemporary feel. The second thing I noticed straight away is the lack of ‘sleigh bells’. By now sleek commercial songwriting has created an instant Pavlov reaction when you hear a sleigh bell: It’s Christmas!. Staying true to the Victorian inspiration Imbue deliberately neglected to add those. And I like that actually, it puts the focus towards the songs themselves, especially the vocals. And boy are we in for a treat there.

In The Boar’s Head we are welcomed by the full, rich voice of Robin Lammertink; always a fan of her voice I somehow feel this is her strongest performance yet. There is this warmth in it that I really love. But of course, she is not the only star singer in Imbue, and soon Remy Schreuder’s high countertenor joins in. It still amazes me what he can do with his voice, taking nothing away from Robin, Tim Elfring, or Meidi Goh, but what Remy can do with his voice is truly amazing.
His countertenor gets another chance to shine in Good King Wenceslas, a song that brings all the high voices together, and if you don’t pay real attention you will even miss the fact that there is a male voice mingled in there.
In We Three Kings we are greeted by all 4 singers in lovely harmony, urging you to join in yourself, all of them taking a solo verse themselves, meeting each other again in the chorus. Truly luscious. But the real treat for me is the a capella sung Coventry Carol. It takes me back to my youth, hearing my mom sing with the church choir at the midnight mass, the evening before Christmas. I am an atheist, but the joy of hearing that choir sing on those special nights for so many people, is a cherished memory, and Imbue brings it right back in a beautiful way. Well recorded too, It really sounds as if it is recorded in a large hall or even church, and boy do those voices marry together perfectly.

Another thing I noticed is the relatively sober instrumental accompaniment to the songs. The first 2 minutes of The Three kings for example are just bouzouki and percussion, only adding a recorder and violin during the solos, giving the voices all the room they deserve; a trick Imbue use more often.
The solos themselves are also less frivolous as I’ve come to expect from Imbue: again it is all in support of the vocals. And honestly, I think it is a good choice they did so. For me, it all comes together perfectly in Gabriel’s Message. It is a spiritual ballad, featuring Robin’s stunning voice; expressing every ounce of emotion she could find in and between the notes. Laurens Krah’s bouzouki, Remy’s recorder, Meidi’s violin, Tim’s percussion, even some warm brass sounds sneaking in there, (which is actually a cornett or cornetto, an early wind instrument that dates from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods, popular from 1500 to 1650), all these instruments are all there to support Robin’s truly beautiful interpretation of this song. If you love classical style singing, this is a treat. If you are not familiar with it, this is the song to listen to.

Imbue didn’t take the easy route giving us a Christmas feel, leaving out the indivertible sleigh bells, but also waiting to the very end with the obvious Christmas classics: Deck The Hall and Angels, from The Realms Of Glory, and I commend them for it. This is an album that takes me back to my young days, before Sky radio, Band-Aid, Mariah Carey, and Wham’s Last Christmas. Back to the time where my mom would play choral Christmas elpees, Mario Lanza and Bing Cosby’s White Christmas album, and to her singing at home practicing for the big night. Rather special memories, especially in this odd year. Imbue do it in their very own way, somewhere between classical music and folk, building a bridge between Victorian times and the music of these modern days; taking you back to those huge Victorian houses where families would gather around and sing together. Will you join in?

– Cliff

Editor: Sara
Cover art: Robin Lammertink
Pictures: Hermann Kurz

If I have to pick one word to describe this album it would be grand. It is Grand in the number of artists involved, (42 artists representing more than 20 bands are involved in this record); it is a grand gift from those artists to Castlefest; and grand is the word I want to use to describe the sound of the eight songs on this album. Rich and grand!

Grand was also my surprise when I heard the album for the first time. For me Castlefest is synonymous with cheerful danceable balfolk tunes and upbeat, organic pagan folk. It is a 4-day dance party that starts at 11:00 in the morning with the first balfolk workshops, and ends deep at night with the not-so-silent-disco. A four-day summer celebration.
This album feels totally different. As I said, it is majestic, impressive, orchestral, and totally not what I was expecting. A clear case of preconception. Something I always try to avoid as a reviewer, but this time I found it almost impossible not to do.
Luckily, I soon realized Hope Is The Thing With Feathers wasn’t meant as a ‘the best of Castlefest’ CD. We already have those. It wasn’t meant as a replacement Castlefest party. No, it was born out of the need to do something; to give some hope in a time when everything seems pushed out of place; to share love in a time when compassion is best given by keeping your distance. It’s born from the urge to make sense of it all, in the only way artists can, by putting it to music. That is what The Castlefest Collective is, a supergroup of artists coming together in a time we seem to be forced apart. Expressing what they felt when it happened and as it happened, giving it to us as a gift of hope.

Sharing that message of hope starts straight away with the title track Hope Is The Thing With Feathers. That intro so small; so touching. As always Laurens Krah (Pyrolysis) manages to pull so much emotion out of his accordion. It sounds soft, sensitive, melancholic, and oh so touching. A sentiment easily fed by the vocals of Oliver Satyr and Adaya (Faun, Adaya). I’m taken right back to the days of Folk Noir. This is pagan singer/songwriter folk at its very, very best.
It is the piano of Alex Nicola that gives this delicate ballad some instant richness. A richness that is carried through into the second verse in the most beautiful of ways, adding sounds and accents as the song continues. A hurdy-Gurdy riff here, a mandolin accent there, and as a binding factor those oozing voices of Oliver and Adaya.
The best part is still to come, the build-up to the grand finale. First, the viola solo by Marijn Lammertink, (Scarred Grace, and yes the sister of…) which leads you into the recorder solo of Paya Lehane (PerKelt), followed by verse three, before the Castlefest choir joins in for the first time. This goes way beyond anything I ever heard in pagan folk. This is Castlefest meeting Night Of The Proms! A true pagan folk rhapsody! Stunning! My first goosebumps moment!

But it is not the only song on Hope Is The Thing With Feathers with a big, almost poplike sound. Dark Lullaby is an impressive shanty-like song, the starting melody written by Corné van Woerdekom (Finvarra, Scrum) and the lyrics written by the ‘new kid on the block of the pagan folk scene’ Quentin Maltrud (Le Garçon de l’Automne). This song will surely appeal to those who love the music of Plunder, Varend volk and Faun.
Solstice Prayer has Paya and Rick Lehane written all over it. A song that could easily have been on Paya’s 2018 solo CD Oppidamus. The beautiful doubled vocals of Paya and Sara (SeeD, Anúna, Systir), combined with the haunting voice and throat singing of Michael Zann (Nemuer) and the double hurdy-gurdy of Quentin and Yhandros Huergo (Cuélebre) make this into a truly magical song. Adiemus meets pagan folk.

I already mentioned new talent Quentin in the two previous songs, but there is another new talent (for me at least) that I want to introduce. Esme Knight shines in two songs. First, there is Fool Me, a pagan folk-rock song that reminds me a lot of the British band Texas, especially because of that typical slide guitar sound and Esme’s warm, ever so slight hoarse vocals. It is a cool grooving folk-rock song. (And whoever decided to hide Herr Mannelig in there had a stroke of genius. I get a huge smile on my face every time I hear it.)
The second song Esme features in, is one of my highlights on this CD: Now I Am The Sea. The first lines of the song are sung a capella and she nails it. Štěpán Honc (PerKelt), who produced and arranged this album, told me this is exactly how this song was born. Only a few instruments were added, most prominently a shamanistic drum, giving this song a real spiritual feel.

Now that I already dropped his name, this the moment I want to mention one of the artistic forces behind Hope Is The Thing With Feathers, Štěpán Honc. He was the man behind the mixing desk, building up song after song, making sure every artist had their place, their special spot in all the songs, without overcrowding them. Not an easy feat, especially not when so many people are involved. The title song, for example, contains the sound of twelve(!) instruments, two lead singers, four supporting vocalists, and a choir of fourteen (14!) voices. All recorded separately, all of it build together like a giant Tetris puzzle of music. An amazing achievement, especially considering this is only the second album Štěpán produced. I first assumed Fieke van der Hurk was the lady in charge, that is how good this CD sounds. I can’t think of a bigger compliment than that.

Štěpán also co-wrote the second song that gives me goosebumps: Where You’ve Never Been. Štěpán wrote the original guitar part, Taloch Jameson (The Dolmen) wrote the lyrics, and last but not least Marijn Lammertink added a full orchestra score and choir to it. The resulting song has the quality of The Moody Blues (Nights In White Satin) written all over it. The contrast between Taloch’s intense bluesy vocals and the grand orchestra and choir behind it is truly, truly stunning. Well done all involved!

Mr. Happy is a goosebump moment of a totally different kind. To hear Daphyd Sens (Thundercrow) and Joe Hennon (Shantalla, SeeD) team up once more just feels really special. Really special is also the way, in which Gwendolyn Snowdon’s voice (Finvarra, Gwendolyn Snowdon), seems to perfectly merge with the deep sound of the slidgeridoo in this cheerful Americana-meets-folk tune.
Here’s To You is another American style folk song, written by Maarten van Vliet (The Royal Spuds) ending this really special album.

As I said, this project was made possible because 42 artists came together on one album, all adding their talent to the music. If I added all of their names and contributions into this review it would become unreadable, so I opted not to. But every single person on this album played her or his part. Together they made something unique. A pop-folk pagan album that – at times – equals the heydays of ’60’s progressive rock. Think of bands like The Moody Blues, Wallace Collection (Daydream), or John Miles (Music). It is the beauty of pagan folk combined with the beauty of orchestral music, arranged in a true majestic style and served with a grand amount of Americana. Which brings us back to the very beginning of this review. This album can only be described with one word: Grand!

Epilogue:
The famous last words go to Stepan this time. After reading the finished review he got back to me with these words: – “Thank you for the great work, But since this ain’t a normal CD, can I allow myself one request? Could you please highlight the work of Rob van Barschot on drums and Sjoerd van Ravenzwaaij (Harmony Glen) on banjo through the whole album? They both went the extra 100 miles to make this album sound like a “band” and especially having a world-class drummer on a project like this is literally priceless… They don’t show off to steal the attention but make everyone else sounding like rock stars.‘
And THAT is the true spirit behind this project. It is also the true spirit behind the whole Castlefest scene. It is a scene of love, of caring for each other, of giving instead of taking. I talked to both Rob and Stepan in preparation for this review, and they had many words of praise for ALL the people involved in this album, not only the artists but also the people involved with the nitty-gritty bureaucratic side. And they were BOTH trying to downsize the role they themselves played in it. Luckily I talked to them both so I know both played a big role in it all.

Giving and caring is a virtue that sometimes seems lost in our modern money-driven society. I am so grateful I am part of a scene where it is still the norm. So thank you Castlefest Collective for giving us this music, thank you Vana for giving us a home, but especially thank you Castlefest visitors for giving this message of love and care again and again to the world!
Every time I come to Castlefest I feel like coming home. And ALL OF YOU, who make up this beautiful scene are the reason I feel that way! All of you; the dancers; the larpers; the pyrates; the furry’s, the pagans; and the ‘normal’ dressers. ALL of you make this scene a wonderful thing, and I thank you ALL for it, from the bottom of my heart! Thank You! See you all Next year!!!!!!!



– Cliff

Pictures: Cliff de Booy
Editor: Anna

The band Runrig had Donnie Munro, The Housemartins had Paul Heaton, Big Country had Stuart Adamson, and Brother Sea have Kris Lannen! What a voice! Irish stand-up comedian Aisling Bea once joked that all Irish people are born with a built-in tear in their voice, that they can instantly switch on when they start singing. Well, Kris must have some Irish genes in him then, because he has that same ability. Just listen to the opening lines of Triskele and you can’t help but be swept away by his beautiful, round, rich voice. As if he has the eternal emptiness of the sea embedded in his vocal cords. Amazing! But Brother Sea are more than that, much more. So it is high time to introduce the music of this stunning Celtic-folk band to you.

Brother Sea is a Cornish band, combining the talents of the folk duo Harbottle & Jonas (well known for their beautiful singer/songwriter folk, reminiscent of the German folk band Cara, with harmonies that go all the way back to the traditions of Crosby, Stills, & Nash); violinist/vocalist Richard Trethewey ( Didjan, The Rowan Tree ); the up and coming talent of violinist/vocalist and viola player Annie Baylis ( Winter Mountain, Harbottle & Jonas); and of course the aforementioned Kris Lannen.
Together they started writing music inspired by the vastness of nature, life in the Cornish countryside, and the eternal beauty of the seas that surround Cornwall on almost all sides (Kris Lannen is a keen surfer as well as a talented musician). Still working on their first full-length album the band started uploading their songs on Bandcamp, the first being the self-titled EP Brother Sea in July 2019.

I already mentioned the 4th song from that EP, Triskele, with its stunning vocal intro, the harmonies being a true balsam for your ears. Brother Sea opens the EP in the same stunning way, with just Kris’ voice singing the first lines before the band joins in to play All As One in the most lovely of ways. Everything just fits perfectly: the gentle guitar chords, the beautiful violin melodies weaving in and out, the harmonies, Freya Jonas adding her voice to the rich vocals of Kris. It all results in a truly beautiful, musical treat. Everything is in perfect balance. All parts of the music are there to serve the song, to serve the lyrics. Less is more sometimes, and in this case, less is way more!



The song Triskele performed in a home session by Brother Sea

That very high standard is kept up throughout EVERY song Bother Sea has released so far. The band introduced their first mini-album with these words: ‘A self-titled EP and introduction to the ocean drenched Celtic-folk sounds of Brother Sea.‘ Well, the second song Curious Shore has that description written all over it. This is the emptiness of the shore caught in music, the vastness of the beautiful ocean captured in words, the dance of the seagulls written in notes, and I’m loving it. The band themselves on this song: ‘A song written about wild swimming. It was inspired by a group of young mums called the Salty Sisters from Porthleven who swim together every morning.’ And that is the true magic of Brother Sea: the combination of beautiful music with the power of poetic lyrics.

Songs like the beautiful earworm Triskele from the first mini-album, or the singles Circadian (released in April 2020) and September (released in October of 2020) – they are all singer/songwriting gems. Thoughts and observations molded into poetic impressions of everyday life and deep love, crusted by the salt of the Cornish coasts. This is folk music lifted to theater standards. This is folk I want to inhale, sitting in a velvet theater seat, drowning in the beauty of it all.
There are two artists that keep popping up while listening to Brother Sea: Runrig and Milow. Brother Sea’s songs sit just at the crossroads of those two artists. Melodious gentle ballads with a delicious folk sauce poured all over it, arranged and produced in such a lovely way. Listen to that cool ‘ Bob Geldof – This Is The World Calling‘ choir suddenly piping up on Circadian, or the jig suddenly popping up halfway through the song. This is like candy for the ears.



The latest single September

Oll’ Vel Onen and Trodhydhyek are the songs All As One and Circadian but then sang in Kernewek, the Celtic language of Cornwall. The last song you’ll find on Bandcamp is Brother Sea’s latest single September and well, what can I say? Only that I hope a full-length album is going to come out really soon. For me, Brother Sea is one of the best bands I have heard this year. I truly hope this band will follow the path of success already walked by Amy Macdonald and Rachel Croft as their music deserves to be heard by a broad audience, starting with us, lucky listeners here at CeltCast. Hop over to the band’s Bandcamp page and dwell with me on the waves of this melancholic ocean-bound Celtic-folk band. And to those of you who are planning to go to Keltfest 2021, Brother Sea has been confirmed as one of the bands playing there, so you’re gonna be in for a treat! Guess where you will find me?!

Cliff

Editor: Iris
Picture: Brother Sea