Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Steeleye Span
Label: Park Records
Release: 2013
Running time: 63:44
Rating: 4.5/5
»Wintersmith« is the title of the latest concept album from the legendary English folk rockers Steeleye Span. Alongside Fairport Convention, they’re the most important pioneering band in their genre, and they cut most of their best albums in the mid-seventies, though they’ve more or less stayed active right up to the present day. While Fairport Convention were always the purest incarnation of primal British folk rock, originally dubbed ‘electric folk’, Steeleye Span have always ‘complicated’ things a bit more by comparison, experimenting with their sound and paving the way for progressive folk rock. On »Wintersmith«, the band teamed up with the renowned British fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett, who, in sales terms, is the most successful British fantasy writer this side of J. K. Rowling and her Harry Potter saga.
Pratchett, a Steeleye Span fan and a friend of the band’s members, is best known among fans of the genre as the creator of the utterly unique, slightly comical fantasy world called Discworld, where most of his offbeat stories take place, marked by typically English humor on top of the classic fantasy ingredients. That humor isn’t exactly common in this kind of literature, and that’s precisely one of the main reasons Pratchett’s books caught on so well with all sorts of readers around the world. The lyrics on »Wintersmith« were inspired by Pratchett’s book of the same name, which, for a change, was aimed at younger readers, since the famous author likes to tailor his stories to different age groups, from kids and teens to adults.
Steeleye Span have always been masters at building authentic pastoral moods and Celtic melancholy, so typical of Great Britain and Ireland. »Wintersmith« is packed to the brim with lavish orchestral arrangements, which you can already hear on the dramatic opener »Overture«, brimming with Celtic mysticism and traditional string sounds. »The Dark Morris Song« is a spirited folk rocker with stately acoustic-symphonic arrangements, where the legendary singer Maddy Prior impresses the most with her youthful vocal performance. Her voice sounds like it hasn’t aged a bit since the late seventies, and she’s now at a respectable age. The epic title track, with bassist Rick Kemp, Prior’s ex-husband, taking the lead vocals, is one of the strangest yet most excellent and interesting experiments on »Wintersmith«. Had Chris Tsangarides pushed the electric guitars a little further up front in the production, Steeleye Span would sound like some kind of epic power metal band here, because they sound unusually punchy this time. Even the mighty vocal harmonies sound ‘metal’, while the rhythm section toils away at full steam amid the rustling passages of Hammond organ.
»You« features a completely traditional Celtic folk motif, where the fluid string arrangements sound especially lovely. On »The Good Witch«, where Prior shines once again with her trademark singing, the band wins you over by building a friendly, warm atmosphere, while a short narration by Pratchett, reading a passage from the book, ‘sneaks’ into the song. »Band of Teachers« is on par with Steeleye Span’s best past achievements, thanks to its spirited rhythmic nuances, bravura Celtic arrangements and splendid male-female vocal harmonies, which together conjure up an unforgettable mood.
»The Wee Free Men«, which sounds like some ancient drinking song from Scottish or Irish pubs, is another rollicking little number with playful string embellishments and cheeky lyrics. »Hiver« is an exceptionally friendly and pleasant piece with melodic acoustic arrangements and a gorgeous chorus that’s the very essence of youthful innocence and ease. »Fire & Ice«, which alternates Prior’s ‘angelic’ voice with Kemp’s rougher singing, is a somewhat more complex creation again, with galloping rhythms and mighty vocal harmonies. »The Making of a Man« features a traditional string arrangement and harmonic vocal chants, which in combination only heighten the old-world atmosphere. »Crown of Ice«, with bassist Kemp stepping up as lead singer once more, is again a bit more rock-oriented, and with it Steeleye Span keep nicely balancing folk tradition with a more ‘electrified’ modernity. The ethereal ballad »First Dance«, with its elegant symphonic arrangements and Prior’s enchanting singing, is yet another wonderful demonstration of serene subtlety in all its glory.
On the instrumental »The Dark Morris Tune«, traditional Celtic motifs reign once more, and they’d easily find a place in some Irish battle march. »The Summer Lady« is another cheerful little tune where the male and female vocal harmonies complement each other happily, while the instrumental section again impresses with its lovely traditional arrangements. The ballad »Ancient Eyes«, whose lyrics even mention Pratchett’s Discworld, is one of the few pieces on »Wintersmith« with a distinctly melancholic mood. »We Shall Wear Midnight«, the closing track on »Wintersmith«, is the only song where, between the somewhat ‘tired’ singing of violinist and keyboardist Peter Knight and the lyrics themselves, you can hear that Steeleye Span aren’t young anymore, and haven’t been for a long time. By the way, Mr. Knight announced that he’s leaving the band at the end of 2013, right after the December tour wraps up.
»Wintersmith« is proof positive that Steeleye Span are one of the very few legendary bands around today that age like fine wine: the older they get, the better they are. Sure, even they had their ups and downs over their long career, but in recent years they’ve somehow gotten back to the quality level of their best work from the seventies. So the conceptual and lyrical collaboration with Terry Pratchett has borne plenty of fruit, and it will surely help, at least a little, to win a few new followers for these folk rock champions. Sadly, many people today don’t even know they’re still active, even though they’ve been regularly putting out new studio albums in recent years.
Line-up
Maddy Prior – vocals
Rick Kemp – bass guitar, vocals
Peter Knight – strings, backing vocals
Liam Genockey – drums
Peter Zorn – guitar
Julian Littman – guitar
GUEST:
Terry Pratchett – narration on “The Good Witch”
Production
Chris Tsangarides
Track list
1. Overture (2:09)
2. The Dark Morris Song (4:01)
3. Wintersmith (4:37)
4. You (3:24)
5. The Good Witch (3:49)
6. Band of Teachers (3:46)
7. The Wee Free Men (2:17)
8. Hiver (3:25)
9. Fire & Ice (5:13)
10. The Making of a Man (4:03)
11. Crown of Ice (4:05)
12. First Dance (4:44)
13. The Dark Morris Tune (5:30)
14. The Summer Lady (3:54)
15. Ancient Eyes (4:38)
16. We Shall Wear Midnight (4:09)
