Over the last five years or so Brighton has become something of an artistic hub for the neo folk scene. The Leisure Society, The Miserable Rich and the Willkommen Collective have all embraced the traditional music of their country while dragging it into the 21st century. Also the bonkers, thoroughly prog Olympics opening ceremony gave the world a swift reminder that the green English countryside and Britain’s weird and wonderful quirks are pretty bloody lovely.
You can add Autumn Chorus (featuring The Leisure Society’s Helen Whittaker on flute) to the list. Nostalgic and melancholy, The Village To The Vale celebrates the pastoral landscape, packed with rural imagery and with tracks weaving together to create one beautiful, evocative piece of work you can lose yourself inside.
There’s a post-rock, Sigur Ros feel to the flow, and Robbie Wilson’s beautiful vocals share a warmth and sadness with the great Antony Hegarty. Meanwhile, Taps-esque trumpets add to the sense of reaching back through the centuries, to the ancestors who told tales of working people’s life through music.
As lovely as a sunny day by Lake Windermere, this’ll take you away from the rat race, if only for an hour.
