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(2022) Oysterband - Read the Sky
Review:
After an 8-year gap – as the band explain “hey, we were busy” – the Oysterband return with their twelfth studio album, (fourteen including their two collaborative albums with June Tabor). Oysterband have been going strong since 1992 (from 1976 to 1992 they were the Oyster Band), yet for many may have flown under their musical radar. The core original trio of John Jones (melodeon, lead vocals), Alan Prosser (guitars, vocals) and Ian Telfer (violin, keyboard, vocals) are joined by Al Scott (bass, mandolin, vocals), Sean Randle (drums, percussion, vocals) and Adrian Oxaal (cello, electric guitar, vocals) – who is also a member of James. The cover image itself tells a story, the aged empty boat run aground, is the sun setting or is it the dawn of a new day, and what exactly can those stars know that we do not? It is a striking picture that is both beautiful and apocalyptic; as a representation of the music contained within, it could not be more appropriate. Then, peppered throughout the songs (all bar one Oysterband originals) are lyrics that seem to jump out and anchor your thoughts to the main point of concern. For example, in ‘Wonders Are Passing’, the line “treasures of Earth are slipping through our fingers” stands tall as a statement that is, simply and fundamentally, true. There is the purity of this blue planet’s water that flows through the songs ‘Hungry for That Water,’ where Alan Prosser introduces an effectively vulnerable texture with a turn on lead vocal duties, then later on ‘Streams of Innocence.’ That penultimate tune brings with it one of many sonic gear changes applied all the way through the record. Yes, this is a satisfyingly varied selection of songs, everything has its own personal vibe, but ‘Streams of Innocence’ in particular has a hypnotically mantra-like pulse. There is something skilful in the Al Scott production that almost dips the listener deep under the flowing water, a clever bit of studio technique and an example of the diligence at work here. The lyric is actually a lot heavier in subject matter, referring to lives cut short as the stream changes colour below the mill, a story whose disturbingly dark undercurrent invites deeper analysis. ‘Read the Sky’ is worthy of your attention too because it holds up with all ten songs; there is no weak link found here. And while the songs do indeed tell many different stories, there are solid threads that hold it all together. The passing of time felt within the life lessons of pacifism and compassion movingly spoken to the next generation in ‘My Son.’ Travel and movement, both to and from the people and places where we belong, that over time reveal our true homes, these themes are central to album opener ‘Born Under the Same Sun’ (a fiddle slashing, folk-rock pot-boiler, make no mistake). The celebratory nostalgia on ‘Corner of the Room’ is thinking along similar lines, recalling and catching up with the old faces who once danced and sang at Mally’s Bar. ‘Roll Away’ takes us further down the road before considering, “maybe I’ll return to this island someday.” And a quick credit for the songwriter of that tune, Davy Knowles, for despite being the only number here written by someone else, it sits so well with the other tracks that the selection is a little masterstroke of song curation. Perhaps the most significant indicator of all that this is a great album is the fact that Oysterband close with ‘The Time Is Now.’ Not many bands would be able to stick a song so urgent, so immediate and with so much punch as the last track. Indeed, I can state with certainty that most bands would have to put something this good at the front end of a record to entice the listeners to keep going. Leaving it as the final song would normally run the risk of people not even getting that far in, but there is absolutely no danger of that on ‘Read the Sky.’ The preceding songs are all so enjoyable, thought-provoking and diverse that no one with correctly functioning ears is going to stop listening. That said, ‘The Time Is Now’ is a highlight and deserves to be heard as one of the most direct callouts to everyone to understand the immediacy of the climate emergency. It is oh so potent, and the message is one the human race cannot afford to ignore. Just as they have always done in their illustrious back pages, so the Oysterband continue today to be the band willing to stand up and call the tune, “we know what the time is, the time is now.” — folkradio.co.uk
Track List:
1 Born Under The Same Sun
2 The Corner Of The Room
3 Roll Away
4 Wonders Are Passing
5 Fly Or Fall
6 My Son
7 Hungry For That Water
8 Star Of The Sea
9 Streams Of Innocence
10 The Time Is Now
Media Report:
Genre: folk-rock
Country: UK
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
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