- Audio CD (3 May 2010)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Format: CD
- Label: Pid
- ASIN: B003HN7BXG
- Other Editions: MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 99,690 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Product details |
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The Burn Comes Down is a very generous ep of mostly traditional songs bound together by the common thread of winter. Performing in a classic English folk-rock style, The Owl Service sound as if they must be regular visitors to 1970.
Guest singer Alison O'Donnell of the revered Mellow Candle is the first person we hear, setting the mood with a chilly fragment of January Snows. This piece is followed by a lovely rendition of Drive The Cold Winter Away, that is bound to become a favourite in our household, whilst the third track is sung by second guest singer Roshi Nasehi. Most of the performances have a very soft-focus quality about them, this mellowness is nice though sometimes perhaps a little safe, where a hint of eeriness or coarseness might have improved things. Dominic Cooper provides contrast via a hearty a-capella rendering of The Bitter Withy, giving the collection its most gnarled performance, and it's a good one, Dominic's distinctive nasal tones reminding us of the raw winter night outside. I am familiar with Mike Waterson's excellent rendition too, which has shaped my appreciation of the song itself, but I can see this new version wowwing folks who are hearing this version first, and judging all others from this first point. Fans of Dominic's performance would do well to hunt down his other band, The Straw Bear Band, and its very fine alt-folk-tronica concept album From The Sea To The Stars.
The band sound very faithful to classic English folk-rock, almost to the point of being a pure re-enactment of that halcyon time, the palette of instruments is varied but stays within the scope of what was to the fore back then (there's a respectful nod to Pentangle in the use of sitar here and there). It is actually the inclusion of some unusual and inventive arrangements, seeing songs taking unexpected turns, that provide some distinction, as on the quite wonderful, shapeshifting progression of Winter (A Dirge). Elsewhere early Steeleye Span come to mind, especially on the jaunty Cold And Raw.
Circulus and Espers are my favourite of the current bands evoking the spirit of classic folk-rock. To me, at their best, they possess an illusive quality of strangeness and magic that is intrinsic to what makes the music of forebears like Trees and Incredible String Band so special. The Owl Service are verging on that place too.
Guest singer Alison O'Donnell of the revered Mellow Candle is the first person we hear, setting the mood with a chilly fragment of January Snows. This piece is followed by a lovely rendition of Drive The Cold Winter Away, that is bound to become a favourite in our household, whilst the third track is sung by second guest singer Roshi Nasehi. Most of the performances have a very soft-focus quality about them, this mellowness is nice though sometimes perhaps a little safe, where a hint of eeriness or coarseness might have improved things. Dominic Cooper provides contrast via a hearty a-capella rendering of The Bitter Withy, giving the collection its most gnarled performance, and it's a good one, Dominic's distinctive nasal tones reminding us of the raw winter night outside. I am familiar with Mike Waterson's excellent rendition too, which has shaped my appreciation of the song itself, but I can see this new version wowwing folks who are hearing this version first, and judging all others from this first point. Fans of Dominic's performance would do well to hunt down his other band, The Straw Bear Band, and its very fine alt-folk-tronica concept album From The Sea To The Stars.
The band sound very faithful to classic English folk-rock, almost to the point of being a pure re-enactment of that halcyon time, the palette of instruments is varied but stays within the scope of what was to the fore back then (there's a respectful nod to Pentangle in the use of sitar here and there). It is actually the inclusion of some unusual and inventive arrangements, seeing songs taking unexpected turns, that provide some distinction, as on the quite wonderful, shapeshifting progression of Winter (A Dirge). Elsewhere early Steeleye Span come to mind, especially on the jaunty Cold And Raw.
Circulus and Espers are my favourite of the current bands evoking the spirit of classic folk-rock. To me, at their best, they possess an illusive quality of strangeness and magic that is intrinsic to what makes the music of forebears like Trees and Incredible String Band so special. The Owl Service are verging on that place too.
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Like Trees? Like Pentangle? run out of old bands to buy and are now buying rubbish? Well someones making great music that comes up to the standard of Folk Rock/Acid folks heyday, and you can even buy it direct from the band. Its like a dream come true for us folkies and we should buy it. Or rather you should buy it, I already have and can now sit back and bask in its glory. Thank you Owl Service!
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is my favourite The Owl Service CD. It has their characteristic lucidity and beauty, and presents a workable thematic unity, without suffering so much from the (to my mind, excessive) admiration for The Young Tradition that casts its shadow more over their other work.
Don't just buy this one, though. Buy them all. They're wonderful.
Don't just buy this one, though. Buy them all. They're wonderful.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
So good
Played this for the first time today, This is so good I'm rushing to buy their other CDs before they run out. Only 30 minutes but as classy and tasteful as June Tabor.
Published 12 months ago by Nick Ballard
He's right - just buy it...
Buy this and all the other Owl Service releases this year (look out for 'em) and a splendid time is guaranteed for you and yours.
Published 21 months ago by Howard Change
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
