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Product Description
Album Description
Karine is an excellent Scottish singer/songwriter who was previously the vocalist with folk group Malinky--and her involvement in the traditional scene is obvious on Faultlines as she mixes Celtic folk with contemporary songwriter sensibilities. The songs are wonderfully constructed, introspective pieces that are lyrically deep and often dark in tone, but this is countered by a lightness of touch in the arrangements and some delicate and memorable melodies. These qualities make the songs immediate and accessible but with the lyrical depth to reward thought-provoking repeated listens. The instrumentation is mainly acoustic and includes a variety of guitars, fiddle, banjo and melodeon and these give the songs a subtle folk edge without being overly rooted in the tradition--she strikes the perfect balance of sounding contemporary but with identifiable folk roots. While the disc contains both dark and light, it's the darker songs that really stand out. Faultlines is a beautifully crafted disc that has been thoughtfully put together--her voice is clean and expressive, and the songwriting is excellent throughout.
CD Description
Faultlines introduces a solo performer and writer with a unique take on things. Karine's edgy songwriting has won her acclaim on the UK folk-roots scene. Faultlines makes a mockery of lazy pigeon-holing and heralds a bold solo sound for the Edinburgh-based musician. Though it resonates with roots influences, the CD is resolutely contemporary in feel and incisively intelligent in lyrical content. "I've got big ideals and love big ideas. And I'm really fascinated by the power and limitations of song as a way of changing how we feel or we look at things. But I'm always looking for the wry, sideways view. It's much more effective and makes for better music." Clean production allows every instrument to enjoy its own space, never overwhelming Karine’s voice, which manages to combine strength and frailty in equal measure. With mood, melody and message, Faultlines is an impressive first step towards recognition of Karine Polwart as an important contemporary musician. Produced by RAB NOAKES.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
74 of 76 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Although Karine Polwart has been around in groups like the Battlefied Band and Malinkey, this is her first solo album. It's brilliant.The quality of all the songs, all self-penned, is remarkably high from the up beat 'Four Strong Walls' the jazzy opener 'Only One Way', the beautiful folky, 'Faultlines' and 'Waterlily' to the murder ballad 'Azalea Flower' The instrumentation is rich and imaginative; for example a fairly ordinary opening to 'Skater on the Surface' is transformed by brilliant brass. There is not a weak moment on the record. It is the finest album by a woman singer that I have heard for ages. It should be a classic, the blending of styles is superb. I can't recommend this too highly.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This album left me spellbound and uncharacteristically singing in the office. It has lots of superbly stuctured songs and is brilliantly compiled so that the tone, timbre and tempo change never leaving you bored. The lyrics are evocative without being bluesey. " I was always impressed by how Lassie could tell, the good guys from bad guys just by their smell.."
The themes of the songs are sometimes dark, sometimes funny and always brilliant.
OOOH I wish I had written one line of one of these beautiful songs.
The themes of the songs are sometimes dark, sometimes funny and always brilliant.
OOOH I wish I had written one line of one of these beautiful songs.
46 of 48 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
In an era where most worthy musical acts announce their arrival on the scene with a fanfare and a flourish, this album managed to sneak up on me like a gentle little surprise. Even in the less commercially enslaved world of the folk-influenced singer-songwriter, there are still a plethora of artists who owe their success as much to image and marketing as they do to their art (Katie Melua, Cara Dillon and Kate Rusby spring immediately to mind). Karine Polwart, by contrast, seems to have gone from obscurity to 2005 Radio 2 Folk Award multi-winner by dint of nothing more than her own hard work and charm. On the strength of her first solo effort, the awards are entirely deserved.
Karine is one of those rare artists who can tackle really dark subject matter with a combination of almost girlish naivety and wonderfully quirky good humour. The album is a 50:50 mix of ballads which in other artists' hands would be enough to depress the socks off you, and tongue in cheek, lilting reflections on the foibles of humankind which simply can't fail to raise a smile. The album opener, "Only One Way", is one of the jauntiest pieces of guitar-pop you'll hear all year, and "Four Strong Walls" positively sparkles with life-affirming laughter; yet Karine manages to move from these uptempo tracks to melancholy musings on abandonment and depression (the exquisite "The Sun's Coming Over the Hill"), bereavement (the heart-rending "Waterlily") and murder in suburbia ("Azalea Flower") with butterfly-like ease. There is subtle social commentary in a few of the songs (from the back-handed compliment to Bush and Blair in "Only One Way" to the reflection on the human tragedy of the Bosnian war in "Waterlily") but this is never the raison d'etre for the songs, and often it's done so subtly that you only become aware of it after repeated listening. Meanwhile, lyrics like "You put me back together again just like the trick with the saw and the lady", "I always wondered how Lassie could tell the good guys from bad guys just by their smell" and "If it's true that ignorance is bliss then you must be coming all the time" display a wicked sense of humour and a sharp eye for human nature which, if anything, only promise even greater things to come.
It must also be said that Karine Polwart is a wonderfully gifted singer with an enchanting voice, that's equally at home with a solo acoustic guitar or a full band accompanying her. She is also one of the most charming live performers I've seen in recent years.
To sum up: so far this has been THE album of 2005 for me. A wonderful, unexpected discovery, and one that deserves to grow in many people's hearts.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great folk-rock album
A superb folk -rock album from one of Scotland's greatest exports of recent years, Karine Polwart.'Faultlines' is simply a very accomplished piece of work - charming,intelligent... Read more
Published 1 month ago by os
Amazing Debut Album
This debut album is a real surprise as it is not only a folk album but has a lot of other influences such as Jazz in "Only One Way" and "Harder to Walk these days than run"... Read more
Published on 9 Feb 2007 by A. J. Rabet
Simply sublime
I discovered Karine Polwart quite recently and have been blown away by the beauty of this album. Her rich voice, gorgeous and thought provoking lyrics, and uplifting melodies all... Read more
Published on 12 April 2006 by Chipstick
Excellent.
Having only just started to get into this type of music, (through my wife) I find that so far this is the best album I have heard. Read more
Published on 30 May 2005 by John Sheehan
Pretty faultless Faultlines
Karine Polwart has produce an excellent debut album, not quite without flaws but excellent anyway. She writes all her own material - a rare thing these days, and apart from the... Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2005 by A Common Reader
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