Flutes & Low – Lay Fallow
Something different, with rural & pensive melodies that may even suggest Medieval folk music, ala Amazing Blondell/Eddie Baird, Incredible String Band, or Decameron. There are also gentle touches of early Horslips & the folk band Magna Carta. It’s enchanting in its sound, & the varied blends of Benjamin Picher’s voice with Cambria Haen’s are ethereal. Not quite world music since the traditions & lushness are as Euro-pastoral as one can get. The duo is primarily from the Midwest, but Appalachian mountain music is derived from the British Isles, with Celtic styles & Irish propulsion.
Not every song captivates. They will bestow upon a listener patient gravity. “Sifting” is antique in style, & “Long Winter” is closer to a basic ballad. “Frelow” has an other-worldly choral sound & acoustic guitar. What the duo succeeds in doing is creating a presence throughout the album’s 11 compositions, produced by Picher & Haen on Lay Fallow (Dropped March 20/Independent/53:57).
Their voices contrast with their individuality, & the songs deal with the basics: love, loss, tenderness, & purpose. The material can be laid back, dour, & meandering. But they do play with skill; their intertwining voices have an attractive, textured appeal. “Armistice” is a more accessible piece with its more upbeat arrangement & gossamer harmonies.
Cambria Haen (acoustic guitar/mandolin) takes the lead voice on “To Glass,” & the duo shifts into a more alt-rock neo-Renaissance-Middle Ages melodic rhythm (think Dead Can Dance, Golden Palominos, This Mortal Coil, Rain Tree Crow) where Syd Straw, Lisa Gerrard, Julee Cruise & Angelo Badalamenti reside. This is the coolest tune. Spindly guitar notes snaking around & cymbal swishes sting through the bass-heavy support. Quite good.
“Earth Song” is Benjamin’s (acoustic guitar/keys/percussion). The duo sings well together, but when they take their own solo spots, they shine with antiquity to their quality. Together their voices merge on “One-Fifty-Two,” a surreal, soft & accessible piece. It’s a breezy sound that’s laid down without being dark or Gothic. It has a subliminal quality, especially when the acoustic guitar comes into play at the coda.
The duo doesn’t use antiquated instruments, so they don’t always dive into the past with their music. The beautiful “Requiem In B Minor,” despite its classical title, is more of an upbeat folk song with brushes by drummer Alexander Young keeping the light beat as the violin (Jasmine Holt) gently sways through the duo’s voices mixed like scrambled eggs with a dash of whole milk. Tasty, soft as a cloud & light on the pepper. “Devils on the prowl” — good line. Very Dead Can Dance in texture & application. Impressive.
Highlights – “Sifting,” “Long Winter,” “Frelow,” “Armistice,” “To Glass,” “Earth Song,” “One-Fifty-Two,” “Requiem In B Minor,” & “Lamb.”
Musicians – Inga Aleckson Weis (vocals), Calvin Caron (bass), Cole Pecor (guitar), Savannah Rachel (cello) & Aaron Fabbrini (pedal steel).
Color image courtesy of the duo’s Soundcloud site. CD @ Bandcamp & https://www.flutesandlow.com/