Lau. The Bell That Never Rang.
2015. Reveal Records.
A super-trio of three of the best folk musicians in the UK, Lau is also one of the most cutting-edge bands over there right now and their new album, The Bell That Never Rang, proves this. Made up of Scottish fiddler Aidan O’Rourke, Orkney singer/guitarist Kris Drever, and British accordionist Martin Green, Lau explode the concept of British folk music, shattering the core melodic constraints and rebuilding a byzantine mansion from the shards. Using reverb and electronic materials, Green’s accordion rolls, rumbles, and growls beneath the music, pouring out into waves of raw sound on the breaks. O’Rourke brings out as many sides of the violin as he can, working heavily with pizzicato and strumming to supplement his sharp, concise, and cutting-edge breaks. And Drever has to be my most favorite UK singer. His voice is rich, sonorous, but also utterly unique, and he brings a deep sensitivity to each song that serves to bring the lyrics, even on the most archaic old songs, to life. He’s the son of Ivan Drever of old-school Scottish folk fusion band Wolfstone, so he’s grown up in the tradition. All three of these artists are masters, though, so their credentials hardly matter anyways. What matters is the intense intellectual curiosity they bring to the music. It’s clear that they’re constantly striving to find new ideas within old frameworks, a passion at the heart of all the best folk musicians.
Pick up Lau's new album on AMAZON.