Review of the HEARTH AND THE HIVE by Talis Kimberley
A Review of THE HEARTH AND THE HIVE by Talis Kimberley.
I have been waiting for this album since I first discovered Archetype Café. It’s been a long time coming but sure is worth the wait. Still I hope the next album comes along more quickly!
The look of the album is very appealing and is congruent with Talis’s environmental credentials. I have been telling all and sundry “the sampler on the cover is a real one. How’s about that?”
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
There is a lovely feel to the whole album. Although the general theme is downbeat - mankind’s forthcoming doom and the end of civilization - many of the songs have real dance appeal. I found myself wriggling to the music in my comfy chair! However I would have loved to be able to read the details of musicians and instruments on the inside cover but found the text too hard to read over the image of the guitar.
This is an album not merely packed with songs but images of lives and glimpses of worlds - some our own and some not -weaving us into the threads of their loom. Mesmorising, hypnotic and utterly beguiling: enter a world next door to our own - courtesy of Talis Kimberly. Thank you for the key to the hidden kingdom, Talis!
PARTICULAR MENTIONS GO TO:
Kitchen Heroes and Ladybird Year really pulled me in and awakened memories of my childhood. The latter really brought a lump to my throat as I pictured a little girl peering down into the well to glimpse her past and finding it wasn’t how she remembered it. In childhood how much of our self-image is down to imprinting a negative atmosphere? The former induced yearnings for space and companions to dance!
In Cassandra I enjoyed the slant on modern warfare, our reporters in the field and the Trojan war of myth. I found the ‘voiceovers’ very atmospheric. More spoken word over background noise would certainly have detracted from the overall story, I believe.
Jonathan’s Coffee House. What a fun song this is - a nation’s history through its drinking. I could smell the beans. This was another song I longed to dance to: a square dance.
Time and Tide. I loved the changes in phrase length and tempo and a chance to remember Rose and Captain Jack from pre-Torchwood years.
When I was a Mermaid. What a very moving insight into a warm and loving mother-daughter bond. I swear I could hear the crackle of the campfire as the story is being told!
Two more particular favourites of mine are: Jam Tomorrow and My Lady of the Underpass. The latter is possibly the best song on the album. I found it dreamy, melodic and moving. I enjoyed it all from the openings “ooohs” to the final breath. This latter gave me difficulty breathing and swimming eyes. I so wanted to meet this lady calling on the Lady of the Underpass and learn more of her. The music, the lyrics and the images imparted to my mind were a stunning combination.
Jam Tomorrow. If the end of the civilized world is like this I shall feel a mixture of fury and laughter! This is a fun yet cynical view on pollution and political attitudes to environmental issues. For some reason at one point I found myself thinking “honky tonk” - no idea why!
Wolf at Your Door! Another tale of doom to set your toes twitching and put a silly grin on your face! If doom looks like this…….! The best two morsels of this were the little girl shouting out “there’s a wolf in Granny’s bed” and the maniacal laughter, dare I say, the giant gingerbread man.
World’s End. Here is another contender for best song on the album. A sad tale of the end of the world is carefully, movingly told in an understated, resigned, accepting style. The pleasingly soft, sweet backing vocals are a contrast to the theme. This song painted a picture of the end in lyrics and voice. I could see this poor, tired, word-out survivor patiently trudging through her life, uncomplainingly.
And finally but by no means the least important song: Blackthorn Winter. Once again Talis paints a lyrical story which grips and moves us leaving us no power to do other than feel for this woman and her burdens. The simplicity of the solitary guitar at the end followed by the birdsong said all that was needed to close the book.
I was amused, moved and informed by this album. I am proud to have recommended it to others.