FIONA SOE PAING
Sand, Silt, Flint
A CD re-release for an originally digital issue, this is gently inventive, experimental progressive folk music that has already excited some weighty admirers, and it is hoped that the physical version will add to that.
It may be a naïve view to expect that a musician of joint Burmese, Scottish heritage to be anything other than interesting and that proves to be the case. Her multi-lingual delivery (she also does English) is set against a multi-layered background of cello, harp (clarsach) clarinet, guitar and drums, all beautifully delivered by musicians of the highest calibre, including the apparently omni-present Alice Allen.
What the album presents is a sense of place through 10 tracks, 5 self-penned and 5 reworkings of traditional songs. Each track is linked to a specific location, and in the vein of innovation, the album artwork includes QR codes linking to additional material specific to each track, while the inclusion of found sounds, such as children laughing, the calls of seabirds, and spoken words from historic archives add an evocative element to the music itself, anchoring it to the subject of the pieces themselves.
The inclusion of found sounds and elements of electronica appear to owe something to Thee Manual Labour, who also appears as a co-writer. The current nom-de-plume of Anthony Cowie, who appears to share Fiona’s interest in music and its relationship to the environment, as well as a desire to step outside the norms of a genre.
Overall, there is a dreamy, at times, almost ambient feel to the album, with a shifting of sounds and instrumentation underneath and alongside the vocals, always adding interest but without becoming the dominant element. Despite Fiona delivering words beyond the linguistic understanding of most listeners in many of the songs, they remain an integral part of what is a compelling listen.
For an album that harks back to the past, it also offers us a glimpse of the future, and if Iggy Pop says ‘Wow – that’s beautiful and advanced’ then that’s good enough for me!
Do have a listen – you will thank me!
