Ben McElroy - How I Learnt to Disengage From the Pack (The slow Music Movement)

WHAT YOUR EARS SAY & THE COVER LOOKS LIKE

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WHAT THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER SAYS!

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WHAT WE SAY

I might be biased but start the day with the new (rushed forward) release from Ben McElroy, The Guardian's Folk Album of the Month for January.
Winter melancholy meets spring's warmth in this guitar led, string adorned slice of Alt-Folk loveliness.

Stream on Spotify
Read The Guardian's Folk album of the month review

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WHAT THE RELEASE NOTES SAY

Written and recorded winter/spring 2021. 

Notes and thoughts on the recording from Ben: 

The Location? 
This was the last album to be recorded at Premier Road, where I lived from 2016 to summer 2021. Maybe you can hear the end of that relationship somewhere in the music? 

The Big Picture 
Governments, corporations- they will lie and lie until we’re all dead and gone. Don’t believe the layers of greenwashing- fact check everything they say. They are entranced and controlled by the ideology they created, which has taken on a life of its own and now controls them…but the climate crises can’t be solved using capitalist ideas.. it’s madness and we have a bunch of madmen steering the ship! 

The Instruments: 
My Apogee Duet audio interface finally died on me after many years during recording this album. You can hear the disintegration of its preamps at certain points. It also features the usual collection of fiddle, cello, acoustic guitar, accordion, organ, whistles and vocals… themselves in various forms of decay and disintegration (that accordion in particular is a pain in the arse and barely stays together long enough to record a track nowadays… still for £30 off Ebay, it's done me well!). 

Notes from TSMM: 
There's no doubt this recording is midwinter folk music. You can hear the winds blowing in from the East, swaying branches instead of rustling green leaves, summer joi de vivre is replaced by winter stoicism, But even in midwinter the clouds dissapear to reveal blue skies and all those lucky enough to be out in the open often pause in a sunny spot to enjoy the warmth on their pale skin. Maybe for a moment thoughts even dare turn to the warmer days ahead? Then the clouds roll in again. 

This is one of those albums. A certain world weariness and melancholy infuses the recordings there is no doubt. Life's hardships aren't glossed over and climate & Covid angst are acknowledged rather than denied, but beauty, a gentle touch, a warm embrace and easier times are never far away either. 

Such is life. 
 CreditsEverything audible: Ben McElroy 
benjaminmcelroy.com 
www.facebook.com/benmcelroy4/ 
twitter.com/BenMcElroy4 
soundcloud.com/benjaminmcelroy 
benmcelroy.bandcamp.com 
open.spotify.com/artist/2e1vp24JZbFDPOAk0m9GGk 
www.youtube.com/channel/UCwzgb0huiy41mvJShXt6CMw 


Mastering: Ian Hawgood (www.homenormal.com) 
Artwork: Harriet Clare (www.harrietclare.com) 
The photo that has been manipulated was taken in 1901 by Benjamin Stone (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Benjamin_Stone) and depicts a Kern Baby’ from a festival called ‘The Harvest Home’ in Northumberland in 1901. 

This festival was all about celebrating that fact that the farmers had harvested the corn and this would mean that the community had enough to eat for another year. The last corn that was gathered would be made into a human shape, dressed in fine clothes and crowned with flowers and called the ‘Kern Baby’ or ‘Harvest Queen.’ There would be feasting and music to celebrate the harvest.​

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IF YOU LIKE THAT THEN YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS

Smartlink
to the playlist on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Youtube & Soundcloud