Return to the Shady Groves: June Highlights

Greetings, friends! Years ago, I started a blog in which to share some of my favorite musical discoveries. I would like to revive this blog so I can continue to share my finds with more of my musical friends. Here are some gems I have encountered in the intervening years since my last post (with many more to follow, I hope!).

Amelia Warner

You might know her as the actress who portrayed Lorna Doone in the BBC miniseries of the same name, but she has since retired from acting and has become a film composer. Her works are deeply soothing, minimalist, modern, and even post-modern but in a very classically-inspired and elegant way... On her concept album Visitors, each track is mean to represent different woman who supposedly once dwelt in the same now-abandoned house. Each of the names seems to have symbolic meaning: "Eve" (the first, creation), "Frances" (Hodgson Burnett, perhaps, author of "The Secret Garden and "The Little Princess"), "Heidi" (the beloved Johanna Spyri character), "Mary" (mother of God or Mary Shelley, who was the topic of biopic for which Amelia also wrote a soundtrack), and so on...

Heather Dale
A member of the Society for Creative Anachronism and a poster girl for "geek pride," Heather Dale is one of the artists whose work gave me permission to become who I am today musically, especially as a songwriter. Lyricism in her compositions is breathtaking. BREATHTAKING. Fluent, free of cliches, and refreshingly novel in her tribute to the ancient. Powerful contralto, more real and honest on her less-processed album Avalon than on earlier albums but still has impeccable diction suited to her storytelling. This album is incredible all around, but among my favorite songs are "Lady of the Lake," "May Queen," "Mordred's Lullaby" (the version at the end), "The Prydwen Sails Again," and "Lily Maid."

Steeleye Span
The band Steeleye Span is a vintage British group that has produced traditional folk, folk rock, and prog rock music from the 1970's on... I have stumbled across many of their creative interpretations of Child ballads in my research for mountain dulcimer workshops.

"The Elf Knight"

This song bears a strong melodic resemblance to "The Death of Queen Jane," which I also love... This ballad is a ballad tradition of which "Scarborough Fair" is also a variant.

"Gaudete"

A tried-and-true Christmas classic...

The album Wintersmith is a delightful fruit salad of musical influences inspired by the Tiffany Aching series (The Wee Free Men books) by Terry Pratchett. I don't usually gravitate toward prog rock, but sometimes, when the folk element is strong enough, it's just irresistible! Some of the tracks on "Wintersmith" are surprisingly profound and touching, and the fact that the people who would understand and appreciate this music fully is such a small audience, it just begs to be taken seriosuly in spite of its inherent lightheartedness. Not every track is to my taste, but my favorites are "You" (from the perspective of the Wintersmith to Tiffany), "The Making of a Man," "The Dark Morris Tune" (basically British Country rock!), and "We Shall Wear Midnight" (from the perspective of the character Tiffany to the author).

Priscilla Hernandez
The music of Priscilla Hernandez is a blend between soothing dreams and haunting nightmares (and I think you can guess which side I like best!)

"Sueño Muerto"

A piece in her native Spanish (sweet music video of a touching fairytale with a happy ending) 

"Flame"

 "Nothing"

"Nothing" and "Away" (both sad but deeply soothing, very gothically inspired; "Away" is the more hopeful of the two, but the honesty of "Nothing" is very moving)