Dublin purveyors of doom-laden folk music, Lankum, have been mentioned a couple of times on these pages. They’ve released a new song to promote their forthcoming album, and it’s a real cracker.
Approach with caution, as you maybe have to be in the right mood for it. It’s nine minutes long, starts acapella, and builds up into a funereal drone-based cacophony that sounds like Satan humping a hurdy-gurdy and makes The Wicker Man feel like a children’s birthday party by comparison. In other words, business as usual.
Singer Radie Peat has an astonishing voice, and when supplemented by the guys all harmonising behind her it’s quite a sound. More power to them, as they could so easily use their talents to go lighter and more commercial and make a killing on the Celtic Connections circuit. Instead they do uncompromising stuff like this. It’s a long, long way from The Dubliners or Christy Moore.
Plus they are coming to Glasgow in May. Yay!
Reviewing their third album The Livelong Day (2019) for The Guardian, Jude Rogers described it as “a folk album influenced by the ambient textures of Sunn O))) and Swans, plus the sonic intensity of Xylouris White and My Bloody Valentine”. – Wiki page.
I hear Swans in the heavy, deep drone-infused clanging and sawing tones that is the music to this song, and that definitely appeals.
Looking forward to Band on the Wall gig in May.
Lankum are getting more and more doomcore and full on goth metal. Yet all with acoustic boxes, pipes and fiddles. Remarkable, Radie Peat’s voice as chilling as the grace.
Needs a chorus at least before the first ten verses. Gave it 5 minutes so a fair shake, but a single repeated verse in a pentatonic-stylee is not for me.
I’m not trying to piss on your chips, honest 😊
I like Lankum a lot, but I think I prefer this version of the song. Takes me back to my ’60s-’70s Freak days.
A proper tearjerker from trad folk’s Child Ballad collection.
I saw Barry Melton perform this with a pick-up band and David & Linda LaFlamme of It’s A Beautiful Day at a grotty social club in Sutton, sometime nearly 20 years ago.
.
There’s also a fine Live at Baglan Social Club version of this in circulation, featuring Mickey Jones and Deke Leonard of Man sitting in.
Also Lambchop doing the same song. (I prefer the version on Nixon but cant find a link)