Reviews
Donald WG Lindsay Album: Two Boats Under The Moon
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 14
Website: https://donaldwglindsay.bandcamp.com/
TWO BOATS UNDER THE MOON is an album of superb duets, across two discs this is a collection of guitar and violin and scottish smallpipes and violin tunes and songs. Impeccably recorded live at Watercolour studios this is 90 minutes of graceful perfection, balanced and delicate. Donald WG Lindsay is a builder and inventor of instruments, but it is his characterful resonant guitar and Roo Geddes' graceful violin that makes the first impression on "When You Were Young". The music builds beautifully, allowing you to drink in the nuanced playing before Lindsay's warm voice delivers what is a thoughtful love song. That classic template of acoustic guitar and violin tightly twined together behind Donald's hypnotic singing continues on Lindsay's "Casuarina" and "The Meantime Song". Lindsay also puts together a poetic lyric, using words to draw vivid pictures as shown by "The Meantime Song" with touches of The Incredible String Band and the descriptive title song. Donald shows more of his voice, carrying the melody confidently over Roo's piano on "Johnnie Blues Well". Again both performances are considered and nuanced.
Traditional Scots sounding "The Fisher" and classics "Wild Rover" and "Tramps And Hawkers" standouts, Lindsay's voice is rich and characterful over atmospheric violin and percussive guitar. Musically and lyrically long form "The Fisher" is an immersive piece that you can loose yourself in. Similarly immersive is the duo's version of Allan Ramsay's love poem "An Thou Were My Ain Thing" arranged for voice and piano. The second disc is made up of traditionally, mainly Scots music. Lindsay has been performing this material for years and easily gets inside songs like "Tak It Man Tak It" and Burns' "Guidwife Count The Lawin". On "The Grinder" set of tunes and "Soor Plooms O Galashiels" Donald plays his own evocative Lindsay system smallpipes, duetting with Roo's Violin. Mammoth "Hind Horn" closes the album, taken at a reflective stately pace there is plenty of time to be immersed in Geddes and Lindsay's playing on its own before you are drawn into the epic narrative of separation and love reunited that Donald sings.
This is not background music, you have to give it space, but Donald and Roo build an incredible slow burn atmosphere with voice, guitar and violin. Released via Birnam, as well as being beautifully recorded it is as you would expect a lushly packaged well considered set with a fine cover painting by Ellen Dieter.
Marc Higgins
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The Fisher
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Pirate is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
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