The Unthanks
Album: Mount The Air
Label: Cadiz
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.the-unthanks.com

It is delightful to hear some beautiful pieces of music but it is even better when it is produced by artists from my neck of the woods.

The Unthanks who are lasses from Allendale are a duo folk band who manage to lift up any listener and take them off to the world of the unknown.

Their new album is quite dramatic in comparison to previous albums that I have heard from the Mercury Prize nominees. Specifically in the first song, Mount The Air which is their titled album captured me straight away. As the music is different with added elements of percussion and trumpets, it adds this whole new dimension of drama to the song. It starts off slows and timid then builds up into this crescendo of music and it is simply breath taking.

The lyrics, I say lyrics they are beautiful words of poetry accompanied by music are endearing. They paint pictures of romance, death and happiness; it's heartbreaking at times to hear them sing of such sad tales. When you listen to the music it leaves you feeling cold but yet memorised by the darkness and the romantic tone to their voice, it is rather eerie.

Being a fellow Geordie girl myself, I quite enjoyed the track of Magpie being that one is for sorry, two is for joy etc it represents the people of the North and emphases the importance of the magpie. Though classic to The Unthanks, the song is dark as they sing about defying the devil it is almost like a chant, talking about the magpie being the devil's animal.

The track For Dad makes me cry, sending shivers down my spine. If you only choose to listen to one song just because of the music, I implore to listen to this song as the music in this piece is simply divine. I particular enjoy the instrument of sadness, the violin. It bares its very own solo section and it just makes my heart stop. It creates silence where there is none, creating a sombre atmosphere, whilst there are no conventional lyrics in this piece, just snippets of what I can only presume to be their father, it is rather ghostly.

If you wish to be enchanted by music then The Unthanks are the ones for you.

Gemma Hirst