Lazibyrd
Album: Under The Sky
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.reverbnation.com/lazibyrd

Somerset duo, Lazibyrd, kick off their debut album, "Under The Sky" with a sarcasm dripping peon to Thatcher's legacy, "I'm Alright Jack" and it leaves you in no doubt that the is a band that's not going to pull punches on either a political or personal level.

Comprising fiddle-singer, Sharon Martin and guitarist Tom Chapman, the duo play self-penned English folk music, rich in harmonies and instrumental breaks that give the songs and words real emphasis.

Whilst at times some of the songs do have a simplistic rhyming pattern, it does remind you that at times we do overcomplicate things, as the song "The Little Things" brings out, saying 'I love you' when it's not expected can mean a whole lot more than roses and chocolate, ok maybe not chocolate, but you get the gist.

Lazibyrd are steeped in the music is life, life is music tradition. It means they are both capable of and happy turning their songs on things that matter to them, albeit being worried that they might have made a fool of themselves at the party last night or people not knowing where their next quid or meal is coming from.

It also means that this is not an album that is all sweetness and light, songs like "Run To The Dawn" with Tom adopting a highly percussive guitar style and Sharon almost setting her bow alight with a highly aggressive fiddle style shows a band that have multiple shades of grey and bitterness in their repertoire to.

"Under The Sky" is quite a calling card, Lazibyrd certainly give the impression of a band capable of turning it on on stage as much as the studio, there is definitely a feeling a spontaneity that encapsulates the album and which makes it well worth a punt.

Neil King