Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
The Imagined Village is being hyped as "the most ambitious re-invention of the English folk tradition since Fairport Convention's Liege & Lief." Those are bold words indeed, and it would take a lot to live up to them, especially since Fairport didn't deliberately set out to re-invent the tradition -- they simply adapted folk songs to their style. This album draws on a number of talents -- Eliza Carthy, Martin Carthy, Paul Weller, Afro Celt Sound System leader Simon Emmerson and Sheila Chandra, and a number of others. But the point about traditions is that they evolve. Sometimes there are sudden leaps, but you can't sit down and say "I'm going to reinvent this type of music." It's all well and good to try and define the new, multicultural England, but adding sitars and dhol drums to "Cold Hailey Rainy Night" isn't the way to do it, nor beats to "John Barleycorn" (and having Weller perform a verse isn't radical -- after all, Traffic did a sublime version in 1970). "Tam Lyn" retold as dub poetry by Benjamin Zephaniah might sound interesting, but it's really not a reinvention -- the bridge between worlds so important in the original has no magic here. The closest it comes to success are with the ceilidh tracks at the end, Billy Bragg's modernization of "Hard Times of Old England," and the duet between Sheila Chandra and Chris Wood on "Welcome Sailor," which is effective because of its simplicity. And that's' the key -- throwing in beats isn't really necessary. Often a less is more approach would be more effective (certainly on "Cold Hailey Rainy Night" where the voice alone carry ample power with any instruments and programming). Perhaps the tradition doesn't need to be remodeled into a one size fits all shape, and that being English can be celebrated by diversity, rather than trying to cram a multinational kitchen sink into an old English song. It's ambitious, but sadly, a bit of a failure.
© Chris Nickson /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From 12,49€/month
The Imagined Village, MainArtist
2007 Real World Records Ltd 2007 Real World Records Ltd
The Imagined Village, MainArtist
2007 Real World Records Ltd 2007 Real World Records Ltd
The Imagined Village, MainArtist
2007 Real World Records Ltd 2007 Real World Records Ltd
Mike Lindsay, Composer, Producer, MixingEngineer - Sam Genders, Composer - Tunng, MainArtist
2007 Real World Records Ltd 2007 Real World Records Ltd
The Imagined Village, MainArtist
2007 Real World Records Ltd 2007 Real World Records Ltd
The Imagined Village, MainArtist
2007 Real World Records Ltd 2007 Real World Records Ltd
The Imagined Village, MainArtist
2007 Real World Records Ltd 2007 Real World Records Ltd
The Imagined Village, MainArtist
2007 Real World Records Ltd 2007 Real World Records Ltd
The Imagined Village, MainArtist
2007 Real World Records Ltd 2007 Real World Records Ltd
The Imagined Village, MainArtist
2007 Real World Records Ltd 2007 Real World Records Ltd
The Imagined Village, MainArtist
2007 Real World Records Ltd 2007 Real World Records Ltd
Albumbeschreibung
The Imagined Village is being hyped as "the most ambitious re-invention of the English folk tradition since Fairport Convention's Liege & Lief." Those are bold words indeed, and it would take a lot to live up to them, especially since Fairport didn't deliberately set out to re-invent the tradition -- they simply adapted folk songs to their style. This album draws on a number of talents -- Eliza Carthy, Martin Carthy, Paul Weller, Afro Celt Sound System leader Simon Emmerson and Sheila Chandra, and a number of others. But the point about traditions is that they evolve. Sometimes there are sudden leaps, but you can't sit down and say "I'm going to reinvent this type of music." It's all well and good to try and define the new, multicultural England, but adding sitars and dhol drums to "Cold Hailey Rainy Night" isn't the way to do it, nor beats to "John Barleycorn" (and having Weller perform a verse isn't radical -- after all, Traffic did a sublime version in 1970). "Tam Lyn" retold as dub poetry by Benjamin Zephaniah might sound interesting, but it's really not a reinvention -- the bridge between worlds so important in the original has no magic here. The closest it comes to success are with the ceilidh tracks at the end, Billy Bragg's modernization of "Hard Times of Old England," and the duet between Sheila Chandra and Chris Wood on "Welcome Sailor," which is effective because of its simplicity. And that's' the key -- throwing in beats isn't really necessary. Often a less is more approach would be more effective (certainly on "Cold Hailey Rainy Night" where the voice alone carry ample power with any instruments and programming). Perhaps the tradition doesn't need to be remodeled into a one size fits all shape, and that being English can be celebrated by diversity, rather than trying to cram a multinational kitchen sink into an old English song. It's ambitious, but sadly, a bit of a failure.
© Chris Nickson /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 01:01:05
- Main artists: The Imagined Village
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Real World Records
- Genre: Wereldmuziek
2007 Real World Records Ltd 2007 Real World Records Ltd
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.