Karine Polwart, Laws Of Motion - album review
Karine Polwart's influences are so varied and interesting we'd need a full double-page newspaper feature to even scratch the surface of all she has thought about to create this record.
On her seventh studio release, the six-time BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winner tackles subjects as varied as Donald Trump's rejection of his Scottish family clan's motto, Jewish children fleeing the Nazis, Shinzaburo Matsuo's famous Japanese garden in remote Clackmannanshire, and nuclear warfare.
The back story of each tale is fascinating, as is Polwart's delivery through different forms of storytelling such as spoken word, folk music and snippets of public service broadcasts.
Starting with Trump on I Burn But I Am Not Consumed, we take a look at what the ancient rocks that sit underneath the Scottish ground would think of one of their most famous sons. Spoken word puts yourself into the mindset of the very identity of Scotland, dancing over the top of music so intricately emotive Athlete or Cold War Kids would love it.
Cassiopeia is just as fascinating. Slow-burning folk combines with slightly unnerving electro melodies behind Karine's description of a nine-year-old terrified of nuclear war. Interspersed with actual snippets from the Protect and Survive radio broadcasts by the Home Office during the Cold War, it makes the whole period seem ridiculous yet real. The constant references to hiding 'in the jam cupboard' link well with a nine-year-old Karine's innocent musings: "How far is it from Leningrad to Bonnybridge?" The building to the finale is mesmerising.
There's the emotional Suitcase also. Soft and broken hearted, accordion and acoustic guitar lightly carry Karine's ode to the children forced to flee the Nazis using the Kindertransport network of underground tunnels in the run up to the Second World War. Its strength is it could be talking about the modern refugee crisis brought about by warfare. It's powerful, making your own fears and worries seem inconsequential.
Folk tones are the perfect accompaniment for these tales. Karine's soft voice holds court, spinning the narratives as her many collaborators help propel them through heartbroken guitars and an array of backing instruments.
This is storytelling at its finest and a privilege to listen to.
Rating: 7/10
Karine Polwart appears at Shrewsbury's Walker Theatre on October 31, and then at Birmingham's Town Hall on November 2.
