Untie the Wind by Telling the Bees
I first heard their song “The Worship of Trees” on Druidcast and loved it. So I went to the UK-based band Telling the Bees’ website and discovered that one of my favourite artists, Rima of The Hermitage, did the artwork for both the band’s website and also the artwork for their new CD. Rima has great taste in folk music so I purchased Untie the Wind directly from the band’s website and after great anticipation a week later here it is in front of me with a lovely handwritten note from one of the band members Josie.
Telling the Bees debut album is beautiful. Full of songs based on folklore and magic with beautiful complex instrumentation that pulls your heart and mind away with the music. It is moving and soulful, ranging from hushed to dramatic. Each member of the band plays multiple instruments – talk about talent! Telling the Bees mix traditional folk music with modern sensibilities and lyrics. From the environmentally-aware song “Quietly Raging” to the pull and obsession of “The Worship of Trees” this is a fully rounded and beautiful album that I highly recommend to both folk and pagan music lovers.
From the website:
“Soulful vocals and intelligent lyrics underpinned by driving mandolin licks, funky bass lines, cinematic strings, rich drones and haunting English bagpipes. With impressive musicianship, songs and tunes inspired by folklore, the English landscape, the politics of protest, and even the Golden Bough, Telling the Bees evoke a darkly familiar England of rustic charm and savage beauty.
Telling the Bees formed in the spring of 2007. They met at Oxford’s now legendary Catweazle Club, coalescing around Andy Letcher’s song and tune writing. Their name comes from the old folk custom, amongst bee-keepers, of informing hives of significant family events — births, deaths and marriages — lest the bees swarmed and flew away.”
- To purchase a CD: www.tellingthebees.co.uk
- To see Rima’s artwork: www.intothehermitage.blogspot.com
Filed under: Music Tagged: | Druidry, folk music, folklore, Paganism, Telling the Bees
