Hey I'm a human being like everyone else. Why do you think casinos are so shiny inside? Since I'm discussing it now, you may have guessed already that I found a good one here. And you would be correct. And I have not yet posted anything about the record I was actually seeking out at the time!
Huw M, aka Huw Meredydd Roberts is a musician from Bangor, Wales, and it is pretty clear from the liner notes that he can play a lot of musical instruments! Guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukelele, sitar, bass, piano, piano organ, Hammond organ, melodica, percussion, and harmonica. Note: in welsh ukelele is spelled iwcalili, which for I find interesting for some reason.
On Os Mewn Swn translated as If In Sound, his first record, recorded in Cardiff in 2010, he is joined by Bethan Reynolds on vocals and clocsio "clog dancing". I think that's his wife. Frank Naughton produced and plays a whole slew of instruments too, including the Maui Xaphoon. It's described as a "bamboo sax", and is somewhat similar to a clarinet. I never heard of one before and just looked it up. The first one was made in 1972. Lucello (aka Lucy O'Connor)plays cello on this recording, and she may in fact be the secret weapon on this album, as the cello work is superlative.
The music here is very sweet sounding folk music, with beautiful harmonies, all in the Welsh language. I don't know what they are singing about, but that's never stopped me before. Most of the songs are originals, but 2 are reworkings of traditional Welsh songs. It's a nice album for a quiet Sunday morning. If you are into Belle and Sebastian, Velvet Underground, or Nick Drake, I think you will find this appealing. And certainly if you enjoy the solo work of Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, or Meic Stevens or the Welsh folk music scene of the 60's and 70's in general you will need to have this near you at all times.
The album is described as being influenced by Brazilian and French music. Maybe those descriptions are a little beyond my knowledge. The second song Ond Yn Dawel Daw y Dydd has an African sounding riff at the beginning, like maybe Soukous being played at half-speed. The album is fairly laid back and it really allow you hear the Welsh language, which I think sounds so beautiful here. In the mad scramble of the 90's, when record industry people scampered to all corners of the world to find a new scene after every single band in Seattle got a major label contract, Wales was a gleam in someones eye for a few nanoseconds. I don't know if its loyalty, or just stubborness, but I investigated a little myself when bands like 60 Foot Dolls and Catatonia were being marketed, and I continue to find great music even after the Music Industry's all-seeing eye moved on to other places. It should be no great surprise. And I think that its great that in a small country of only 3 million people they are keeping their heritage alive.
After listening to this album 5 times, I have to say that Os Mewn Swn is flat-out beautiful. Very glad I found this, a very special surprise. I've already decided that I need to hear his second album, Gathering at Dusk, which was made in 2011. People at SainWales seem like really nice people. I had trouble ordering on their site and they straightened things out fairly quickly for me. And they seem to have a lot of items at very very reasonable prices.
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