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FERNHILL
Hynt
Beautiful Jo Records bejocd-43
Since forming in 1996, Fernhill's ambitious interpretations of the Cymric end of celtic music have earned them such accolades as 'the band at the heart of the Welsh renaissance' and 'daring musical deconstructionists'. Fourth album Hynt was recorded live in two days and shows no signs of heading for more complacent ground.
Julie Murphy's strong vocal heads up the current incarnation of Fernhill's ever-fluid line-up. Gone are Andy Cutting's mellow button accordions while Ceri Rhys Matthews limits himself to guitar, eschewing the clarinets, pipes and pastoral oboes of earlier albums. Cass Meurig's fiddle and crwth (ancient bowed Welsh lyre) are complemented as on 2000's Whilia by jazzy double bass from Tim Harries and spiked up by excellent trumpet from Tomos Williams.
File under alt-celt-folk-jazz and note a slightly harder edge than previous outings. As ever, that Welsh/Breton vibe predominates but there's no way of knowing what's traditional, contemporary or home-grown due to a total absence of song details or credits. Several versions, tunes and languages amalgamate in The Grey Cock without clue as to individual provenance and it's hard to know if the bizarre verbal onslaught by Welsh rapper Nobsta Nutts in the middle of the nine-minute central track has any relevance to the song unless you're a Welsh speaker (further verbal intros and interjections are either hip or irritating depending where you're coming from). The final track features some atmospheric conversational snippets. Be nice to know what it was all about, really.
After half a dozen listens the jury's still out on this one. Brave effort but overall it's leaving this reviewer a bit unmoved.
Mel McClellan - September 2003
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I heard Fernhill on Welsh TV last night and was blown away. "Who are they?" I asked my wife. When the rapper came on - I thought oh no - but then it grew and grew on me. This is the most original and thrilling music I have heard for a long time - the rapper is genuine 'Caarediff' docks and manages to escape sounding like an imitation of something American. I'm going to buy this album and their last one Whilia. Just when I thought contemporary music had nothing to offer me....
R. Thomas, Cardiff
glad for all the comments - thanks v much. genuine caardiff dox is lush of course but having a healthy dose of second city attitude i ought to point out that nobsta is from fforestfach in swansea. llwchwr delta vowel sounds may also be heard in his other outfits hedcase ladz and wepun ex project. he was also a featured poet on radio 4's national poetry day programme presented by ian macmillan.
ceri matthews, fernhill
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Folk & Acoustic
