Annie Gardiner is a very protean artist who can shift genres faultlessly. I first heard her supporting Run Logan Run at Strange Brew in Bristol back in 2023 and she performed an alt-folk set to a hushed audience. But her most recent releases have encompassed an album Jungian Stomp under the moniker Excellent Birds inspired by the Yamaha’s PSR-90 synthesizer which owes more to Björk or Róisín Murphy than it does to the Waterson’s, followed by the ambient EP Digital Leaves inspired by plants and creating a Zen garden for the mind.
“A psychic grip on the skirt tails of a stronger woman inside or the reach for the Dana Scully coat.” – Annie Gardiner on ‘Hero’s Hem’
‘Hero’s Hem’ is a return to a more folk-inspired sound, and the mellifluous vocals are underpinned by the quick pulse of plucked guitar chords with an almost Flamenco-feel. But it’s when the strings come in that the song truly soars, and if Annie Gardiner was a bird then Jo Kelly (double bass), Drew Morgan (cello), and Rebecca Shelley Woodman (violin) would be the wings that allow her to take flight. The combination of Gardiner’s harmonies with the string arrangements are as satisfying as a murmuration at dusk in summer. The video for ‘Hero’s Hem’ (below) was made by Laura Phillips and shot on 16mm colour and black and white film at Aust Ferry Port, by the Severn Bridge.
There is also a Bandcamp only digital ‘B-side’, ‘Sycamore Memories’, recorded in 2015 with her daughter Talula (only 12 at the time) playing recorder. Annie says “I recorded over the original tape, so this is a direct mix from the time – a bit rough. A secret old song, mistakes and all!” It is delicate and tremulous and works like notes in the margin of Annie Gardiner’s work; a peek into how something that is not as polished can still shine brightly.
This is going to be the only single release from the upcoming album Sleeping Dogs (release date TBC) and released through Annie’s own Crystal Fuzz label.
Annie Gardiner socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Website
Review by Paul F Cook
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