Harp and a Monkey - War Stories

The Guardian 80

(MoonrakerUK)

Here’s another British folk concept album dealing with the first world war, this one marking the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme. And even after those excellent sets by Robb Johnson, Coope, Boyes and Simpson and Show of Hands, Harp and a Monkey are still worth checking out. The “electro-folk storytellers” from Lancashire match the easygoing vocals of Martin Purdy to a slick, shimmering backing provided by glockenspiel, harp, banjo, accordion and electronica. Their pleasantly relaxed, melodic approach contrasts with harrowing lyrics that reflect Purdy’s expertise on the conflict. There are stories about the problems of returning survivors, the emotional strains on postmen constantly delivering bad news, or the way Charlie Chaplin was targeted by the Daily Mail for not signing up. Archive recordings from the war years are carefully mixed in, in the style of a MacColl radio ballad.

Thu Jun 30 17:45:10 GMT 2016

The Guardian 80

Moonraker

Folk music has supplied a welcome counter-narrative to official commemorations of the first world war centenary, offering a less militarist, more humane look at the conflict and its impact. The Lancashire trio Harp and a Money boast a WW1 historian in their ranks, Martin Purdy, who explores a variety of themes on this third album: soldiers who returned (often disabled), grief-stricken widows, a distraught postman. Half the songs are traditional or popular at the time, including Rudyard Kipling‘s Soldier Soldier and Charlie Chaplin, a riposte to the Daily Mail smearing the actor as a draft-dodger. Purdy understands language and cadence, and the trio provide an inventive backdrop of tinkling folktronica. Bold and brilliant.

Sun Jul 03 17:05:21 GMT 2016