Karine Polwart - A Pocket of Wind Resistance

The Guardian 80

(Hudson Records)

Last summer, Karine Polwart staged her first Edinburgh festival show, weaving an ambitious story about the majesties and brutalities of nature with projections of a dank, webby world behind her. It featured the migration of geese (inspired by an annual event close to Polwart’s home near Edinburgh), the survival of love during war and the fathomless cruelties of sudden loss. A Pocket of Wind Resistance is that show turned into an album and, miraculously, it works. Off stage, Polwart remains a magical storyteller, lacing spoken-word diary entries between original compositions, adaptations of Robert Burns poems and medieval ballads. The sound design throughout, by composer Pippa Murphy, is impressive and immersive too, particularly in its use of electronic drones, marimbas and sansulas. The tale’s central tragedy is obvious early on, but the account of childbirth on this record is incredibly vivid and sad, pulling no punches. This record is an epic, emotional endeavour, and a stunning one, too.