EIGHT of TEN

MARTHA TILSTON - "WILD SWIMMING"

Martha Tilston is a deeply imaginative English singer-songwriter whose latest album Lucy and the Wolves is a collection of eleven seductive modern folk songs. Martha’s poetic lyrics unfurl vivid environments, her vocals crisp and wonderfully unaffected. 
 

Throughout the album, the feeling of the outdoors remains tantamount through imagery and field recordings (such as the a capella “Searching for Lambs” recorded in a Somerset wood). Stylistically, songs range from more traditional folk (“Lucy”, “Tom Cat”) to the more elaborately instrumented (“Wave Machine”). Each track remains richly organic, lending this album a warm and intimate coalescence.
 
Joining Martha on this latest release are members of the Woods, including bass player Jon Thorne (ex-Lamb).  Martha’s stepmother, the Irish singer Maggie Boyle, adds flute and harmonies to the standout track “Wild Swimming”, a celebration of the exhilaration of the world outside.
 
Lucy and the Wolves is out now on Martha’s own label Squiggly Records.  Watch a video for the track “Lucy”, recorded in a wagon nestled in the woods.
 
Be sure to catch Martha at La Maroquinerie (Paris) on 30 June with Fredrika Stahl.

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