The immediacy is obvious, and the band stretch Yorkston’s reassuring vulnerability in new directions.
Yorkston is one of our finest talents, still stretching out.
It’s contagious joy to hear players with such abandon and intuition, braiding their lines together.
Simply putting a group of barely-familiars in a room together doesn't necessarily guarantee collaborative magic, but Yorkston & the Secondhand Orchestra complement each other's strengths well on this richly satisfying matchup.
What would be a fun Yorkston album becomes something more due to the presence of the orchestra.
Another fine installment in what has proven to be a highly inventive and engaging recording career from a singular talent.
The beauty of James Yorkston's The Wide, Wide River allows the coziness back in without making concessions to his continued development and desire to push beyond traditional folk music.
Soothing melody, feel good acoustic, amazing lyrics.
Thoroughly enjoyed. Not a single bad moment. A brilliant cover art also. Will now listen more Yorkston.
Fav Tracks: Choices, Like Wide Rivers
There is no Upside
We test the Beams
Country: UK / Sweden
Genre: Folk
For fans of: Sam Lee, Tom Rosenthal, King Creosote
Warm instrumentation and fantastically complex lyrics are the overarching theme on this record. Aside from the first track, this album was recorded entirely over three days and this improvisational spirit carries through on a lot of the songs here. The album doesn't necessarily feel rough around the edges, but it has a sense of spontaneity that I'd normally associate with live performances.
This is medieval ... read more
#92 | / | Under the Radar |