Sunday, April 24, 2005
Not The Sound Of The Suburbs...
Vashti Bunyan – Swallow Song
The rain cleared, the sun came out and the Postman delivered "Just Another Diamond Day", Vashti's legendary album. The current free folk movement - which, let's face it, is a resurgence of late 60's/early 70's ideas - holds this album as some kind of touchstone. So I bought it. Don’t go looking for an original vinyl copy if you want to pay your rent and eat next month.
It's so good I almost vanished. The last time that happened to me was Nico's "Marble Index", another highly personal take on folk music that make you wonder how straight folk manages to survive at all with all these wonderful mutant strains bouncing around.
Like Nico, Vashti contended with assumptions: one, the German Junkie Ice Goddess, the other, Whole Earth Hippie Chick. But for my money, any one who takes a horse and gypsy trailer from London up to The Outer Hebrides has guts. She did it. Brave, yes, but totally reasonable and human. A pity her actions seemed so unusual.
And when you're listening to this particularly beautiful little song which she wrote on the way, bear in mind that the lyric is not some flight of fancy, but a simple description of what she can see on her journey, no more or less. The world can be as beautiful as this, my friends.
Sorry, have you met Vashti? No? Well, you’ll get along just fine.
Buy - Vashti Bunyan - Just Another Diamond Day
Visit - Vashti Bunyan
Mike.