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Floes : Belovodia (B,2006)***'
Some of the older generation, will probably be the last to tell some child songs and stories orally over generations. From now on, in this internet and commercial media age, rules will become different. In this small bridging period what else that has been preserved from the past can be discovered through books and paintings. For some reasons, Breughel and lots of medieval art and the secrets on music which are lying behind them, are not being investigated much yet. From the books that have been preserved, (like “Antwerps Liedboek”, 1544, used here), one must realize how the available sources were filtered for the public over 1000 years of Christianity, so only the most innocent folk songs are most easily to find. It is through such songs that some children before the ‘80s still grew up with and got an idea that there must have been a Flemish folk tradition. This area was one of the first birthplaces for an, of course, naïve imagining a form of what could be and what must have been Flemish folk. Secondly, the places where folk was practiced for the last 50 years were mostly Irish, so what became Flemish folk is an unrealistic vision, if we consider the real old days, but never the less it is a reality and became the fundament of today’s visions.
Never the less, I am very glad how someone, like Guido Picard, who leads this project, had enough imagination to build up a musical concept in this area, and this with songs written and sung in Flemish. Lead singer Soetkin Collier, for me, is one of the best young folk voices, and I will always remember her sensitive Flemish sessions in my radioshow several years ago. She does not have the same personal rooted affection here, but she still has a very suitable and attractive voice for this music. (The introduction on “Afscheid/farewell” would have been nice and could have been sung by an old woman as well). The themes that return are firstly influenced by the idea how some changes, like the departure of leaving this place, would be seen through these aforementioned older people’s eyes. Secondly, there’s the realisation how some ideas today, when living in a harbour town like Antwerp, might not have been too different in medieval times. I recognise personally very much the thought of how some people from this town want to leave (“landverhuizers”). In this context is the time that Antwerp was invaded by the Spanish, not too different from the way in which Western Europe is not stopped from a slowly consciously invasion by foreign countries and origins, that all thoroughly want to take it over here, before having had the time to slowly fuse and contribute and be adapted into the fundaments of the regions. Because all changes happen so fast, the number of failures to make true combinations grow, and the desires to take over control and take more rough profit grow, while the only people who recognise this, cannot stop these changes, also are the first who wants to leave. The last few thoughts are not expressed in the album, (people who say these things are already generally considered as asocial and should be prosecuted as right wing), but the story I think still is the reality that caused the writing of some songs. Instead of leaving and reacting, the concept on the album became like escapism with desires to root back to times where everything was relatively new and there was also more naivety. The main theme of the album calls the land to grow to “Bellovodia”, saying with it that although we sometimes tend to look for a better land elsewhere, the first place where we can find that comfort it is looking for the inner needs in ourselves.
Acoustic guitars are played by Philip Masure and Guido Picard. Second vocals are by Silvie Moors. Accompanying instruments are hummel, pipes and accordions, with darbuka by Jackie Moran on one track. The music fits well with the content I described, is of course rather traditional, and always suits the songs best. Well done.
