Cold Spring
V.A. : John Barleycorn reborn : Dark Britannica -2CD- (UK,2007)*°°°
+ Wov.Wh.Whisp. V.A. : John Barleycorn reborn : Dark Britannica, part 3 : Rebirth -download- (UK,2007)*°°°
What could be a better symbol for the deep traditions of British Isles folk but the song and image of “John Barleycorn” ? The song is, first of all, one of the oldest folk songs in British folk repertoire -written down already in 1588- ; it knows several versions and numerous interpretations by many folk and folkrock bands. Secondly, it also refers to some of the oldest and longest living traditions in the UK, where “John Barleycorn” stands for a personification of the harvest of grain, in the way so that people felt more connected with a bond to all the things in nature they should know about, and feel it just like or at least compare it with a living entity, with a personification and name. This was a way of thinking, more than a belief, as long as people could get a grip on circumstances as long as it helped. Such ways of thinking only becomes a belief that is tested, when it does not work too well, making from it a religious or magic-paganistic tool. When the real bond with its purpose tends to get lost, a tool like this in such circumstances often tends to become more something with a religious aspect, something which in this case never happened. It remains in existence for a very long time under the form of folklore, connected with social activities that respected certain natural rhythms. It is this kind of folklore which in fact was something that knows several similarities and variations all over the world, depending on natural circumstances and dealing with what grows in a place. Unfortunately from such habits and associations, some places in the world leave little traces of their existence. In certain places anything that reminds outsiders of something similar becomes associated with carnavelsque folklore or otherwise is not recognised and more associated with a “primitive” nature or for them, long gone past, full of superstitions of beliefs. All activities around it also looks for them very “shamanistic”, with things like people dancing around fires with animal heads. Especially in Africa, Tibet and Finland,… we still knows these traces well, and at several places they indeed became interwoven with superstitions, at times of connecting dubious interpretations with new solutions so that it became a new form of manipulating truth, like a new form of magic, a mixed portioned shamanism or otherwise religion, based upon vague mistakes in thinking and ideas of how to restore them in a desired direction, but without feeling the underlying truth, well outside the after-effects of especially, its manipulation. Also in England some origins of folklore still exist but often also grew obscure and became darker by imagination and fears, stimulated also by associating them a bit too quickly with paganism or even “witchcraft” as an opposite to Christianized religion, as a fearful place of boundless free imagination, which says much more of how much we forgot the right, practical, loose-but-correct connections they originally had. People try to capture the original ideas or sometimes only images or ghosts of it again with personal creativity trying to enrich with imagination an empty bottle of connections in life with nature, using various angles now trying to fill in the gaps, with ideas that also include paganism, as well a pure personal world of imagination, however with no social context. In that way the individual interpretations tends to search something unique, by discovering their own creativity as honest as they can, to make the creation of any symbols rise up spontaneously. But these personal worlds are also dark, and left on their own.
Mark Coyle took over a few years ago the lead over the wyrd folk newsletter Bruton Town (now New Bruton Town, with Tony Dale and me on the margins). A bit more recently he also established a folk and dronefolk download service called Woven Wheat Whispers. With his big interest in -Green Man related- old English folk traditions, it didn’t take too long before they started working on this compilation. They collected a 3 CDs full of material, and divided them into 3 parts reflecting the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Only two parts were published on the CD, while the third part is only available as an additional free download for those who purchase the first 2 parts.
But why “Dark Britannia” ? The light and bright mainstream folk starts from learning to repeat traditionals from books and hearing them from other groups performing. Other artists start to play acoustic music often with less awareness of traditional music, but also they also come to traditional music to inspire ; there is very much something of this in the British genes… And while the underground folk scene in the US gets support, because they are free to go and perform as they wish, the UK underground folk have less ways to go (just try to go to the US as a ‘musician’, and not as a tourist). The feeling of starting them from the underground while being aware of so many things, also in the UK there was started a neo-folk scene, lead by groups like Current 93 (not listed) and darker and more minimal people like Sol Invictus (listed twice). Besides neo-folk here’s also listed as just a handful of medieval folk groups (mostly hurdy-gurdy related) or groups playing old instruments (the Sedayne related projects). The true folk and the few folk-rock artists (Mary Jane) which are listed here are different from purists and traditionalists, because they find creative sound equally important. Their approaches are for me most rewarding, because they hold the middle well between inspiration, listening to sounds, and following structured traditions. Most of these lean gently towards the acidfolk genres. Especially a large part of CD1 featured many of these such artists. All tracks are enjoyable enough, some are really great. Alone for its hidden backgrounds, there’s a lot to keep you busy, and is worth researching. A fine compilation which gives you already a clue of the underground acoustic scene in the UK.
PS. * Philosophical conclusions derived from the introduction on the review of this CD :
I came to conclude that there are 3 stages in how some things came into existence.
First there was invented on a human level a folkloristic theme like John Barleycorn which made it very easy to remember what to do in this case with the grain and at which time, and there were stimulating scheduled celebrations involved with the periodic efforts, which makes these extra efforts even more easy. But as soon as circumstances for them changed abruptly and unexpectedly with failures of interpreting to see what they could do on scheduled date, someone would come up by saying they didn’t believe in John Barleycorn enough or should do extra sacrifices to make it work better. This is the second faze of superstitions, of magical rituals and so on to restore the failures of interpreting the original idea. The next stage would be where people only remember the figure but not very well the contexts, it becomes first a symbol, then an object of religion. It will become sadly also that state where the free human nature to imagine such things to benefit people in a simple way will be forgotten. (For some eventual next even more alienated stage, where groups distinguish themselves from others and other opinions, the theme could even become a “law by God” where interpretations to think differently become heresy. Real evolutions, awareness and dealing with circumstances or others will this way almost hopelessly cancelled…).
I personally think that the sufferings caused in Buddhist circles (Tibet, Burma, Nepal,..) could only proceed because of a phase in spiritual development that despite it’s primitive and unconscious nature of how it happens, could also become an opportunity to return to where the pure origins of Tibetan and Buddhist beliefs came from. I can’t believe that for this periodical change that the Dalai Lama presents that true essence of Buddhism where Tibetan society came from or even is able to present or remember, and that it lies elsewhere. The true essence of their philosophy still didn’t succeed to free and reveal itself well enough to see the benefits to return to the human state of its consciousness, an awareness which does not need images associated in the past, present or future. I never experienced more human humans than from Tibetans stationed in Dharamsala, India ; but it might also be their human state that will survive and could contribute to any other essence that is allergic to religious forms and superstitions.
Of course this last bit seems to have nothing to do with this association of the evolution of symbols, but it does. This English folkloristic example is much more a keeper of its original source of human imagination to be remembered as a useful tool, a way of thinking inherited in the English human nature of thinking. This nature is also hidden behind the English language which became more or less the language of the world for those who communicate on a ‘human’ level, in a way that it opens things up with free imagination, in such a way that is kept free, and from a humane level of connecting things together…?
Much more on the individual songs on
Individual artists (highlighted artist are chosen for airplay) :
CD1
* The Owl Service : review of albums here
* The Story (former Forest singer with son) : review of albums here
* Mary Jane : reviews of albums here
* Sieben (Matt Howden), worked as a duo with Tony Wakeford as Howden/wakeford):
* Sharron Kraus : review with links of her albums here & here
* Charlotte Greig And Johan Asherton : review of solo album with links here
* Pumajaw : review of albums here
* Peter Ulrich (former Dead Can Dance & This Mortal Coil) :
* Alphane Moon : review of album with links here
CD2
* Sand Snowman : review of albums here
* The Kitchen Cynics : reviews of many albums with links here
* Quickthorn (a new band for Prydwyn from Green Crown and Stone Breath. He's originally from US, but currently is living in the UK. I guess the two other members are from Finland) : I listed Prydwyn, Green Crown and Stone Breath before witrh several reviews or remarks ; there's also some info on http://www.theunbrokencircle.co.uk/...
* Venereum Arvum (also Sedayne) : review with links to albums here & here
* Martyn Bates (Eyeless In Gaza) : old release reviewed on next page
More artists (if not listed before) :
CDR3
* Sundog : another side-project of Sedayne. My own webpage with reviews here
