The new solo album Midnight Flower from Katharine Blake is out and you should get yourself a copy. Why? Well merely saying that it's "good" obviously isn't going to convince you, so I wrote a review:
Last year Miranda Sex Garden guitarist Ben Golomstock's multi-collaborative project Stories From The Moon was released and now another one of the Miranda Sex Garden core members (and also co-founder) Katharine Blake has released her first solo album. Katharine gave birth to Ava Sophia Marsh (a little Mediaeval Baebe in the making) in February and in comparison giving birth to this album was probably a doddle. The album is dedicated to Ava Sophia by the way and shows a heavily pregnant Katharine on the cover. You know just by looking at it that this is going to be a highly personal effort - which indeed a solo album should be. While Katharine collaborated on Ben's Stories From The Moon, Midnight Flower has collaborations which should make any MSG fan even more excited. Not only have we got Trevor Sharpe on drums on several tracks, but Donna McKevitt also makes an appearance, doing vocals on three tracks. Donna was a member of MSG from the Iris to the Fairytales of Slavery eras and was hugely popular among fans. From the line-up that followed, continuing up to Carnival of Souls (the last MSG album so far) in 2001, Mike Servent can also be found playing keyboards on Midnight Flower. However before we get carried away and start thinking about comparisons to MSG, let us not forget that this is not an MSG album. It is Katharine's own thing and that is the way to approach it.
Katharine wrote all the music on Midnight Flower, in collaboration with Nick Marsh (Flesh for Lulu) on six out of the ten tracks. The lyrics are mostly traditionals, with Katharine penning only the lyrics for the song Frozen on the Morn. The instrumentation is diverse to say the least and includes several of the more unusual contraptions that we have come to know from the Mediaeval Baebes.
The album starts with the title track Midnight Flower. At the moment this is my favourite. Mysterious, haunting, great vocals, great drums and Katharine on recorder, violin and vocals (along with Donna McKevitt and Emily Ovenden). Donna McKevitt's voice comes through very nicely here, and all the components just work extremely well together, finishing with a siren song type outro.
The second, more downbeat track Maiden of the Mountain Deep, flows on effortlessly from the first. It has a strong Celtic feel to it, spiced up ever so slightly with more conventional drums, electric guitar and ebow zither (as used on some Mediaeval Baebes tracks).
The third track The Hour When Daylight Dies has got to be the big surprise of the album. It's a country/barbershop type of song. Surprising simply because it is not something you would expect from Katharine Blake, but then again why not? The harmonies on this track are highly challenging and the result is beautiful - the same could be said of many a Baebes song, this one is just in a different genre. It's very nicely done, if slightly too long. As someone who once tried to sing barbershop with three other guys (we gave up since it just took too long to get it right and moved on to simpler material), I can appreciate the harmonies in this song. No doubt it will not be to everyone's liking, but give it a chance, it might grow on you.
Now then, the song that would probably have been the first single if there was a single and a big record company behind it. Cold Blows the Wind is a duet between Kylie - I mean Katharine - and Nick Cave - I mean Nick Marsh. Sorry, I had to, you will understand when you listen to it. This song is not only relentlessly haunting, it is also downright spooky. The two voices work well together, the music conjures up heaps of atmosphere and the song finishes with the instruments going all over the place to create a sound like a choir of tormented souls. Musically this is the one for the MSG fans for sure.
After the high tension of Cold Blows the Wind we come down to Earth again (or should that be up?) on track 5, Song of the Twilight Faeries. Dreamy, fluffy and delicious. Sprinkle with star dust and eat this song slowly with a spoon!
Frozen on the Morn opens with French horn, which sets the mood nicely. This is another song which, at least in parts, has a strong Celtic influence. I like the way an electric guitar is sometimes allowed to corrupt the extremely gentle sound here for a few seconds. This song has an interlude that resembles part of the song Let Your Fingers Do The Walking by Danish post-punk band Sort Sol (credits to anyone reading this who know Sort Sol - they rocked!).
Track 7 is Higher and hang on, what's going on here? Suddenly we are in a very different and more exotic place. The lyrics, consisting only of the word "Higher", become a chant with the music taking control. I see snakes, I see belly dancers, I see mummies rising from their tombs. I also keep seeing a Naked Goat. This track really does sound a lot like something that could have been played by Naked Goat, the band headed by Ben Golomstock until its demise not too many moons ago. Obviously Katharine was briefly possessed by the ghost of the Naked Goat. At almost 7 minutes long, Higher seemed way too long on the first listen. However after hearing it a few times and if you listen carefully, you come to appreciate the way that it builds up and the subtle changes throughout.
She Sung of Love can best be described as a slightly guitar tinged mediaeval sounding ballad. What makes it special are the stunning vocals, which give it a distinctly outer-worldly feel. Still, for me, this song doesn't quite measure up to the rest of the album as a whole. I am thinking that it might have been better in a stripped down version as a Baebes track.
Track 9, This Harp, Which I Wake Now For Thee: beautiful, just beautiful. Nothing more I can say about that.
Finally the last song on the album is The Voiceless Silence. Although the lyrics are sung, it reminds you of those spoken word pieces with random bits of instrumentation in the background (by various artists, not referring to Katharine Blake here). Generally that sort of thing doesn't work for me. However this piece is really interesting and the instrumentation, however chaotic, seems to suit the words perfectly although I can't for the life of me explain why I feel that!
So there you have it then, Midnight Flower as heard by Forever Burning. Shall we now talk about how this compares to MSG then? Well, suffice to say that this album probably appeals equally to MSG and Baebes fans, at least those who keep an open mind. On the whole it's a far more accessible album than anything MSG ever did, so chances are that it will be discovered by many people outside the existing fan base. It damn well deserves it.
Midnight Flower is pure quality and you sense that it has been made not just with skills and determination, but with real joy. If it's not experimental enough for you, then have a go at Ben's Stories From The Moon from last year. On the other hand if you found Stories too much to handle, reach out for Midnight Flower. Personally I shall be reaching out for both of them on a regular basis and I recommend that you do the same.
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