Various Artists - Songs Without Authors' Vol. 1 - Vinyl LP

Brand New Stock, Introducing Broadside Hacks - a new collective derived from a group of like-minded musicians with a wild and lustrous curiosity for traditional, radical folk heritage. The album is comprised of members from a variety of bands and musical projects including Katy J Pearson, Pixx, Junior Brother, Lankum, Sorry, Yorkston Thorne Khan, Gently Tender, Blaenavon and more playing in ways you have never heard them before. Katy J Pearson and Maudlin’s re-imagining of Willie of Winsbury provides the perfect introduction, combining traditional instrumentation with a contemporary swing, the new track and video perfectly encapsulates the essence of Broadside Hacks - a collective paying homage to the past whilst remaining creatively free, showcasing Pearson’s own captivating talent. Campbell Buam of Maudlin explains “This circa 18th Century song (rumoured to be based on James V's marriage to Madeleine de Valois of France) is accompanied by an air that, although seemingly made for each other, were first paired as recently as the 1960s when folk music icon Andy Irvine mistakenly matched the text to the tune of another ballad, Fause Foodrage. In their separate lineage, both go much further back, though”. Speaking about the track, Katy J Pearson said, “The beginnings of Willie of Winsbury are utterly fascinating and the fact the song has survived hundreds of years is wonderful. The lyrics to me have a big feminist undertone which is very forward thinking for the 1700s”. Founded by Campbell Baum of Domino-signed band Sorry, through the lockdown Broadside Hacks spiralled into something much greater than what was initially anticipated to be a club night in Camden Town. The concept for ‘Songs Without Authors Vol.1’ features re-works of traditional songs with no set origin, where either the song or the lyrics has no known author. It is a way to return to how folk music existed before the Victorian song collectors began putting everything down on paper and codifying the tradition. It is bringing life back into the songs, making them live and breathe again, within the singer’s own right. An album that starts in the deep roots of folk, later flowing into contemporary realms, there’s a passionate belief throughout that these songs can captivate and hold relevance today, toying with the definition of folk music in 2021 with incredible style. “Songs Without Authors was put together by a mixed company of musicians who share, above all, a passion for honouring our heritage in song. The marvel of Folk music is, in our view, its ability to find relevance in all times and places, while remaining essentially local. Broadside Hacks believe the old songs can still be relevant – that in the ancient melodies and words about past times can be found truths about today. If you want proof, revisit one of the albums that introduced them to folk – Liege and Lief – and hear songs that could be drawn from today’s headlines, about honour killings, about class, about lives forced into certain directions for want of the choices wealth brings. In 2021, to so many people folk just means “someone with an acoustic guitar”. Songs Without Authors is not that: it is music rooted in a place that has grown to encompass something universal. The current Broadside Hacks touring band, consisting of Katy J Pearson, Naima Bock, Maudlin, Oscar Browne and members of Goat Girl, caroline and Sorry, will perform at 2021 festivals including Green Man and End Of The Road. All profits of this album will be split between: Focus Ireland, Scottish Trans Alliance &; Sistah Space.

Tracklist:ing:
1. Sophie Harris &; Maudlin 'If I Were A Blackbird'
2. Shovel Dance Collective 'Georgie'
3. Thyrsis 'Brigg Fair'
4. Pixx &; Maudlin 'Barbara Allen'
5. Junior Brother 'The Lambs On The Green Hills'
6. Maudlin (ft.Powerhouse Gospel Choir) '900 Miles / The Orphan'
7. Iona Zajac &; Daragh Lynch 'The Burning of Auchindoun'
8. Aga Ujma 'Uwoz Mamo'
9. Yorkston Thorne Khan 'The Jealous Woman'
10. Naima Bock &; Maudlin 'The Game Of Cards' 1
1. Organ Morgan 'Si Bheag, Si Mhor' 1
2. Katy J Pearson &; Maudlin 'Willie of Winsbury' 1
3. Asha Lorenz 'I Don't Feel At Home In This World' 1
4. Oscar Browne 'Spencer The Rover' 1
5. Gently Tender 'Ae Fond Kiss' 1
6. Brigid Mae Power 'True Lover's Farewell' 1
7. Jasper Llewellyn 'Melody From Jarai Love Song'