Following on from 2016’s Off the Land, Wheels of the World finds this young British folk trio in excellent form as they tackle a combination of traditional folk songs, mixed with instrumentals.
As a band the members have barely reached their mid-twenties, yet three records into their career, combined with ten years of playing together, Cohen Braithwaite Kilcoyne, George Sansome and Lewis Wood have evolved into a tight knit band whose music shows a maturity beyond their years.
Granny's Attic
The songs on the record are timeless, and like all good folk music strike at the heart of injustice often championing the underdog or the downtrodden. Wheels of the World in particular is a warning from history of how the ruling class often seek to further their own interest as opposed to that of their constituents. What I Saw In My Dreams As I Slept In My Chair continues detailing the injustices of the past, including issues with immigration that are relevant today as they were in the 19th century when the song was composed.
The listener’s imagination is fired up by tales of anti-heroes in Gilderoy and The Highwayman. Both exploring the loss, hurt and broken dreams driving the actions of the protagonists in the songs. Ship In Distress is a Gothic tale of horror on the high seas that features starving sailors forced to contemplate turning to cannibalism before salvation at the last minute.
The band recruited renowned musician Sean Lakeman to produce the record and working together in Lakeman’s Dartmoor studio they cultivated a sound that is full of classic folk music re-energised by youth and vitality. The expertly mixed harmonies perfectly complement the skilled traditional arrangements to deliver a traditional sound with an exciting contemporary edge.