“If you like dreamy folk chanteuses, you’re in for a treat. And she’s a Lancashire Lass so it can’t all be bad.”
“If you like dreamy folk chanteuses, you’re in for a treat. And she’s a Lancashire Lass so it can’t all be bad.”
Pantaleimon – Mercy Oceans
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Okay, so there’s a lion-headed character holding a child on the front cover. But don’t let that put you off, because this is actually a beautiful collection of acoustic folk ballads. If you like the likes of Nancy Elizabeth, you’ll probably dig this record a lot too. As an LP, Mercy Oceans is a lot more stripped back, and certainly much dreamier than Miss Cunliffe’s stuff; The Sun Came Out is a never ending acoustic spiral and We Love is the most simple, life affirming ballad…
It’s not all sunny artifice, there are darker moments albeit beautifully crafted ones. All the Birds is a haunting and sparse piece, and Born into You makes the most of a sitar drone to create a maudlin, slightly sinister air. However the overriding feeling the listener gets is one of being lulled into submission by these simple, slightly hypnotic acoustic work-outs; that electric guitar on last track Storm and Thunder does come as a bit of a shock to be honest.
It’s a truly beautiful collection. If you like dreamy folk chanteuses, you’re in for a treat. And she’s a Lancashire Lass so it can’t all be bad.
Words: Richard Foster