The Unthanks - Mount the Air - [CD]

Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and the only British folk representation in the Guardian's and Uncut's best albums of last decade, The Unthanks is a family affair for Tyneside sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank, with Rachel married to pianist, producer, arranger and composer, Adrian McNally. Even though McNally has scored symphony scale arrangements for The Unthanks, all three are musically untrained, and put their collective musical vocabulary down to the music they grew up listening to, rather than playing, for which both McNally and the Unthank sisters have parents to thank. Using the traditional and folk music of the North East of England as a starting point, the influence of Steve Reich, Miles Davis, Sufjan Stevens, Robert Wyatt, Antony & the Johnsons, King Crimson and Tom Waits can be heard in theband's 7 albums to date. Mount the Air is the work of an act who still believe whole heartedly in the valueof the album as an art form. On very limited resources and makeshift facilities, they have shown extraordinary commitment and devotion to that art-form, to create their finest work yet. Also available: 180g Double LP Vinyl with etched 4th side. REVIEW 'The Unthanks seem to regard folk music the same way Miles Davis regarded jazz: as a launch pad for exploring the wider possibilities...' --UncutThe Unthanks have always played by their own rules, but the leap they've taken here is formidable even by their standards. A serious work that merits serious attention - ***** --fRootsThe album is a slow, swirling affair that mixes original material with traditional tales. Underpinned by McNally's cool, fluid piano it's simultaneously ancient and fresh... Kind of beautiful, kind of blue - ***** Album of the Week. --The Sunday Telegraph