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CD
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FE 009CD
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2015 release. "This beautifully spare new release from the American-British duo (based in England) has been a long time promised, but even with only six tracks, it backs more powerful punches that albums three times the length. It's a reminder of how powerful folk music can be, and helps cement the bonds between England and that place across the Atlantic. Cath especially, does plenty of work in the shape note tradition, and the mix of music richness and austerity in that is evident here; they use just a little to say a lot. The opener, 'Bonnie George Campbell,' for instance, is voice, guitar and some Dobro, immediately followed by a tune on unaccompanied fiddle. There's a hymnal quality to it all (one of the pieces is a hymn put to a new tune), but also a very dark, brooding intensity that brings its own beauty. There are parallels between this duo and Cordelia's Dad, hardly surprising as Cath was (is?) a member of that band, and Phil played with them on UK tours. But they've taken that root in a different direction. Just as stripped-down, with a power that hits to the core. And everything comes across as so raw, so offhand, that it hides the fact that everything is superbly prepared and thought-out (the subtle, tiny atmospherics on 'Old Lady' offer a perfect example). The irony is that while this wouldn't sound out of place somewhere in the 19th century, it bristles with the kind of channeled intensity that's absolutely punk, in the best sense. Less is definitely more here." --Chris Nickson
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LP
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THREAD 003LP
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2018 release. Cath and Phil Tyler play Anglo-American folk music using guitar, banjo, voice and fiddle. Cath was a member of the band Cordelia's Dad when she lived in Massachusetts, USA in the 1990s. Phil, from Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, has played in various folk, rock and cèilidh bands for many years. Coming together musically through a shared love of traditional narrative song, Sacred Harp singing and sparse mountain banjo, they have performed on stages as diverse as the Royal Opera House in London, and Morden Tower on the old city walls of Newcastle. Released in 2018, The Ox and the Ax is Cath and Phil Tyler's third album. It follows The Hind Wheels of Bad Luck (No-Fi, 2010) and Dumb Supper (No-Fi, 2008).
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LP
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MIE 006LP
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2011 release. Originally released on CD in 2008 by No-Fi Recordings. Cath & Phil Tyler have been stars of the Northeast underground scene for the past three years, sharing stages with Six Organs Of Admittance, Papa M, Charalambides, and many more. Dumb Supper was originally released to critical acclaim in 2008 by No-Fi Recordings and the record now sees a re-release on 180 gram vinyl by MIE Music. Cath is a renowned teacher on the Sacred Harp singing circuit. Sacred Harp is vigorous community singing of a particular collection of four-part harmony hymns (from the 19th century book The Sacred Harp) usually for closed as opposed to public performances. It has been described as "a cross between Gregorian chanting and bluegrass" and elements of its stylings appear in the duo's recordings. Cath and Phil's music beautifully blends the hard-edged traditions of primitive Americana and English folk, using guitar, banjo, fiddle and more, all topped with their searing vocals and sublime harmonies. Their songs speak of grit, blood and guts, tenderness, love and death. Cath and Phil believe in folk retaining its original storytelling function, passing on tales through the centuries. In their words, "These songs came to us by way of Lena Bourne Fish, Hattie Hicks Presnell, Homer Cornett, Eleazar Tillett, and Martha Etheridge (Anne and Frank Warner Collection); the Sacred Harp... We changed some of the words and wrote some of the tunes." All the songs on the album are adaptations of songs they have unearthed or which have been passed on to them through family members, musical collaborators, and their own love of the original information highway, folk music. Cath and Phil Tyler's take on folk sees a refreshing return to traditional folk at its rawest; reinstating grit, virtuosity, authenticity and mesmeric, powerful performance to this timeless genre. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl and housed in a heavy duty sleeve. Includes inner card. Edition of 300 copies only.
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