A COLLECTIVE CARNIVAL OF EXPERIMENTAL FOLK MUSIC FEATURING EXCLUSIVE TRACKS BY DREKKA, THE IDITAROD, IN GOWAN RING, STONE BREATH, AND ASSORTED SIDE PROJECTS
"I am not exactly sure what happened, but I know that a tour with Stone Breath, the Iditarod, In Gowan Ring and Drekka probably wouldn't have happened a few years ago. The crowd interested in this kind of peripheral folk music can still be considered rather small, but it is an interesting cross section of people that constantly keeps growing. The compilation CD "The Poor Minstrels of Song" was primarily put together to be sold at said tour, but fortunately this physical evidence of a slowly swelling movement is still available. The disc features all of the bands on the tour plus tracks from Prydwyn and Timothy Renner solo, The Eyesores and static films. These names alone are enough for me, but if they aren't as familiar to you here's a short rundown. The Iditarod crafts mysterious songs that sound medieval and futuristic at the same time, like gazing at the moon for too long. In Gowan Ring shapes soft-spoken folk music, mesh- ing ethereal drones with British folk and enigmatic lyrics. Stone Breath presents another unique variation on folk music, slowly pulling you into a kind of parallel sound un verse situated in a deceptive and incredibly beautiful dream. Drekka is the project of Indiana-based Michael Anderson and this is arguably the most experimental of the four. He drapes his distant acoustic guitar plucking in curtains of looped effects to a droning mass of mystery. static film's contribution "Under the Maude Moon" is a soothingly static and unsettling piece perfect for mind expansion while The Eyesores are less poppy than I ever heard them before but enthralling all the same. Prydwyn's cover of Syd Barrett's "Late Night" is possibly the most straightforward arranged song on "The Poor Minstrels of Song", but it's so incredibly beautiful that it shines as one of the finest of the 17 tracks. Loss and isolation have rarely sounded this obvious and beautiful at that same time. The whole thing is a cooperative release from BlueSanct, Hand/Eye and Vent Recordings and it comes together with the beautiful tour program."
- BROKEN FACE (Sweden, Mats Gustafsson, April 2000)
Included in the download are PDFs of the original one-sheet, and scans of the 16 page almanac style tour programme designed by Tim Renner.
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credits
released April 14, 2001
Bluesanct (INRI063, 14 APR 2001)
• CD = ltd to 500 copies
• DIGITAL = unlimited
digital re-release 7 February 2015
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The Poor Minstrels of Song and the Temple of the Moon
A Collective Carnival of Experimental Folk Music
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DREKKA
THE IDITAROD
IN GOWAN RING
STONE BREATH
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TOUR 2001
April 14: Brooklyn, NY at Radio Free Brooklyn - Free 103.9
April 15: Easthampton, MA at The Flywheel
April 17: Kingston, RI at THe University of RI - WRIU Radio
April 18: New London, CT at The Secret Theatre
April 19: Durham, NH at The University of NH
April 20: Boston, MA at First Church Cambridge
April 21: Providence, RI at AS220
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This release brought to you by the cooperative efforts of:
BlueSanct ‡ Vent Recordings ‡ Hand/Eye
supported by 6 fans who also own “The Poor Minstrels of Song and the Temple of the Moon: Volume I”
Excellent medieval folk, IGR, & those with ears to hear. I love the sense of mysticism and deep, introspective ponder this album conveys, & the honest down-to-earth folky lyrics. Simply wonderful yet soulfully rich. Highlights for me are tracks 2, 5, 6, & 12. IGR truly capture what I feel is an authentic sense of a medieval bard at a woodland rill pondering the mysteries of life. Highly recommended. 8.5+/10. Alrihkh
Rhythmic, low-end-heavy meditations influenced by funk, jazz, psych, French soundtracks, and—contrary to the LP's name—dub electronics. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 1, 2024
A detailed reissue of Arvo Zylo's landmark 2010 experimental album, a nightmarishly brilliant landscape of startling textures. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 18, 2023
Every sound here is made using Megan Mitchell's voice, even though the music often sounds more like Earth’s vibrations than a human singing. Bandcamp Album of the Day Mar 28, 2023
Deeply chilling and absorbing experimental music from Angela Edwards that feels like a long plunge into a cold, dark expanse. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 12, 2023