Album review: The Hearth and the Hive by Talis Kimberley

Talis Kimberley is one of the great talents of British filk music, and her latest album, The Hearth and the Hive (available here) is a magnificent showcase of her music. The overall theme of the album is sustainability - and the consequences that face humanity if we continue to live beyond our means. The refrain of "Jam Tomorrow" in particular captures this spirit: "When the Queen says, 'Jam tomorrow'/ But we've sold tomorrow's jam/ Fiddle-dee-dee".

From the blues/jive rhythms of that same Jam Tomorrow and Vitruvian Man to the more folk style backing on tracks like Kitchen Heroes, or the rock beat of Wolf at Your Door, the energy of the performances ring through in every track. Even the softer, slower numbers maintain a tension and energy of their own; the subject matter helps with that, especially on "World's End", but the quality of the performance is what makes this collection so listenable.

But the main thrust of this album is the lyrics - the poetry and the topics. As mentioned, the theme is ecological sustainability, but not all the songs are directed at that purpose. perhaps the most surprising song in this light is "Jonathan's Coffeehouse", which is about the community of stockbrokers at the London Stock Exchange - perhaps the most striking (and poignant) passage is the verse that recounts the tale of the Pals Battalion (the story is included in that Wikipedia link). But the spirit of how I guess those people see themselves - the bright builders of the future and wealth - comes through in the song, and in its bright energy.

The "storytelling" style of song runs through this album, almost as a weft to the ecological warp; it's a basis of much folk music, but it's not always done as deftly as it is here. Often the story is almost an undertone behind the message of a song, and upholding it: for instance, "Cassandra" is on the surface of it talking about the need for reporting things as they are, especially the bad news, but the reporter has her own story unfold through the message (I won't spoil the ending, for that you need to hear the song and read the sleeve notes!)

Some of the most remarkable songs are the ones that seem to take us into the land of Faerie; where the theme of the song is not a story or a message but describing something that echoes from the otherworldly stories: "When I Was a Mermaid", with its haunting refrain: "And sometimes my stories are true"; "Blackthorn Winter"; and I feel also "My Lady of the Underpass", which brings the Faerie into the modern realm and carries with it some of the storytelling (about struggling to find something to believe in) that I mentioned before.

Without a doubt, this is an emotional album to listen to - at least, it was for me. The strongest reaction for me was saved for a song called "Ladybird Year", which struck right into the heart of feelings I had when I was growing up, with lyrics such as "and to think that I was pretty that year/ kind of a shame I never knew/ Because I wasn't as brave as I tried to seem". I've already started working on a cover version because of how strongly it expresses those feelings and I'd like to be able to say it that well!

The most spooky song on the album is "World's End". If you've seen movies about surviving apocalyptic events, then you'll have an idea what this is about. Here, "World's End" is the isolated village where the narrator fled just in time to avoid the collapse of society and destruction of the major population centres. With the theme of impending ecological and economic disaster in the other songs, the message is clear: "this could really happen". If the other songs are about, "We need to do something!" then this one is about, "What if we don't do anything?"

What of the other songs with the sustainability message? "Kitchen Heroes" is about the fact that behind every obvious hero there has to be a support crew - the people who look after "The Hearth and the Hive". And without these people, of course, there would be no people at all. "Jam Tomorrow" states most directly the problems with the way economics are run at present, and the unsustainable nature of modern capitalism. "Vitruvian Man" returns to the theme of the skills and talents that can make life sustainable; this time suggesting that when certain resources (*ahem* petroleum *ahem*) have run out, we'll be back to a Mediaeval way of life and Leonardo Da Vinci will once again be the height of technological advancement (I'm not convinced of that personally - I think a bit more than that would survive - but it makes a great song!) "Wolf at Your Door" directly precedes "World's End" on the album, and probably also is what just precedes it in a storyline as well: it's the middle-class businessman wondering why suddenly things aren't working the way they should in his cocooned world - he complains about the television cutting off, and the paperboy not coming, and wondering why "someone" doesn't "do something" to fix it all.

If my dear readers haven't yet figured it out, I love this album and think everyone should buy it (that link at the top of the review - go on, everyone!) The environmental message, while perhaps overstated at times (but of course, artistic licence applies!), is an important one and clearly stated in ways that make the arguments for change much more powerful - some of these could be anthems for the environmentalist/anti-capitalism causes. The other songs are equally powerful in different ways (I've already mentioned how one in particular affects me!)