Bleeding Hearts "Folk'n'Glory", self-released
Release date: June 2011
Running Time: 47:41, 11 tracks
Anarcho folk punk, British fiddle punk, Festival folk punk... I don’t know which is the right label. Anyway, I’m talking about those excellent British Levellers type bands: Tofu Love Frogs, Tricks Upon Travellers, Bleeding Hearts … Among them, Bleeding Hearts have always shined. Their debut album, “Fly in The Face of Fashion” is a true gem that every music fan should get. Foxie and his mates have followed a more coherent career than the Levellers: Bleeding Hearts are not living on their first album, but they have not got the recognition that they deserve.
The band has had some ups and downs. Their fiddler left the band somewhere in 2008. Fortunately, they found a great replacement: Mark “Madfiddler” Knight (Tricks Upon Travellers, K-Passa, Bluehorses ...) Due to other commitments, Mark was obliged to leave Bleeding Hearts and he was not able to record their last album, “Folk’n’Glory”. But once again the band found the best replacement, the Welsh fiddler Lizzie Prendergast (Bluehorses founding member).
I feel that “Folk’n’Glory” is probably their best album since “Fly in the Face of Fashion”. “Bombs of Deception” is a top-notch song, better than many Levellers songs. “Drinking Song” is another catchy song with a contribution by Madfiddler. “Folk’n’Glory” is slightly different from what they had done till now, but it’s one of the best moments of the album A mid-tempo song, then they shift to an upbeat tune and finally a live in studio ending (“Sing with Me, Oooooh This is England my Home, Ooooh This is England Land of Folk’n’Glory”.
“Fakebook” features their own rocking rendition of “Gravel Walk” and I find that “Something I Can Never Me” is the best track of the album. The song sounds different, maybe it’s Lizzie’s influence on the songwriting and those tribal backing vocals. I love this track.
“We’re All in This Together” runs more than six minutes, a slow number that features a great mandolin work by Ewan. Brian is a fast punk-folk number that could have made on The Levellers “Letters from the Underground”, but it has been written by Foxie. And “In the Name of The People” is a reggae that shows the versatility of the band.
Bleeding Hearts sound is probably at its peak now. Foxie, Gaz and Gel have been joined by two excellent musicians, Lizzie (fiddle) and Ewan (mandolin) whose contributions are essential to the band’s sound. Foxie has made an awesome job as producer with a low budget. If Bleeding Hearts have been able to record “Folk’n’Glory” on their own and to get this result, one is wondering what they could have offered us with a better studio and a producer like Al Scott or Pat Collier.
If you enjoy the Levellers early albums, then you should buy Bleeding Hearts “Folk’n’Glory”. And if you are a Celtic punk fan, but have never listened to any British fiddle punk band, “Folk’n’Glory” is a good start. A band that says in the liner notes “Go out, form a band an rebel!” is worth hearing, isn’t it?
Tracklist:
1 - Concept: Economocracy 2:07
2 - Bombs of Deception 4:00
3 - Drinking Song 3:46
4 - Folk'n'Glory 4:37
5 - Fakebook 5:02
6 - Something I can Never Be 3:34
7 - We're All in This Together 6:30
8 - Brian 2:56
9 - Modern World 4:23
10 - In the Name of the People 5:17
11 - Ballad of the Fallen Soldier 5:30
http://www.bleedinghearts.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/bleedingheartsonline
http://www.facebook.com/BleedingHeartsOnline
Click to purchase:
http://www.stuarthamilton.co.uk/hearts.html
Review by Kinksmarkham
.
Release date: June 2011
Running Time: 47:41, 11 tracks
Anarcho folk punk, British fiddle punk, Festival folk punk... I don’t know which is the right label. Anyway, I’m talking about those excellent British Levellers type bands: Tofu Love Frogs, Tricks Upon Travellers, Bleeding Hearts … Among them, Bleeding Hearts have always shined. Their debut album, “Fly in The Face of Fashion” is a true gem that every music fan should get. Foxie and his mates have followed a more coherent career than the Levellers: Bleeding Hearts are not living on their first album, but they have not got the recognition that they deserve.
The band has had some ups and downs. Their fiddler left the band somewhere in 2008. Fortunately, they found a great replacement: Mark “Madfiddler” Knight (Tricks Upon Travellers, K-Passa, Bluehorses ...) Due to other commitments, Mark was obliged to leave Bleeding Hearts and he was not able to record their last album, “Folk’n’Glory”. But once again the band found the best replacement, the Welsh fiddler Lizzie Prendergast (Bluehorses founding member).
I feel that “Folk’n’Glory” is probably their best album since “Fly in the Face of Fashion”. “Bombs of Deception” is a top-notch song, better than many Levellers songs. “Drinking Song” is another catchy song with a contribution by Madfiddler. “Folk’n’Glory” is slightly different from what they had done till now, but it’s one of the best moments of the album A mid-tempo song, then they shift to an upbeat tune and finally a live in studio ending (“Sing with Me, Oooooh This is England my Home, Ooooh This is England Land of Folk’n’Glory”.
“Fakebook” features their own rocking rendition of “Gravel Walk” and I find that “Something I Can Never Me” is the best track of the album. The song sounds different, maybe it’s Lizzie’s influence on the songwriting and those tribal backing vocals. I love this track.
“We’re All in This Together” runs more than six minutes, a slow number that features a great mandolin work by Ewan. Brian is a fast punk-folk number that could have made on The Levellers “Letters from the Underground”, but it has been written by Foxie. And “In the Name of The People” is a reggae that shows the versatility of the band.
Bleeding Hearts sound is probably at its peak now. Foxie, Gaz and Gel have been joined by two excellent musicians, Lizzie (fiddle) and Ewan (mandolin) whose contributions are essential to the band’s sound. Foxie has made an awesome job as producer with a low budget. If Bleeding Hearts have been able to record “Folk’n’Glory” on their own and to get this result, one is wondering what they could have offered us with a better studio and a producer like Al Scott or Pat Collier.
If you enjoy the Levellers early albums, then you should buy Bleeding Hearts “Folk’n’Glory”. And if you are a Celtic punk fan, but have never listened to any British fiddle punk band, “Folk’n’Glory” is a good start. A band that says in the liner notes “Go out, form a band an rebel!” is worth hearing, isn’t it?
Tracklist:
1 - Concept: Economocracy 2:07
2 - Bombs of Deception 4:00
3 - Drinking Song 3:46
4 - Folk'n'Glory 4:37
5 - Fakebook 5:02
6 - Something I can Never Be 3:34
7 - We're All in This Together 6:30
8 - Brian 2:56
9 - Modern World 4:23
10 - In the Name of the People 5:17
11 - Ballad of the Fallen Soldier 5:30
http://www.bleedinghearts.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/bleedingheartsonline
http://www.facebook.com/BleedingHeartsOnline
Click to purchase:
http://www.stuarthamilton.co.uk/hearts.html
Review by Kinksmarkham
.
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