Karl Culley - Phosphor (Sound Of Jura)
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| Karl Culley - Phosphor |
What is it with musicians
relocating these days? Karl Culley is a North Yorkshire lad by birth but has
seen fit to relocate to Krakow. I mean, it's one thing to be a hugely talented
indie-folk singer-songwriter but what on earth gives him the right to go off
jet-setting as well? The bloody cheek of it. I mean, my Gran was born in
Scarborough and the furthest she ever moved was London. Sigh. Anyway, let's
give this music a listen shall we? 'Bag Of Tricks' kicks off proceedings with a
pleasingly rambunctious folk lilt before giving way to the more subdued 'Dragon
Kite' which sees Mr Culley making the most of the rich tones that come from his
1930s guitar. The wonderfully titled 'Icarus and Whisky' is furious paced piece
of finger pickery while 'Silver Set Of Bones' is a more lilting tune that shows
off more of Culley's soulful vocal and his penchant for the atmospheric.
The press release for this album
quotes the Sunday Express as saying Culley is akin to Newton Faulkner and Jose
Gonzalez which I can understand but I think that's fairly lazy journalism in
all honesty. Culley operates at a more elemental, organic and soulful level
than those contemporaries which is all to evident in the likes of 'Be Beloved',
'Runes', 'Spell' and 'Qualifier'. Then again, there is a more commercial and
poppy side to this album such as on 'Alcohol' which is a groove and hook laden
ode to inebriation. 'Trebuchet' (one of my favourite words from school days,
along with osmosis) is a low slung, country and western funeral march while 'In
Another Life' is a much lighter, bouncing affair that flits around like an
indecisive dragon fly. Final song, 'Blood Spot Constellations', is a brooding
but lush piece of blues folk that rumbles and groans with the best of them.
I'll forgive Karl Culley his wanderlust as long as he keeps producing music of
this calibre. I guess that's the beauty of the internet age - you can produce
great music wherever you lay your hat and it won't hamper your career in ways
that geography would have done in the past.
More information: www.karlculley.co.uk
Live Dates:
25th February - Lizard King, Krakow
16th March - Old School Bar, Nowy Sacz
23rd March - Piekny Pies, Krakow
10th April - Folk Rising @ Cecil Sharp House, London
11th April - Loves Cafe, Western-super-Mare
12th April - Pindrop @ The Fisherman's Arms, Hartlepool
15th April - The Blues Bar, Harrogate
17th April - The Met, Bury
18th April - The Basement, York
19th April - The Railway, Cottingham