Any dictionary or thesaurus of words suitable for describing the music made by groups who favour the acoustic approach and like their instruments to be made of wood and preferably hollow was exhausted about a year and a half ago. So does this mean that the well of creativity that such bands drink from is similarly dry? Well it's difficult to knock the pedigree of seven-piece collective The Mariner's Children, they consist of members of, or players with Laura Marling, Alessi's Ark, Eyes & No Eyes, Sons Of Noel and Adrian and Peggy Sue, so they should know a thing or two about making this kind of stuff. And this second EP shows that indeed they do.
As has been the case with some of the best nu-folk (can we still use that term?) groups of the past year or so, the 'Sycamore' EP works well as it's an exercise in restraint. As is often the case, it would be all too easy to smother these tracks, to go for grand arrangements and stadium-folk techniques. The Mariner's Children keep it about the songs and when it comes to quality it's difficult to split them, although 'In My Bed' stands out for taking, ironically, a slightly bigger sounding approach. The other three tracks are all well made and will be music to the ears of anyone who's caught the acoustic bug that refuses to disappear. You do wonder though, good as they are, how many more bands like this can the music world take before a backlash of seismic proportions begins?
Download 'In My Bed' for free by heading here
The Mariner's Children's website
Pre-order the EP
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