Folk Music's Radical Past Fuels Modern Sound

The London-based Shovel Dance Collective is at the forefront of a new wave of English folk revivalists, committed to folk music's radical tradition. Their latest release, Everything in Readiness, merges traditional pump organs and high whistles with experimental techniques like drone and tape manipulation. This approach honors A. L. Lloyd's 1944 belief in folk music as a political tool, documenting the lives of working people.

The album opens with an evolutionary sequence of sounds, moving from primordial strings to electronically distorted fiddle. Traditional melodies are integrated with avant-garde sound art, creating a unique sonic landscape. Field recordings and live performances are collaged to evoke the songs' historical depth and enduring relevance.

Collage techniques also reinforce the social narratives within the songs. Prison abolition songs from 1859 and 1961 are intertwined, highlighting the ongoing critique of incarceration systems. Similarly, a mining song from 1952 is augmented with verses from another, emphasizing the perils of unsafe work practices and drawing parallels to modern labor scrutiny.

A notable find on the album is "Bold Captain Avery," a song dating to 1694 that appears to be previously unrecorded. This rarity tells the tale of a pirate, offering a fantasy of empowerment for oppressed English workers. The song's performance, with its blend of ancient and modern instrumentation, marks a significant contribution to the recorded folk canon.