David Lance Callahan's artistry is now in its third distinct iteration, after The Wolfhounds (exponents par excellence of the C86 sound) and Moonshake (who, with a small set of peers, pushed alchemical post-punks innovation into a sound whose influence seeped into genres far beyond 'rock'). Where next? Down To The Marshes partially relies, as did the two volumes of English Primitive which preceded it, on strands of vaguely arcane British Isles folk music. Still, the album's subjects, tone and references are almost entirely modern; the presence of Indian modalities, for example, seems to dutifully acknowledge the country's post-war multicultural make-up . . . in case you've forgotten that this is modern music made with an eye to the future, whatever that may bring. That said, Down To The Marshes, is somewhat brighter, almost optimistic in a manner that the two previous albums were not, though with an slight ambiguous tone. "Down To The Marshes" has a joyous feel (particularly if one's aware that Callahan is a professional writer on ornithology), "The Spirit World" is welcoming, in spite of its cynical but brilliant lyrics. A slight updating to WH Auden's poem of German Jews fleeing the Nazis, "Refugee Blues", shows the underlying impulse behind it to be - tragically - as modern as ever. "Robin Reliant" soars, swoons and harkens back to the sound of Moonshake, and "Island State", the album's ambient folk ode, closes the album perfectly. You'll want to start it again. There are other treasures, of course. Recorded in Valencia, Spain alongside Pram / Fall / Nightingales drummer Daren Garratt and a plethora of guest musicians from various countries, Down To The Marshes is a masterpiece of writing and performance from one of Britain's foremost musicians.
