Laura Cannell’s Carols Capture the Beauty and Bleakness of a Haunting Moonlight: A Review of “Brightly Shone the Moon” | Folk Music

Laura Cannell‘s ‘Brightly Shone the Moon‘ Offers a Hauntingly Beautiful Winter Reflection

Laura Cannell’s new album, Brightly Shone the Moon, isn’t your typical festive soundtrack. Departing from the cheerful backdrop of holiday parties, Cannell delivers a deeply atmospheric and emotionally resonant exploration of the winter season, acknowledging the coexistence of “joy and heartache.”

Inspired by the line in “Good King Wenceslas,” the album begins with organ tones reminiscent of Cannell’s Norfolk church upbringing.Her fiddle weaves around familiar carols like “O Christmas Tree” and “All Ye Faithful,” but with a distinctly unsettling edge. Cannell doesn’t shy away from the complexities of the season, portraying love as “stuck,” mirroring the often-strenuous experience of winter.

However, Brightly Shone the Moon isn’t solely melancholic. Tracks like “Lost in a Merry Christmas” offer fleeting moments of beauty, while “Bleak Midwinter” pulses with an unexpected, icy hope.The album’s warmth surprisingly emerges in “angels Falling from the Realms,” where fragments of forgotten hymns flicker and fade.

Ultimately, Cannell’s album is a haunting journey through time, illuminated by “slips of ancient songs” – a perfect companion for quiet contemplation during the passing of the year.Brightly Shone the Moon is available now.

Also out this month: Anna Pidgorna’s Invented Folksongs (Redshift) presents a fascinating study of Ukrainian conventional music.

what are the key vocal and production characteristics that distinguish Laura Cannell’s “Brightly Shone the Moon” from mainstream Christmas albums?

A Unique take on Traditional Carols

Laura Cannell’s Brightly Shone the Moon, released in late 2024, isn’t your typical Christmas album. It’s a deeply atmospheric and often melancholic exploration of traditional English carols, reimagined through Cannell’s distinctive instrumental lens.This isn’t festive background music; it’s an immersive experience, best suited for quiet contemplation under the winter solstice moon. Cannell, known for her work with early instruments and experimental folk, delivers a collection that feels both ancient and strikingly modern. The album leans heavily into the ancient context of carols, revealing their frequently enough-bleak origins and the stories hidden within.

Deconstructing the Carol: Instrumentation and Arrangement

Cannell’s approach is characterized by sparse arrangements and a focus on texture. The core instrumentation revolves around the hurdy-gurdy, viola, and voice – often treated as another instrument, blending seamlessly with the drones and resonances.

* Hurdy-Gurdy Dominance: The hurdy-gurdy isn’t merely a supporting instrument; it is the sound of this album. Its buzzing, almost otherworldly tone provides a constant, grounding presence.

* Viola’s lament: Cannell’s viola playing is emotive and haunting, frequently enough employing extended techniques like harmonics and sul ponticello to create a sense of unease and longing.

* Vocal Textures: Vocals are frequently wordless or fragmented, used more for their sonic qualities than for narrative storytelling. When lyrics are present, they’re delivered with a restrained, almost whispered quality.

* Minimalist Production: The production is deliberately raw and unpolished, emphasizing the natural acoustics of the recording space and the imperfections of the instruments.This adds to the album’s sense of authenticity and intimacy.

This minimalist approach allows the inherent beauty – and often sadness – of the carols to shine through. It’s a far cry from the bombastic arrangements frequently enough associated with Christmas music. Fans of artists like Lisa Gerrard and early music ensembles will find much to appreciate here.

Exploring the Album’s Themes: Darkness and light

Brightly Shone the moon doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of the winter season and the carols themselves. Many traditional carols originated as expressions of hardship, loss, and the anxieties surrounding the winter months. Cannell doesn’t sanitize these themes; she embraces them.

* The Bleak Midwinter: The album’s rendition of “The Bleak Midwinter” is particularly poignant, emphasizing the song’s inherent melancholy.

* Lost innocence: Several tracks evoke a sense of lost innocence and the fragility of life, reflecting the historical context of the carols’ origins.

* Resilience and Hope: Despite the prevailing mood of melancholy, there are moments of quiet hope and resilience woven throughout the album. The “brightly shone the moon” motif itself suggests a glimmer of light in the darkness.

This duality – the interplay between darkness and light – is what makes Brightly Shone the Moon so compelling. It’s a reminder that even in the midst of winter’s bleakness, there is still beauty to be found.

Laura Cannell’s Artistic Background & Influences

Cannell’s unique sound is rooted in her extensive research into early music and her experimentation with historical instruments. She’s a self-taught musician who has spent years honing her skills on the hurdy-gurdy and viola. Her previous work often explores themes of landscape, memory, and the intersection of the natural and supernatural worlds.

Interestingly, the name Laura itself has historical roots. as noted in online resources (like https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/1866865384720601507.html), the name laura originates from ancient rome and signifies victory and strength –