There was quite a flurry of interest about Treebeard on the Fairport Convention mailing list a few months ago, so I was quite pleased when I received this disc for review. Now I can find out what all that buzz is about, I thought to myself, but having heard the buzz, I realize that I can do without it.
Treebeard is a five piece group hailing from the North of England; they play a multitude of acoustic stringed instruments (guitars, balalaika, mandolin, bouzouki, mandola, banjo, bass and violin) as well as percussion and the occasional accordion. This variety of instrumentation is used intelligently, but mainly it's the violin which fills the solo instrument role. I have no problem with that, but some people get turned off by the sound of tortured catgut.
Heavy Wood, their debut album, has a total playing time of 73 minutes, and includes a representative cross section of originals, covers and traditional tunes from their live set. Whilst trying to give an all inclusive idea of what Treebeard are capable of, they've fallen foul of the 'kitchen sink' syndrome, and I would have preferred a much shorter set comprising mainly of their originals, balanced with a few traditional tunes.
Let's get the covers out of the way: a country tinged version of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is the earliest; pleasant but not outstanding. Next is REM's "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" - I'm not familiar with the original, and find this multiple vocal track (four Treebeards sing on this) more than annoying, primarily because of the song itself. A cover of the late Rory Gallagher's "Barley And Grape Rag" has the amusing sound of a North countryman imitating an Irishman imitating an American, and whilst this track is musically valid, it's not particularly inspiring. Then there's a version of Steve Harley/Cockney Rebel's "Make Me Smile" in which the singer does a passable Harley imitation, and to finish the disc, there's "The Devil Went Down To Georgia", a competent imitation, but nothing to get excited about. There are a few more covers which I haven't mentioned, but I think that the gist is clear: Treebeard are a more than competent cover band, but that's not the sort of material which I would like to hear on a disc.
In the traditional mode, there are two imitations of Fairport Convention: "The Lark In The Morning" (aka the instrumental medley from "Liege And Lief") and "Percy In The Linen" (which contains "Drops Of Brandy", or "Dirty Linen" as played by Fairport on "Full House"). There is also the violin/bouzouki duet on "Drowsy/Sleepy Maggie", which again sounds like Fairport, although this time I'm unable to identify the source. Fairport are definitely a good role model, and these tunes may be fun to hear in concert, but at home I can always listen to the 'originals'.
So now we're down to Treebeard's originals. Opening the disc is "Wilderness Of Eden", which musically is fine (moody violin, mandolin tickles and delicate percussion), but with the sort of words in the chorus that make me cringe - (all inaccuracies and Mondegreens are mine)
It's raining in Babylon
Gotta lie dead (?)
There's a full moon in Avalon
But it's turned one red (?)
And they killed the last unicorn
And cut off his mane
So the tower of Babel
Is rising again
Now, I may have got the odd word wrong, but I would be pleased if someone could explain to me what that melange is supposed to mean. Later on there is the marriage of an original tune to one of J.R.R. Tolkien's lyrics ("Far Over Misty Mountain"), so I can't blame Treebeard for the mimsy whimsy lyrics here. The other originals are of a reasonable level without being outstanding.
OK, enough; I'm sure that you get the picture. Treebeard can play their instruments and can arrange a song quite well within their limitations. What they apparently can't do is choose a repertoire which will entertain people in their homes (as opposed to the entertainment which I'm sure they supply at live dates).
Treebeard has a well-developed Web site which contains both streamable and downloadable versions of some of the songs on this disc. There are also photos, tour dates, biographies and other bits and pieces, including the story of the (in)famous 2002 Cropredy appearance by 'Bollox The Dog'. Now that I recall, the buzz on the Fairport list was indeed about this animal, and not about the group itself.
