Arcelia - Building on the Land

Arcelia

Building on the Land

How Now Records

“This ain't rock n roll..” David Bowie began on his song Diamond Dogs, neither is Building On The Land by Arcelia.  It’s not folk, country or easy-listening.  Instead the highly-listenable mature vocal trio of Gavin Alexander, Simon Foster, and Teresa Gallagher are trailblazing a new genre which recognizes its fan base.   It’s for people who may be over 30, who horror of horrors, still wear jeans,   and who aren’t ready for shapeless beige or corduroy, just yet.  They don’t need their trainers to be adorned with symbols or stripes of a certain angle.   It’s music for adults with themes of family and life happenings.

Gavin Alexander on acoustic guitar writes all the songs and I found the lyrics, almost poetic, which I’ll come back to later, if you’ll allow.   All three members have great voices, and together with the deft jazz –like hands of Perry White on piano and Martin Elliott on acoustic bass, the sound is melodic and endearing.   It is quite possibly an unconscious reflection upon Kent – The Garden of England, with its pastoral landscape together with embers from the Canterbury scene. 

What is not mere speculation, (Did the cover cast a spell?),  is the quality of this recording, made at Arcelia’s  own studio in Kent , which is largely down to Simon Foster, an experienced sound engineer, co-founder of How Now Productions and  present member of The Flying Pickets. 

Teresa Gallagher is also a voice artist and her reading of Dickens’ Bleak House was a Times Audio Book of The Year.  If that’s too high-brow, she’s also been heard in TV series such as Thomas & Friends.  She’s a true all-rounder, having experience also in radio dramas.

Is this a perfect album? - Not quite.  Nine out of the twelve tracks however,   are exceptional.  Workhouse was a commission (Gresssenhall  Workhouse in Norfolk) and is outstanding – “From 4am till very late, the men unpick the oakum, I scrub the laundry cloth so white, 30 lashes if outspoken” Teresa softly sings.  I was slightly disappointed at each end of the album therefore,   as each end didn’t reach the same heights as the nine.   I would have led with The World or the title track, that would have been better indicators of what was to follow.  Alternatively,   I would have used Teresa’s experience to make a reading of Gavin’s lyrics.  

NE