From Source to Sea

The belt had snapped on my turntable, so I resorted to the USB tucked into the handsome gatefold vinyl set featuring Simon Emmerson, with sundry musical friends and relations from Imagined Village and further afield. It's an epic sound-mosaic of shanties and ocean-going bird calls, trip-hoppy beats and across-the-water halloos, including the shanty ska of ‘Bonny Ship the Diamond’. Arctic terns, surging surf, seagulls, curlews and other winged seafarers rub up against a melding of The Clash's ‘Bankrobber’ and Fisherman's Friends’ ‘South Australia’. Painted across a broad canvas, its voices have plenty of heart – Jackie Oates, Belinda O’Hooley, Martin & Eliza Carthy, John Jones and Show of Hands. There's even Captain Pugwash (sampled) in there.

Jackie Oates voices the epic ‘Do Me Ama’, while the main band of players encompasses Emmerson, members of The Bays and Barney Morse-Brown – they are augmented by strings, brass and samples from Topic's catalogue of recordings. The wildlife recordings by The Sound Approach are exceptional. This collection of 11 tracks on vinyl – 15 on USB – is well worth hauling out for.