Netherbow

Orkney duo Saltfishforty is comprised of Douglas Montgomery on fiddle, viola and mandolin, with Brian Cromarty on vocals, guitar, mandola and second mandolin. The pair recently won themselves a host of new admirers on tour with English folk heroes Spiers & Boden, although word of their distinctive folk/rock/Americana sound, dynamic musical empathy and powerhouse live shows had already spread far beyond their native islands. The raw-edged attack and heavyweight force of their playing has seen them likened to a two-man acoustic heavy metal band, but these traits are underpinned by meticulous attention to detail, from grace-notes and counter¬melodies to their bringing out the full textural compass of their instruments.

Several of the songs here have been sourced or developed via the Big Orkney Song Project, which seeks to revive and build on a heritage often overshadowed by the islands’ better-known fiddle tradition. They include the stripped-down, bittersweet ‘The Bride’s Lament’ and a subtly ominous murder ballad, ‘The Cock O’Byam’ with Cromarty’s soulful vocals winningly reined back from his more familiar blues-style gutsiness. The pair’s densely layered, commandingly resonant instrumental work, deftly alternated with more delicate interludes, is both fluently interwoven through the songs and showcased in an excellent selection of tunes, most of them original or otherwise local to Orkney. Montgomery’s muscular, authoritative yet lyrical deployment of both fiddle and viola adds extra depth and range, as he swaps lead melodies and rhythmic riffs with Cromarty’s nimble picking and punchy, vibrantly hued chords, while elements of bluegrass, funk and Scandinavian influence further enrich the mix amidst the jigs, reels and strathspeys.