Plaint of Lapwing

Alasdair Roberts has a busy and productive muse – with a long line of striking solo records behind him, recent collaborations with the likes of Scottish poet Robin Robertson and a second album in the offing with The Furrow Collective. Plaint of Lapwing is a new vinyl set with Sheffield musician James Green, who plays an instrument called the harmoniflute, which sounds like something between a harmonium and an accordion. The collaboration began around the time of Roberts’ AWonder Working Stone album – some of the tracks come from that album's overflow of mythic, metaphysical songs, alongside more recent settings of poems by Hamish Henderson, the Angus poet Violet Jacob, and a text on beekeeping by Cornish filmmaker Timothy Neat.

The ethereal harmoniflute proves to be an excellent foil to Roberts’ voice, and it is the dominant sound of the album, supported by Roberts’ acoustic guitar, some light touches of electric, an upright piano, and vintage electric organ sounds for ‘The Left Hand Man’, as well as one or two subtle percussive touches of bass and drumkit on ‘Boy of Blazing Brow’. ‘The Ballad of the Speaking Heart’ is the standout track, thanks to its atmosphere, melody, lyrics and instrumentation – it's one of Roberts’ finest vocals of the album. This, and the stately, weirdly-time-signatured title-song, are the ones you want to return to.