Simmerdim: Curlew Sounds

Orkney-born musician Merlyn Driver grew up listening to the calls of the curlew. It was a sound that made such an impact on him that he set about writing a song about them – ‘Simmerdim’, named for the night-long twilight experienced during summer on the Northern Isles. While researching the birds, he discovered the extent to which the waders were in danger of disappearing from our shores altogether. Teaming up with the RSPB, Driver recruited an eclectic mix of players from the UK and other countries in the curlew’s migration pattern to put together this exceptional charity compilation, as well as a series of field recordings and soundscapes from curlew hotspots around the UK.

Opener ‘Kevään Kajo’ comes from Finnish vocal four-piece Tuuletar, who add their soaring a cappella harmonies to one of Driver’s field recordings, while on ‘Jal’, Talvin Singh’s tabla beats a path through washes of ambient soundscapes, and El Búho turns tweets into a splash of electro-funk on ‘SupercurlU’. Driver’s original song features too; a stunning, ruminative piece recounting his memories of hearing the birds through the window of his childhood home. The standout though is Samí musician Marja Mortensson’s impressionistic ‘Skotjke’, with accompaniment from jazz tuba player Daniel Herskedal.