James Yorkston has been around for a while, and it seems he always excels, whether solo or through quite a number of collaboration he was in, particularly those with his Scottish compatriots like King Creosote in the so-called “Fence Collective”. No exception here in this wildly inventive trio setting with sarangi player Suhail Yusuf Khan and double bass player Jon Thorne.
The title itself is a little giveaway, but also a bit tongue-in-cheek. Yorkston was never a stranger to sacred, or more precisely pastoral quality in music, so no wonder, the title, or the musical setting of this album. On the other hand, they work on some interesting material , probably dear, or shall we sacred to them, including the interpretations of “Song for Tirza”m by the British folk legend Lal Waterson, “Little Black Buzzer” by the old wired Ivor Cutler, and even more interesting, Can’s “Halleluwah”. Damo Suzuki would fit in perfectly here.
The mood throughout the album is only seemingly subdued, the “gentleness” of the music actually speaking that you don’t have to play and sing with any particular “heaviness” to produce, inventive, experimental, but at the same time very listenable music. In essence, the musicians here are sitting on the fence, down at the crossroads all the time, making the combination between musical concepts and styles really smooth, as if they were always together. It is quite hard to pick out the outstanding track here, but it is the 15-minute jazz variations of their interpretation of “Hallelujah” that impress the most.
Actually, there are no letdowns on this album whatsoever. And even if you don’t consider yourself a fan of the world or any crossover music, the trio and the additional instruments (and vocals by Lisa O’Neill) will let you immerse in this “sacred” music (in both meanings intended).
