Original Old Timey

Fish & Bird – Left Brain Blues

Independent, Fiddle Head Records – FHR002  www.fishandbird.ca

There is something about Left Brain Blues that carves a path right to your core in the most intimate way. This is the second release for this incredibly talented duo and already they are the ones to watch for at every festival where they appear on the line up. The unique delivery of vocalist/song writer and banjo player Taylor Ashton is bold yet

contemplative. He is at times discordant and gritty, creating a dark, brooding mood and at other times smooth as still waters. Ashton’s vocal range is impressive as he hits the low notes dead-on with beautiful resonance. As he glides through his full melodic vocal range, his tender lyrics suggest deep meaning. Poetically colorful words paint pictures behind your eyes as your ears explore the path he has created before you. Perfectly matched in skill and imagination is fiddle player Adam Iredale-Gray. These two multi-instrumentalists form the core of what is Fish and Bird as they draw other incredibly skilled musicians into their web of magic.  There is honesty, naïve innocence and a raw exposed nerve in My Head My Heart My Gut which describes an emotion all too familiar to some of us. Lydia is a deliciously Shakespeareanesque piece with a romantically haunting twist; true theater at its best. And speaking of romance, Ashton’s delivery of Sun Just Shines has to be every woman’s dream of what love is really all about – spontaneous, in the moment, completely unleashed and true to the heart. Joined by guest artist Marlies Iredale on accordion and harmony vocals and accented with Iredale-Gray’s fiddle, there is a purity and tenderness so complete and sincere that it sends chills up my spine every time I listen. The Celtic roots of Iredale-Gray and Taylor are apparent in the two instrumentals Golden Mosquito/Congress Reel and Road To Mortlach and are rock solid in their execution. The driving, circular cadence and improvisatory nature of Mark My Grave is particularly compelling and the rich low notes hit well below the belt. The title track, Left Brain Blues soars and dives in melodramatic range and introspective questioning as it rolls along with a touch of bluegrass flair and defining style. Twisted Branches wanders metaphorically along life’s path and becomes broad and searching as it tries to find the true route to follow. Guest musician Oliver Swain on upright bass adds depth to this and many other cuts throughout the recording. Plane-Filled Motif probably touched a chord with me the most as it brings science and fantasy together with poetry to realize true beauty and bliss - few words, deepest meaning. My Garden captures the confusion and tribulations of nurturing and cultivating the heart with that which allows healthy growth in a thoughtful reflective metaphor that explores an overgrown, neglected garden. Blessed serendipitously by nature, Hail is accompanied by a real hail storm that occurred during the recording session right on cue to accent the carefully chosen words of this song.  Hail is beautifully spare and yet full, graced with descriptive double entendres that take a poetically critical look at what we choose to sacrifice in the name of progress and the consequences that sometime result.  Layout, graphic design and artwork of the hand printed CD cover using recycled material gives a unique and value added authenticity to the creative quality of this outstanding release. Left Brain Blues is an amazing example of the caliber of musical genius that is currently being produced in the world of independent releases. [Nancy Vivolo]