Poor Creature: All Smiles Tonight review
Poor Creature comprises three musicians expert in heightening and managing atmosphere: Landless's Ruth Clinton, Lankum's Cormac MacDiarmada plus live Lankum drummer John Dermody. Their debut album steeps cowboy songs, Irish ballads, bluegrass and other traditional songs in a misty, playful lightness that somehow also carries an eerie power. Bury Me Not is a 19th-century American song about a dying sailor desperate not to be buried at sea, and Clinton delivers its lamenting lyrics with a bright, shining innocence. MacDiarmada leads Lorene, a rolling, country ballad by Alabama duo the Louvin Brothers, with a similarly soft, brooding magic. Singing as a boy desperate for a letter from his beloved, despite clearly knowing he's being ghosted, the song's melancholy slowly rises as voice and guitar mesh together.
Preprogrammed beats from a Hohner Organetta (a mid-century table-top organ), the wails of an Otamatone (a 21st-century Japanese synthesiser, shaped like a musical quaver) and a theremin add childlike, hauntological flavours to much of this music. Meat and muscle are also built into Hicks' Farewell, a Doc Watson song fed through a sturdy wall of shoegaze, and propulsive highlight, The Whole Town Knows. Within Clinton and MacDiarmada's dense harmonies, Dermody's drums and the track's cacophonous final minutes, you sense folk rocketing somewhere poppy, wild and new.
A folk duo who also work in cabaret, performance, and installation art, Lunatraktors collect together six years of collaborative work on their new compilation, Quilting Points: Invitations and Open Calls 2019-2025 (self-released). A loud mix of salvaged songs, archival fragments, chaos and energetic ideas, its most intriguing tracks are the Korg-propelled 'Oss Girls, inspired by the Padstow May Day song, and The Truth of Eanswythe's Bones, a twisted choral epic inspired by the discovery of a skeleton of a 7th-century saint. Clàrsach (Celtic harp) player Grace Stewart-Skinner's Auchies Spikkin' Auchie (self-released) is a moving, textured exploration of the stories and dialect of her north-east Highlands harbour village, Avoch, mixing her playing with field-recorded conversations, fiddle, double bass and drums. Toby Hay's gorgeous New Music for the 6 String Guitar (The State51 Conspiracy) also further confirms him as a warm, 21st-century heir to the string-bending genius of John Fahey.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Tessa Thompson snuggles up to new boyfriend Brandon Green as they hold hands on romantic holiday in Portofino
Tessa Thompson and her new boyfriend Brandon Green looked smitten as they enjoyed a stroll on their romantic holiday in Portofino, Italy. The Creed actress, 41, looked chic in a cream sundress as she held hands with The Alchemy of Money CEO, 31. The Thor: Ragnarok star added elegant black shades to accessorise and wore chic red open-toe heels for her outing. The couple - who enjoyed a double date with LeBron James and wife Savannah in St Tropez last week - couldn't keep their hands off one another as they cherished every bit of the dolce vita. Soaking up the sun in the Italian Riviera coastline, Tessa looked on cloud nine beaming next to her partner, who previously dated Harry Potter star Emma Watson. Tessa and the son of controversial tycoon Sir Philip Green were first linked in March 2024 and have been spotted together countless times since, with reports suggesting that they are officially an item. While Tessa famously keeps tight-lipped on her romantic endeavours, she has been linked to Brandon for more than a year. They were first spotted looking cosy at a Lakers game in March 2024 as they appeared happy in each other's company while sitting courtside. Between watching baskets, Tessa and Brandon seemed to have eyes for each other as they beamed at one another. Since then, they have been seen together on a number of occasions, most recently at BST Hyde Park to watch Stevie Wonder. Over the years, Tessa - who identifies as bisexual - has been linked to several high-profile people, including Janelle Monae. In 2015, she was believed to have started dating Janelle after starring as a backup dancer in their Yoga video, according to PopSugar. The pair were also seen together at the 2015 MOCA gala, and three years later Tessa was featured in Janelle's music video for Dirty Computer. Meanwhile, Brandon has previously dated a number of models. He was once caught patting Kate Moss' bottom on holiday in St Barts. However, it looked like he was set to settle down with outspoken actress and activist Emma, when they started dating in 2021. The couple dated for 18 months until it seems that Emma had some kind of an epiphany connected to her 'Saturn return' and decided that she wanted out of the relationship. A Saturn return refers to time when the planet Saturn goes back to the position it was in at the moment you were born. Astrologers say it signifies the end of one life-cycle and the beginning of the next, and it happens at around the ages of 29, 58 and 84, bringing with it 'monumental shifts' in lifestyle.
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Vogue Williams flaunts her toned physique in a skimpy bikini as she joins her ripped husband Spencer Matthews on holiday in Spain
Vogue Williams flaunted her toned physique in a skimpy bikini as she joined her husband Spencer Matthews on holiday in Spain on Monday. The Irish presenter, 39, slipped into the green two-piece as she took a dip in the Mediterranean sea. She accessorised her beach ensemble as she kept a low profile with a pair of cream Celine sunglasses and a cream cap. To finish her look, Vogue wore a chunky gold necklace, gold earrings, a myriad of silver bracelets and matching silver rings. Meanwhile, Spencer showcased his washboard abs as he splashed in the sea wearing a pair of blue shorts. The former Made in Chelsea star and his model-turned-presenter wife looked happier than ever as they were spotted swimming in the sea. The Irish presenter, 39, slipped into the green two-piece as she took a dip in the Mediterranean sea As they made their way back from the beach, Vogue was seen picking up a shell buried in the sand. The holiday comes after Vogue revealed in May that she often feels 'mum guilt' when she is away from her children working. Speaking on The Life of Bryony podcast, she said that like many mums, she has put pressure on herself to 'do and be everything'. 'I suffer from mum guilt all the time', Vogue admitted. 'I feel guilty when I am working, and I feel guilty when I am with my kids. I worry when I spend more time with one of them and not the others. 'I spend a lot of time with Theodore and Gigi because I take them places – so I have to create time to spend with Otto on his own. 'I think as women we put so much pressure on ourselves to be able to do and be everything. Going out there and working should be great for your children to see. 'Whether you're a working mum or staying at home, I think you're always going to feel some level of guilt. The former Made in Chelsea star and his model-turned-presenter wife looked happier than ever as they were spotted swimming in the sea The holiday comes after Vogue revealed in May that she often feels 'mum guilt' when she is away from her children working 'When realistically, you can't do it all.' Speculating about why Vogue was putting so much pressure on herself as a parent, host Bryony Gordon, 45, admitted that her attitude may reflect the beliefs of a generation. She said: 'Women of our generation were brought up with that notion – that you can have it all. 'Even the question itself – you see these high-profile women always get asked that question. No one is asking that question of men. 'I don't want to have it all – I don't need to be everything to everyone.' 'Everyone just has to accept that sometimes, laundry is a nightmare, and we might forget to reply to an email or several.'
BBC News
13 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Kelly is more than the next Beckham' - the Lioness shifting the culture
With a hop, skip and a thwack, Chloe Kelly scored the winning penalty in the Euro 2025 final - and shifted the culture of English that this is anything new for Kelly, who over the past three years has been at the centre of the Lionesses' explosion into the public the Euro 2022 final, she scored the winning goal before celebrating by twirling her shirt aloft with sports bra on display. Kelly was praised for empowering women, and embodying how the Lionesses are inspirations for current and future generations of 2025 final was different. While Kelly was praised for spending time with the mascot at the medal ceremony, chatting with and hugging the young girl, she then turned to the camera after getting her award and mouthed a sweary media outlet AS meanwhile was annoyed with Kelly for supposedly mocking keeper Cata Coll after scoring the winning spot-kick. "This is unnecessary, my friend," ran the headline., externalThat is the Lionesses of 2025, spearheaded by Kelly - inspirational yes, but also arrogant in the way of all champions, icons not only for their gender, but also for their immense sporting is well-known among team-mates for being the personification of the modern Lionesses."She seems to thrive on those moments when the team needs her to pull a performance out of the bag," said England defender Esme that could mark a tonal shift in how the Lionesses are perceived culturally, according Nicola Kemp, editorial director of marketing company Creativebrief."This is a real watershed moment for football marketing," Kemp told BBC Sport. "Kelly has passion and audacity on the pitch, that can be matched with commercial cut through - I expect more investment."Brands want to play in culture, and Kelly is at the centre of this incredible cultural shift in women's football." Shinpads and power penalties: Kelly is a branding dream Kelly is a marketer's dream in so many ways. On the pitch, she provided game deciding contributions in all of England's Euro 2025 knock-out matches - her crosses led to both goals against Sweden, she bagged the winner versus Italy, and she assisted Russo's equaliser in the final. And that's before you get to the winning the pitch, she is popular with fans - topping the BBC Sport audience ratings against Sweden and Spain - while she went viral during the quarter-final after TV cameras showed her taping up her featured her kissing her husband Scott Moore on their wedding day. The other had an image of their pet dogs."Otis and Rolo at the wedding in their little tuxes are on one shinpad and me and Scotty at the wedding are on the other which is really nice - bringing my life off the pitch with me on the pitch," Kelly said before the final."They are my dogs but they are people to me, they are my little boys with me along the journey, and of course Scott who is with me in the ups and downs."It was their wedding anniversary during the Euros. She said roses were provided in her room at the England camp, while they were able to spend a few hours by the Swiss lakes according to Kemp, is just as important to brands as the penalty Kelly smashed home at 68mph in Basel."It is wonderful to see her on the front of every newspaper, but it is almost bigger than that," she said."It is tempting to say Chloe Kelly is the next David Beckham, but this is more than that - this is an entire new playbook, a new movement." 'We create an impossible stereotype for female footballers' Kelly is a proud, cocky footballer unafraid to celebrate her tournament-winning penalty with a self-assured shrug to the fans."She has been doing it week in, week out and she's just got this attitude and this confidence that I don't think you can buy," England team mate Lucy Bronze said before the celebrates her London roots, her close family in which she is the youngest of seven siblings, and her love of to Romesh Ranganathan on Radio 2,, external Kelly said: "I just love listening to music. My mum always had the radio on, then being from west London, I support people from my area like AJ Tracey, I enjoy listening to his music. He's a friend of mine. It's really nice to see west London doing great in the music industry now."Kelly is also unafraid to speak her mind. In February, Sarina Wiegman left Kelly out of her squad for Nations League games against Portugal and Spain. At the time, she had not played any football since mid-December, having fallen out of favour at former club Manchester secured a loan to childhood team Arsenal, having posted emotional messages to social media saying she "wanted to be happy again" while accusing City of planting negative stories about her in the media. The club never commented publicly about Kelly's has not been shy about revealing she nearly quit football altogether."I'm really proud looking back on the journey," she said. "It was a tough one to start with. Thinking about giving up the game that we all love is really difficult but sometimes you need to look after your mental health and that was really important to me."After Euro 2022, the Lionesses were held up as the perfect ideal of female sporting achievement. Kemp says the next step, led by Kelly, will be allowing our women's football icons to be imperfect."We create a stereotype that is impossible for women footballers to live up to, that can be quite oppressive from a marketing perspective," she said."They can be both things, be an incredible athlete and incredible personality. Kelly is full of flair, you would not want her in just one area."With a hop, skip and a thwack, the age of the Chloe Kelly is upon us.
