Albums of the decade - 99. James Yorkston - The Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society

99. JAMES YORKSTON -  THE CELLARDYKE RECORDING AND WASSAILING SOCIETY

Next on my pick list is this by James Yorkston from Scotland, who has been omnipresent and understated for the last 10 years around these parts - I've scrolled down and around on Spaghetti Blogonese and seen some sloppy late-night red wine posts, enthusing about his folkmanship and I can't guarantee that there won't not be a bit of nonsense repeated in the gloaming. 

Keeping it real for now though, after a chilled Sunday recuperating with some Adrian Younge, I sank into this full hour of lavish folk after coming back from the Vilnius International Film Festival, and felt a strong sense of teapots and folklore. As The Guardian said of this record in 2014 "James Yorkston fans get their money's worth: dense with dialogue and spanning 16 tracks, the folk songwriter's eighth album feels like an hour with old friends."

Yorkston's bassist Doogie Paul tragically died of cancer in 2012 and the song "Broken Wave (Blues for Doogie") is one of the most beautiful songs written this decade, maybe ever. I have to fill the right side of my blog up with hashtags in a minute, to try and get some more exposure and readers - but James Yorkston feels like the least worthy of hashtaggery in this 100. You know me though - I'll plough it through nevertheless. 

Albums of 2012- 29. James Yorkston - I Was a Cat from a Book

29. JAMES YORKSTON - I WAS A CAT FROM A BOOK

This Scottish folk musician has been slowly coming to my attention over the last few years. I'd heard a couple of his songs before on compilations and stuff but never listened to a full length album. I'm aware of his soothing voice though; it's really affecting.

This album is really tender, nuanced and musically diverse. Opener "Catch" tells a story about tall tales "catching each other out". I don't know what the tall tales are that Yorkston is singing about always, even his words I can't always make out, but it's not about a visually arresting narrative here, instead the sum of the parts of this album make for something very pretty.

Not too twee. Beautiful instrumentation. Lovely vocals. All together, one of the folk albums of the year.


BEST PLAYED: When wanting something lovely.