It’s very rare that albums and/or artists come from nowhere to drop onto your lap. Ahem. When From The Ground Up popped through my letterbox I was a little surprised – I’d never heard of the mysterious Bard on the front cover and the odd artwork looking like something Blue Peter would have used copious amounts of double-sided sticky tape to create. As it found its way onto my hi-fi for review, I was pleasantly surprised. Rich, deep vocals surrounded by music that could best be describe as twisted folk and quiet self-reflection pierced with soaring guitars. Welcome to the Bard’s weird and wonderful world.

Further investigation showed this album to be something of a concept album. The songs were all created with an ecological theme in mind, commenting on our environmental responsibility, or lack of it, and crafting a world in which we care for all living things. Bobby brings this responsibility to the fore, “We’re all to blame in the end” echoes through the song, seemingly taking aim at the more direct impact of hunting whilst the opening Fires is a delicately produced piece of balladry, wistful and peaceful, the simple acoustic guitars augmented by a perfusion of haunting feedback that feels like the roots of a tree growing into the earth. Singer Lawrence Becko’s voice comes from the same stable as iLiKETRAiN’s Dave Martin, an oddly affecting and throaty vocal that seems breathless in places. What makes these songs powerful is their arrangements. The vocals are to the fore, the music acting as a canvas, a background, for these vivid lyrics to paint their picture on. The brilliant These Quiet Times is positively anthemic with it’s female backing vocals, piano and drums that kick in later and remind me of early Coldplay. The lyrics do come across as an advert for the RSPB with it’s tag line of “Feed the birds in the winter time”, but there’s something about it that makes you want to take heed. Sometimes it can get a bit sparse and depressing though. The bland Torch Song doesn’t really go anywhere and sounds suspiciously like Athlete with it’s guitar and piano combo, whilst the disappointing album closer When We Were Falling Out is just plain boring with it’s jewelry box tinkles and whispered vocals, it just lets the album finish with a whimper rather than a real explosion for an album full of messages.

But the highlights on here are worth the fee alone. The soaring Winter Coats and Treeology more than make up for the lowlights. The album may be short on tunes you can whistle, but the messages are well conveyed and the music that accompanies them is appropriate. Some of the lyrics are a little heavy handed in places (“Faced with environmental catastrophe, it wasn’t me!” from Treeology hits the hardest) and could come straight from a Greenpeace brochure, but sometimes the only way to get your message across is to be blunt. In fact, perhaps Greenpeace should pick up the phone and call these guys rather than Bono. At least they sound like they mean it.
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Links
Shady Bard [official site] [myspace]