Lando Manning pays homage to his forebears in the intimate folk track “Blue Silk Ribbons”

Made up simply of acoustic guitar and feather-light vocals, Manning acknowledges those who came before him, contemplating their pain and expressing his gratitude for the life they helped build for their family. The slow strums of a guitar are an ideal foundation for Manning’s evocative lyrics, a minimal combination that makes for something effortlessly approachable.

In an overwhelming world of continuous news cycles, apps, endless entertainment opportunities, and frenetic discographies, songs like these remind me just how badly many of us need more minimalism in life and in music. Trading grandeur for a more vulnerable approach, these are the projects that invite stillness back inside of the body, a state it desperately craves, and heals as listeners sink into the gentle sounds of lightly plucked strings and vivid, poetic lyrics.

“We're all here because of the sacrifices that have been made by generations before us in our families,” Manning says. “This song is an ode to that and is about keeping on inspired by the perseverance of our forebears.”

“Tender leaves upon the vine / Have weathered much to grow / A coiled spring lets the heartache in / When the cold northern winds do blow,” he sings, a visceral reminder of a life of hardship his ancestors had to endure. “I was really interested in psychogeography when I was writing this song, so the lyrics' imagery is inspired by northern coastlines where my Dad's side of the family are from,” Manning says. “I believe the landscapes that we grow up around have a big impact on who we become emotionally.”

“Blue Silk Ribbons” comes off of Manning’s brand new EP Fragments. Calling the project a “love letter to British Folk, but if it was written by Mary Shelley,” the collection also includes the soft opener “Ginko Queen,” a rumination on folklore and North Korean defectors, a psych-rock take on singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan's “Rose Hip November,” and the traditional Irish ballad-inspired “Black Is The Colour.” For those looking for a modern-day tribute to traditional folk music, start here.