Review by FATEA
One of the greatest rewards of running a magazine is the access to new music, the excitement of never knowing what is going to drop into the office next and to a lesser extent where it comes from. Woodlands are a duo, violinist Kristina Leesik and harpist Justyna Krzyzanowska, who originally met at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
Kristina's background came from Swedish folk music, whilst Justyna background was more classical, the thing that drew them together was their love of the Celtic traditions, Justyna, heading to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to complete her masters.
Both musicians bring their undoubted instrumental skills to their self-titled debut album, both playing with a freedom that I find classical trained musicians sometimes struggle to achieve when absorbing themselves in the tradition. It means that the arrangements not only work incredibly well as pieces, but are absolutely teaming with life and spirit.
That's something equally true of the vocals with Both Kristina and Justyna contributing their voices over the predominantly instrumental album, with songs in English, Gaelic and Swedish. "Emigrantvisa" unexpectedly being translated from its Gaelic origins into Swedish.
As well as drawing on arrangements old and new from the mainly Scottish traditions both of Woodlands also contribute new tunes, both together and separately to the album.
As I mentioned earlier this is an album teaming with life and spirit, it's an album that lifts body and spirit, I've found it also lends its self well to chair dancing. "Woodlands" has been a bright light in what has been a very dark year. Despite only being a duo, they have a big stage feel about them, I really would like to see them on a big festival stage, because this is music with the charisma to reach out to a large audience as well as the more intimate spaces, perhaps enjoyed with fine wine.
It's slightly different take on the Celtic tradition gives you that something else to explore, to be absorbed by, it's been spending a lot of time on my player of late, as it's a great way to take out the stress of the day, "Woodlands" is a damned fine album by any standards and one which I hope really catapults the duo into the public consciousness in the year to come as surely as they have entered mine.
Neil King at FATEA
