This collaboration between English folk star Olivia Chaney and Oregon alt-rockers the Decemberists started as a Twitter dialogue between the singer and Decemberist leader Colin Meloy, who had long nursed a passion for English psych-folk. You’re not going to go far wrong with Chaney – a thrilling singer, the Anne Briggs of her generation – on a set of folk standards, but Meloy and co also deliver. A shimmering, echoing ambience includes chiming guitars, drones, cello, harpsichord and harmonium; the churning The Old Churchyard is a standout. Echoes of Fairport, Span, Thompson et al abound, but Offa Rex has its own compelling identity, and should win Chaney an international name.
