Each member of this quartet boasts their own place in the British folk scene, but is the group more than the sum of its parts? This second album gives a more convincing affirmation than their 2014 debut, with fine vocal harmonies and deft instrumental interplay testifying to intense teamwork between Alasdair Roberts, Emily Portman, Lucy Farrell and Rachel Newton. They take turns to lead on a selection of antique balladry that veers between the jolly (an Appalachian-style title track) and the doomstruck (a neo-rock version of Willie’s Fatal Visit). Banjo, electric guitar, harp and fiddle combine variously, nowhere better than on the rueful Many’s the Night’s Rest. A winningly produced masterclass in folk tradition.
