Nearly-Christmas music rec

[regshoe]

It's time for some folk Christmas carols.

"The Voice Squad: Down in Yon Forest" (Watch on YouTube)

I love the Steeleye Span version of this song, of course, but I was doing my 'listening to lots of different versions of the same folk song' thing and found this one, which is in a very different but equally good style and has some really lovely harmonies.

Mainly Norfolk has a page on this song with lots of fascinating background. Much as I love the classic church choir-type carols, I really think folk Christmas carols are the best sort—all this density of mythic context gives an odd but somehow appropriate sort of depth to the lyrics about the Nativity story, and the weird, kind of gothic nature imagery feels very fitting for the darkest time of year.

Comments

[ohveda]

Reading the background to this song was really fun. It's certainly an odd haunting piece, which doesn't feel that Christmassy at all. If you had told me instead that it was a story from "The Ladies of Grace Adieu" I wouldn't have been surprised!

[regshoe]

You're absolutely right—just goes to show how well Susanna Clarke gets folklore :D