And Also The Trees
Farewell To The Shade

Scotland, with its misty and rugged charm, has always been a birthplace of remarkable artistic talents. Often, these are mysterious personalities who prefer not to step too much into the spotlight, but who gradually reveal themselves and leave an indelible mark on the hearts of many. And Also The Trees are certainly among them. After a typically new wave debut, similar in style to Joy Division's "Closer" and The Cure's "Pornography", the quartet led by the Jones brothers gradually liberated more airy sounds, less tied to the canons of a movement, from then on becoming solely and uniquely "And Also The Trees". Devoted to their land and storytellers of its legends and traditions, AATT are above all poets of nature, able to paint timeless landscapes and scenarios with their music, maintaining an intimate orientation that keeps them above any form of banal folklore.

This "Farewell To The Shade", as the title suggests, is a farewell to certain shadows of the past, delivering a clear testament to the group's unique style. As in the previous two works, the instrumentation consists of the classic voice-guitar-bass-drums (with the addition of some keyboards), but much of the sound approach transcends traditional rock. Notable, for example, is the use of guitars, treated with echoes and reverbs that transform them at times into ancient harps, at other times into mandolins, while the voice often ventures into the charming territories of the spoken word, giving the whole a dramatic and engaging flow. Beneath them, the excellent work of the rhythm section, the last connecting link with the new wave, ensures the final result.

If there's a keyword that can instantly convey the spirit of "Farewell To The Shades", it might be "Medieval". In reality, the medieval scenario, more than a thematic thread, is a subliminal sensation captured throughout the album, suggested by the agitated sounds of "Prince Rupert" and "Macbeth's Head", or evoked by the square dance of "Belief In The Rose". Even the intense interpretation of Cat Stevens' "Lady d'Arbanville", laden with chamber music insights, recalls distant past suggestions. But the group doesn't limit itself to experimenting with these enchantments: "The Street Organ" is a tense track with dark undertones, suitable for the soundtrack of a theatrical noir; the single "Misfortunes" instead molds tradition into a rather catchy pop framework. "The Pear Tree", with its wind-shaken leaves, paints a contemplative landscape, while the elements of nature become a storm in the subsequent "Ill Omen". This leads to the concluding "The Horse Fair", a walk infused with poetry along the green hills of Scotland, with the instruments providing simple chimes. Are we in the Middle Ages, the 1800s, or today? Everyone can live these splendid atmospheres as they see fit; the only certainty is that we are immersed in the unique and inimitable universe of And Also The Trees, bidding farewell with these verses:

"A steel slow note,
Slow changing low string,
To where, to where,
To the horse fair,
The ribbons in her hair.
But I am the black arrow
That flies through the night"