James Yorkston
When the Haar Rolls In

On the eastern coasts of Scotland, the North Sea brings the characteristic mist (the Haar) deep into the homes of the coves and valleys, and there's nothing to do but wait for things to happen.

Suspended like the early Nick Drake (from "Five Leaves Left") between the serenity of the music and the agitation of the lyrics, between the sparse voice and the richness of the sound texture, between the small daily things and the great universal anxieties, James Yorkston celebrates the transfiguration of folk through arrangements that use a handful of instruments to give a jolt to the heart without needing to plug into the electric grid. Guitars, violin, clarinet, bouzouki, piano, mandolin, harpsichord, timpani in the hands of the trusty Athletes and a handful of valuable guests from the folk circuit such as Norma and Mike Waterson, Mary Gilhooly, Olly Knight, Nancy Elizabeth Cunliffe, weave lace passed down from the ancient tradition of British folk rock.

The acoustic wonder of "When the Haar Rolls In" unfolds in all its splendor to accompany James's manly voice, which sometimes assists itself with a feminine one to lead into duets of great evocative power. "Queen of Spain" consists of two voices and a few instruments, guitar-piano-violin, which take turns in a melody whose charm will endure for years to become stronger like a tree expanding its roots underground and foliage in the clear sky of an unexpected spring morning.

The stunning atmosphere of this album remains constant throughout the nine tracks that flow as if to remind us that life is not a long, quiet river. Stories of separated lovers who cannot go back ("Tortoise regrets hare") told through guitar fingerpicking and voices chasing each other along frost-covered meadows. Stunning lullabies veiled with a magical aura ("Midnight Feast") that open into collective praises to thank, as in The Wicker Man, a pagan deity on some God-forsaken Scottish island. Temptations ("Temptation") destined to be repressed yet narrated with the flair of the experienced singer of stories suspended between love and hate like Leonard Cohen.

Renewing the tradition of the great Scots Bert Jansch and John Martyn, in his fourth outing, James Yorkston confidently moves along that emotional path left by a hand drawing spirals in a lump of solid air. And he gives us one of the best albums to listen to enclosed at home for this chilly winter of 2008.

To hell with the cold... let's raise the collar of our coat and wrap the scarf tightly around our neck: it's time to venture into the mist.