Polly Paulusma - Invisible Music - Folk Songs That Influenced Angela Carter

'Invisible Music', a collection of traditional folk songs that influenced novelist Angela Carter, gracefully recrafted by Polly Paulusma. Also included are an array of readings by Paulusma as well as guests Kathryn Williams and Kirsty Logan.

This epic assortment explores a multitude of lyrical themes from long past, most of which describe in grizzly detail dramatic loss, love, incest, abduction, war and death. Having discovered that Carter either sang or knew these songs, reframing these ballads became important to Paulusma - songs such as 'The Maid and The Palmer' which depicts a survivor of child abuse, or 'Jack Munro' which bears witness to the wartime antics of a cross-dressing heroine whose bold challenges to society bring her out on top, or 'Lucy Wan' where we're privy to a brutal slaying of a young woman whose brother is never held accountable.

Paulusma could feel the presence of these songs in Carter's writing, but she needed to climb inside them and sing them herself to truly understand their power. Across the entirety of this LP we're given the chance to view forgotten historical tragedies through a fresh lens, and through proximity to readings from Carter's prose, to see the interplay between these old songs and Carter's contemporary writing. Through Carter, Paulusma brings us the heroines she was influenced by, restoring historical narratives of female agency which are in danger of being lost.

The spoken word pieces from across Carter's oeuvre, read beautifully, emphasise the musical turn of Carter's phrase, and serve as an accompaniment and interlude to the dark folk songs. The album as a whole is littered with unique and alluring musicality, with Paulusma delving deep into interesting guitar techniques and odd tunings, supported and enhanced by the sweet fiddle melodies of Jed Bevington (Mortal Tides), the haunting accompanying guitar movements of Jack Harris, and the elastic double bass of John Parker (Nizlopi, Ward & Parker, The Willows).

These tracks were reworked by Paulusma with help from an Artist Bursary from the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) and recorded with help from a Music Award from the University of East Anglia Music Centre.

Tracklist:

1. Extract From 'Several Perceptions' Read By Polly Paulusma
2. The Maid & The Palmer
3. Extract From 'The Executioner's Beautiful Daughter' Read By Kirsty Logan
4. Jack Munro
5. Extract From 'The Bloody Chamber' Read By Kathryn Williams
6. Lucy Wan
7. Extract From 'John Ford's 'Tis Pity She's a Whore' Read By Kirsty Logan
8. Lady Isabel & The Elf-Knight
9. Extract From 'The Erl-King' Read By Kathryn Williams
10. The Banks Of Red Roses
11. Extract From 'The Erl-King' Read By Polly Paulusma
12. Barbary Allen
13. Extract From 'The Lady of the House Of Love' Read By Kirsty Logan
14. The Streams Of Lovely Nancy
15. Extract From 'The Bloody Chamber' Read By Kathryn Williams
16. Reynardine
17. Extract From 'Shadow Dance' Read By Kirsty Logan
18. The Flower Of Sweet Strabane
19. Extract From 'Reflections' Read By Polly Paulusma