Review: Jenny Sturgeon – The Living Mountain

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I know nothing about Scottish artist Jenny Sturgeon (except those two things) but I got sent a CD and now I’ll type as I listen.

Let me stick this beautifully packaged CD into the little slidey drawer.

Got some field recording action straight off with now a sort of beautiful medieval folk indie thing going on, her voice is great, unforced, unwrought.

Track two now and I teared up at the opening line “what do you see to feel to know when you’re dead?”. Bloody hell mate. I’d give you some references to her voice but the closest I can muster are relatively obscure 60s and 70s British folk artists… Bridget St. John?

I wasn’t prepared for this to be such a big thing, now on track three in unadulterated quiet joyous happy land.

Track four, ‘Water’ is not dripping but gently flowing icily over granite and collecting in a pool where you half expect a fish to gently nibble your fingers if you stuck your hand in.

“Frost and Snow”, I was right, the fish are nibbling, wish my fingers were edible for them.

At times this almost goes into indie territory but is rooted very firmly in folk, sounds like a single field recording has been used as a background all the way through so far.

I’m getting quite lost in all this and have decided to go for a dip in the icy pool it seems, luckily there is a thermos of hot black coffee and a biscuit waiting when I get out.

I really can’t fault any of this in any sense, it’s a very beautiful thing indeed, am sinking to the bottom of the pool for a bit with my eyes open blowing bubbles.

Sorry I really have got quite lost, which way is up again?

What you’re going to get: thoughtfelt acoustic Scottish indie folk songs immaculately performed with interesting angles.

An eel has just asked me to say hello by the way, at least that’s how I interpret it… so hello!

Time to surface and say goodbye for the moment but it’s lovely to know that this pool is there, next time I’ll bring friends.

Living Mountain is out now on Hudson Records