Rosie Alena releases sparklingly otherworldly pair of folk adaptations.

Reworking two traditional songs, Alena seamlessly draws on the recent UK folk revival as she adapts these works with her own sound.

Photo: Lara Laeverenz | Words: Brad Sked

Returning with a reworking of two folk classics comes one of the country’s most promising and underrated artists: South London based Rosie Alena. Released via part-collective, part-label Broadside Hacks – which is home to releases from the likes of The New Eves, Milkweed and Goblin Band and which these days feels as important to the alternative folk scene in Britain as Speedy Wunderground has been to post-punk – Alena’s return with this pair of tracks is nothing short of spellbinding.

A rendition of ‘Oh Dear, What Can The Matter Be,’ an English nursery rhyme taken from the 18th century, transforms the song from a ditty into an out-of-body experience. A short, yet wondrous celestial serenade, the piece is dreamily psych-tinged yet retains a traditional folk authenticity. Her adaptation of ‘Silver Dagger,’ perhaps best known for Joan Baez’ rendition, feels wondrously baroque in its cinematic scope. Through sparkling keyboards and groaning cello seep Rosie Alena’s otherworldly vocals, setting the uneasy lyrics on some heavenly plain.

This resplendent and enchanting duo of folk covers feature on a limited, exclusive vinyl only re-pressing of Rosie Alena’s mesmerising debut mini-album ‘Pixelated Images’, providing a fitting epilogue during the current resurgence of folk among leading alternative artists.

Written by HARD OF HEARING MUSIC