Hanterhir

I had Hanterhir’s last album ‘’The Saving Of Cadan’ in my top twenty albums last year and in response to some remarkable interest from listeners they have responded with two compilations of their material over the last 10 years.

Note to the unwary: Hanterhir are proud of their Cornish history and so their songs on ‘Songs We Learned In Cornish’ either all feature Cornish lyrics or about places and activities in their native County.

The Cornish lyrics lend a very trippy and Psychedelic edge to many of their songs, especially a number such as ‘Kana Pubonan’ which opens the album – a beautiful folky number featuring Frances Bennett’s fiddle, Peasey on mandolin and Ben Harris’s vocals that brings back memories of the Incredible String Band in some ways.

‘The Carn Marth Song’ which references a feast & dance held in the village of Carn Marth every year is in the finest folk-rock traditions – it is one of their oldest numbers but suffers nothing for it.
My favourite number from the album is ‘Plos Mis Du’, a gorgeous and lilting ballad with an edge of something dark and worrisome in Peasey’s guitar and Stephen Taylors’s programming.

Altogether an album of many highs and some really intriguing songs.

The second album is ‘Our Hour’ and it is very different from ‘Songs We Learned…’ opening with an out and out rocker ‘Just The Way It Goes’ and with all the songs in English. ‘Just The Way It Goes’ descends into utter chaos at the end of the track, setting up perfectly for the light and airy ‘Little Black Cat’.

The tracks on ‘Our Hour’ are less unique than on the first compilation but that just shows the quality of their playing and the talents on show – this is a band equally happy to be playing folk, punk, psych or Prog and have the chops to do everything justice.

Absolutely top drawer stuff, a wonderful listen.