I Hear a New World - Fence Records Special (Part One)

This month's I Hear a New World podcast is the first of a two-part Fence special with the chance to hear brand new material from the excellent new albums from James Yorkston and The Pictish Trail, as well as special cover versions of James Yorkston songs by Rozi Plain and David Thomas Broughton which will only be available on the accompanying limited edition boxset.

James Yorkston - Queen of Spain

The most immediate song on Yorkston's latest When The Haar Rolls In is full of lush instrumentation and gorgeous harmonies. The stunningly poetic yet obtuse lyrics seem to be a romantic tribute to the Queen of the title, with mentions of "the bar where I proposed", but also hint at darker depths: "And you let it slip that every door is open, and every past is questioned, loyalties are lost". See album review elsewhere on the site for more details.

The Pictish Trail - I Don't Know Where To Begin

One of several stand-out tracks from Secret Soundz Vol.1, this would seem to be an honest admission of the complete and utter confusion which we all feel from time to time. Johnny Lynch's voice is at it's most pristine, and he's backed beautifully with accordion, flute, double bass and cello by The Earlies, and gorgeous backing vocals from King Creosote and Sara Lowes.

Rozi Plain - The Lang Toun (James Yorkston cover)

The Lang Toun is a nickname for the Fife town of Kirkcaldy but the song is actually an unblinking portrait of domestic violence. Despite this, and the fact the original version was a 10 minute kraut-folk epic, it was chosen by Domino records as Yorkston's first single. For her version, the fantastic Bristolian songstress Rozi Plain, whose debut album is released by Fence next month, layers intricate vocal harmonies to stunning effect.

David Thomas Broughton - St. Patrick (James Yorkston Cover)

David Thomas Broughton's incredible The Complete Guide to Insufficiency marked him out as one of the most fascinating musicians in the UK. As Yorkston himself says of this version of a track originally released on his debut album Moving Up Country: "I was delighted when David Thomas Broughton said yes, he did a few different versions of my songs and some of them were just crazy, but the version of St. Patrick he's done is one of my favourites.

I Hear a New World Podcast - Fence Collective Special (Part One).