Description

The group that spawned two very successful St. John’s bands, Matthew Hornell and the Diamond Minds and All the Wiles, Dead Language is one of the finer examples of an authentic folk band in the province. Their lone album is a strictly acoustic record featuring guitar, banjo, mandolin and violin. It is rootsy and earthy and lends itself to naturalistic images. One could hear these tunes being played in a forest, in the mountains or a wide, open field. It is a beautifully sparse recording, earnest in its delivery, youthful in its tone and timeless in its cadence. Katie Baggs is, at times, sublime in her vocal delivery. She is finding her voice on this record and in years to come it will serve as a unique look at where she began. She sings as though her voice could be carried off on a breeze. That is to say with a lightness and mild beauty that is very becoming. The album also features a great, stripped down version of Matthew Hornell’s tune, “Easy on Me”, a sing-along favourite at his shows. Johnny Bungay (mandolin) performs a stark and hauntingly striking original tune called “Creek Run Dry” and his piece, along with Matthew’s creates a lovely balance with Katie’s tunes. This is a contemplative, slow burn of a record. A must have for lovers of finely-crafted folk songs.