FAIR AND VERDANT WOODS – TIN SPARROW

Fair and Verdant Woods, the independent release by Tin Sparrow, only has one real downfall: that it is not an entire album. Opening with a joyous chorus of whistling which blossoms into a warm, melodic collection of five tracks, this EP is indie-folk through and through.

The happy whistles belong to the first track, My Own, which spills out into a driving ballad with plentiful vocals and a sweet recurring melody. Sides features a similarly spirited rhythm; before the unrequited-love ballad Bricks. Over the top of an oscillating acoustic guitar pattern, the coarse male voice laments his unattainable lady, until she too sings of her yearning for him and the song ends with their sweet, mellow harmonies. The fifth and final track, Hector Myola  picks the pace back up a little and completes the EP with the same pleasing folk-flavour with which it began. Hector Myola appears in its extended edit on this EP, produced by Mark Myers once of The Middle East fame. Having already toured with Matt Corby and Husky, Tin Sparrow are currently touring nationally with Boy and Bear. Fair and Verdant Woods is available on iTunes and Bandcamp.

4/5