THE UNTHANKS – LAST

Only the best of artists can take other peoples’ material and transform it into their own (think Nina Simone). The Unthanks are proving that they are indeed so capable. This second album – Last – from the sisters Unthank takes traditional British folk tunes and mixes them along with contemporaries like Tom Waits and Jon Redfern, and throws in a curve ball via King Crimson’s Starless. That they are equally at home with the Scottish traditional My Laddie Sits Ower Late Up as the dynamics of King Crimson, and that they imbue each with their unique lilting voices and haunting ambience speaks volume for what is going on on Last. While others may choose to wallow in the tragic nature of many of the tunes (let’s face it, British folk can be pretty violent and macabre when it wants to), The Unthanks show us the joy that hides behind the curtain of sorrow. This is a dark and subtly layered album that is most likely to hit you with its power late at night when you close your eyes and submit gracefully to the sisters.

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