By Henry Lipput
The English folk singer / songwriter, Nick Garrie, recorded his first album, The Nightmare of J.B. Stanislas, in 1969. If you've never heard of Garrie or the album, you're not alone. Before it could be released, the label owner died; and the album was shelved.
However, forty years later, in 2009, the album was rediscovered when it was finally released in Britain. This was followed that same year by the recording and release of a second Nick Garrie album, 49 Arlington Gardens.
Which brings us to 2017 and The Moon and The Village, the third and newest album from Nick Garrie. Garrie's voice may not be the same as the young man who sang the songs on Stanislas in 1969, but his voice is strong and assured; and he has lost none of his abilities with a lyric or a tune.
Many of the songs on The Moon and The Village are full of beauty and melancholy. The opening track, "Lois' Diary," like many of the other songs, is a story song; and Garrie is quite the storyteller.
Lois left her diary on the plane trip from England back to her home in America and a fellow who cleans airplanes found the diary: "Oh Lois and your diary / You meant so much to me / I left my home in London town / to bring you back with me." But "We met so very briefly / It wasn't meant to be" because her world of big yards and white fences was not the place for him. A both sad and lovely string arrangement adds to the inevitable sense of loss and missed opportunity.
There's also a sense of loss in "My Dear One." An indication that something might not be quite right is in the line "And the hat that you're missing so badly / You left on the stand in the hall." But it's when the lyrics continue with "I come to your care home every Friday / And play some songs you haven't heard before / And then I find one you remember / And you smile and you sing out like a bird" that it becomes clear we're dealing with an aged relative. Garrie's talent is being able to let us know what's going on without coming right out and saying it.
Garrie plays a gentle, acoustic guitar on the reassuring "I'm On Your Side." "Those tears you've cried / I've cried them too." But things will get better: "I can tell you, honey / In the morning time / You're gonna feel as right as rain / 'Cause me and Doctor Jangle's gonna fix you up / And get you on your feet again." I'm not sure what Doctor Jangle is supposed to be, but to me it sounds like an endorsement for the healing power of music.
The subject of "Music From A Broken Violin" is an acquaintance whose thoughts are a jumble: "Black is white and red is blue when I listen to you." There's a terrific, nearly Country & Western feel and it's one of the few songs on the album in which Garrie is backed up by a full band.
The very sweet "Got You On My Mind" features Garrie's vocal accompanied only by a harp. It's the closest thing on the album to an out-and-out love song: "And what am I supposed to do / When all my thoughts keep coming back to you."
The album was produced by Gary Olson of the indie-pop band The Ladybug Transistor. He's done a wonderful job with arranging the songs, most of which simply rely of Garrie's voice and guitar.
The Moon and The Village is out now on Tapete Records.
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