Inge Thomson - Shipwrecks & Static

Inge Thomson hails from the rich musical tradition of Shetland, growing up in a talented family of local musicians. Her career so far has included time with the folk-pop group ’Drop the Box’ and ’Harem Scarem’ and she is currently part of the highly rated ’Karine Polwart Trio’.

For ’Shipwrecks and Static’, Inge is joined by Heidi Talbot (vocals), Tom Cook (Guitar) and Martin Green (Accordion). On a first listening the combination of a core traditional folk sound, firmly embedded in the island tradition, with rather eccentric electronic sound effects and vocals seems slightly jarring, but after a few
plays through, the quirky charm of the album wins through. Shipwrecks and Static isn’t a quick musical fix, but a complex piece of work that needs to be given some time to work its magic.

On most tracks, the electronica works well, notably on the excellent ’Girl With the Swan’s Head’ However, in a few places the use of sound effects didn’t work as well, notably the liberal use of a sampled cough on ’Scoundrel Clouds’.

’Shipwrecks and Static’ is a highly original piece of work with a lot of appeal.