Photo courtesy of Rise Above RecordsEnglish folklore may lean heavily towards the whimsical and come bedecked in strange lights and fairies, but its weird, arcane dark side makes the blood-stained Aztecs look tame and gives the merauding Norsemen a run for their sceattas. Case in point: the galley beggar. Despite the cutesy-sounding name and mental image it inspires of a pathetic little kitchen imp whining for scraps, this thing is essentially the anti-Dobby. Think the Headless Horseman, if he was actually a glowing skeleton with piercing howl that could freeze a man in his tracks, and spent his time stalking the English countryside with its own severed head cradled in his dessicated arms.With a namesake like that, one would expect Kent's resident retro folk rock troubadours to keep it nice and creepy, but this paisely-clad six-piece would rather pay tribute to Fairport Convention. On Galley Beggar's third full-length, Silence & Tears, they jam traditional folk tunes blended with 70s acid rock, lavishing gloomy, psychedelic touches on old chestnuts like "Geordie" and "Jack Orion." The album reaches its zenith in the nine-minute seafaring epic "Pay My Body Home," a mournful ballad brightened by rippling melodies.Listen hard to Silence & Tears in its entirety, and grab it from Rise Above Records on May 19:
Kim Kelly is chasing beasties on Twitter: @grimkim