ANNA MCLUCKIE
The Little Winters
The Little Winters is the first full-length album from Edinburgh-born singer, songwriter and clàrsach player Anna Mc Luckie, and presents as an absorbing mix of influences from popular, traditional and experimental sounds which sit firmly in a world of contemporary folklore, labelled by some as nu-folk.
With the album’s title referring to the American term for late frosts that arrive during springtime, brief winter returns that help farmers predicts planting cycles, the release displays an ambition, both musically and through the themes which permeate it. Written during a period of transition in her life, in addition to the aforementioned little winters, there is a strong sense of place in her writing, both in terms of nostalgia and longing, but also in respect of charting a journey, a journey which features both warm reflections and colder, more melancholic, darker aspects.
With the early demos recorded in her father’s front room in Edinburgh, much like the early 1970’s records from Heron, the final recordings were made live, outdoors, where Anna was joined by long-time friends and collaborators George Burrage, (double bass & vocals), Awen Blandford (cello & vocals) and Sean Rogan (banjo, vocals & production).
Opening track, ‘Blackberry Love’, references five seasonal plants, redbud, dogwood, locust, blackberry and britches which mark the late frosts of the album’s title outlined above, and presents as a gossamer-like song, featuring Anna’s delicate clàrsach very much to the fore over a resonant bass sounds and four-part vocals.
The lead single from the album, ‘Bittern Winter Sky’, is the first of several which touch on Anna’s deep nostalgia for the Scottish landscapes of her childhood. Written at the end of 2023, whilst sitting in an armchair in her childhood bedroom, the song perfectly encapsulates the Gaelic emotion expressed as Cianalas, a deep feeling of nostalgia for a particular place, with the lyrics echoing what is described as a “unique balance of sadness, growth and belonging in equal measure.”
The aforementioned transition period, which saw her move from Manchester to London, resulted in two tracks which appear to be bidding a fond farewell to the northern city. ‘New Northern Lullaby’ and ‘Mister God’. The former is an enchanting instrumental, with the harp and cello blending to create an ethereal, almost unearthly atmosphere, whilst the latter, with its “brick chimneys and Lowry lines” lyrics evoke a Salford of old, a sadness enhanced by the gentle plucking of the strings and morose cello.
The more experimental aspects of Anna’s composing are best displayed on the short ‘Winterlude’ an almost-instrumental, incorporating ambient field recordings over minimal spoken words from her youngest sister, and drone, which introduces ‘Jay Bird’, an uplifting piece which seems to reflect a sense of awe and wonder and newly acquired fondness for a new city, a feeling reinforced by some deft cello and banjo playing.
For the final two tracks on the album, which is available on vinyl as well as CD and download, Anna takes us back to Scotland. ‘I Promise To Linger’, without specific references, certainly seems to return to the theme of nostalgia, the female vocal lines being particularly effective over the sparse instrumentation on this slow-tempo offering. The album closes with the only non-original song, a cover of the theme from a 1963 TV series, ‘The Dark Island’. Eilean Dorcha in Gaelic, the Isle of Benbecula, as the lyrics state, is “The true gem of the Hebrides bathed in the light.” Atmospheric in the extreme, this is a well-named track, as the version presented here certainly has a sense of foreboding and bleakness, and which ends by returning to experimental, ambient recorded, almost distorted sounds.
The Little Winters is a fine full-length debut album, the instruments are beautifully played, the vocals crystal clear and the production values first class. Anna McLuckie has taken solid first steps on what will, I’m sure, be a long and successful musical journey.
The Little Winters