The Mariner's Children - Sycamore EP
Sycamore is the second release from The Mariner's Children and follows on from their critically acclaimed New Moore Island EP, the 7-piece band focus this time on love and death and explores the often distorted relationship between the two. Songwriter Benedict Rubinstein explains;
"Sycamore came from a period when I'd gone to a lot of funerals in a very short space of time. I was thinking about death a lot but I was also in quite a good place in my life and very much in love, so I felt quite able to write about the most terrifying thing from a pretty contented place."
Tackling the subject matter in this positive light has lead to openly confessional, reflective lyrics and that coupled with a musical score that can go from massive to minimalist in rapid succession creates incredibly engaging music.
When I put this EP into my CD player and sat back to listen I had to check I'd hit play on the right CD. For more than a moment I thought I'd accidently put a Grizzly Bear album into the player until some very unique vocals corrected me. This comparison is exactly what The Mariner's Children were going for, drawing inspiration in production from Chris Taylor's approach to production.
This kind of roots' folk is lovingly created and easily enjoyed, with a long play album due later this year 2013 may be the year The Mariner's Children finally rise into the public eye and gain the wider following the music deserves.