Peter Thelen - Exposé Magazine

Last week a CD arrived with a herald’s caduceus on the front and a seagull in flight on the back cover. Do you know what? That CD from Magicfolk heralded fantastic flights of musical and lyrical fancy mixed with a touch of pagan lore, medieval storytelling and a gentle otherworldly air. Magicfolk blend tantalisingly delicate music with wistful poetic meandering lyrics. Then when you’ve been gently wafted into a dreamlike trance by Michelle Glover’s fey voice backed by some lovingly layered harmonies and Miki Kovalkovic’s haunting keyboards, striking guitar breaks from Andy Hines and Tom Abbott take the enchantment to another level.

‘Green Man’ opens the album - some interesting lyrics here … “walk with the Green man, take the contra-flow, you don’t need traffic signs to follow the Ley lines.” It’s a gentle exploration of folklore and mystical thought. ‘Persephone’ is one of those songs that instantly entices - Michelle’s tranquil vocals are breathtaking, and Josephine’s flute hovers round your ears. ‘Furies’ has some hidden menace lurking in there - Ben Glover’s bass drives the song while ethereal screams and words prowl between the music and lyrics. Definitely a track to play with the lights out but make sure there’s someone to hold your hand. "Sea Priestess" positively rocks - but their delicate touch is still there. It’s a silver blade wrapped in lace as the vocals wrap around you while the keyboards and guitars slice like swirling knives.

The list of performers is wide and varied (much like everything about Magicfolk) the sleeve notes credit numerous musicians and voices. Magicfolk’s music would never pass the Old Grey Whistle Test (the ability to whistle the tune on one hearing) but that’s not what they’re about. Magicfolk construct a complex potion of sounds using instruments and voices to seduce your ears. If you want to slide off this planet with all its cares and go somewhere mysterious listen to Magicfolk. Ben and Michelle write music that acts like mental balm – soothing and revitalising – remember to hold on softly though - if you grip too hard their ethereal sounds will slip right through your fingers.

A most worthy work... cadences of Pentangle

Dalle terre d'Albione, luoghi dove la musica folk ha radici profonde, ci giunge una band il cui monicker la dice lunga su quali siano le mire artistiche dei propri componenti, nonché una bella sorpresa in senso generale... Guidato da Ben e Michelle Glover, l'eight-piece inglese sceglie la via dell'autoproduzione per il proprio debutto ufficiale, curando bene tanto la veste grafica quanto la produzione del dischetto in esame, dopo dei primi passi mossi come trio in forma esclusivamente acustica nel 2003. La band stessa definisce la propria musica come 'psychfolk pagano', e cita fra le proprie influenze dirette nomi quali Jethro Tull, David Bowie, Clannad, Dead Can Dance, Enya, Fairport Convention, Genesis, Jefferson Airplane, Kate Bush, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, PJ Harvey, Renaissance, Rush, Radiohead, Steeleye Span e Simon & Garfunkel, una lunga lista sostanzialmente sottoscrivibile (magari accludendo i Capercaillie), nonché contemplativa di tutte quelle che possono essere le effettive fonti d'ispirazione di musicisti così versatili e già attivi anche in ambiti diversi dal folk più tradizionale. Più semplicemente e senza scomodare troppi facili paragoni, quello dei Magicfolk è un suono che se da un lato affonda le proprie radici nella tradizione folk anglosassone, dall'altro è anche capace di incorporare al meglio influenze rock e jazz, passando per ritmi sudamericani fino a certo prog di qualche decade fa: tutte correnti musicali che la band riesce a filtrare in un tessuto sonoro di stampo squisitamente folk con assoluto gusto, senza che nulla faccia a pugni col resto nelle dodici canzoni che compongono questo bel debutto. Nonostante si tratti del disco d'esordio, appare evidente come questi musicisti abbiano dalla loro esperienza e preparazione tecnica in abbondanza: guidato dalla bella voce della versatile Michelle e dalle pregiate e cristalline chitarre acustiche, che ricamano trame raffinate e ricche di sfumature, il suono della band si presenta ricco, arioso e capace di grande trasporto emotivo, come dimostrano l'opener "Green Man", la rilassata e passionale "Sheba", la delicata e carezzevole "Persephone", l'ispirato gioiellino folk "Little Spirit" e l'intensa "Aibo". Nel soave tessuto sonoro della band si innestano con assoluta naturalezza non solo flauto e percussioni, ma anche un drumming devoto tanto al jazz quanto ai ritmi sudamericani e delle chitarre elettriche capaci di solos d'estrazione squisitamente rock: un equilibrio perfetto fra irruenza elettrica ed intimità acustica che permea l'intero ascolto dell'album. Impossibile non menzionare anche "Heliopolis", capace di un break centrale di stampo squisitamente prog, la delicatissima "Angel", la più movimentata "Furies" (dotata di arrangiamenti vorticosi e di un guitar-solo funambolico), l'ariosa "Egypt", la jazz-oriented "Diving Bell" e la conclusiva "Sea Priestess", le cui strutture vanno ben oltre i canoni del classico folk. Miscelando al meglio influenze concrete in un contesto di per sé già mirabilmente affinato, specialmente in virtù di arrangiamenti creativi ed azzeccati, i Magicfolk sono riusciti nell'impresa di produrre qualcosa di fresco e vitale in un ambito dove la ripetizione di certi logori schemi continua ad essere vista spesso e volentieri come la 'via maestra': un traguardo importante per una band che ha i numeri per conquistare ascoltatori su vari fronti, incluso il nostro, che di certo non potrà rimanere insensibile nei confronti di una proposta così valida e convincente a tutti i livelli.

The group has a core of a woman’s trio, as if this is a magical triangle that is able to expand with their harmony voices just like a pentangle to the outside, while surrounded by a circle of male musicians. I can’t help it to get a very Neo-pagan feeling to Magicfolk’s smooth self-penned folkrock sound and to their song inspirations. It is more than once a not a direct emotional but a thought provoked inspiration and situation which is empowered with an attractively arranged folkrock sound that makes the creative entity of the group, with a convincing fashionable result, and with a form that has its own world of totally engaged expressiveness.

From their previous EP, the great memorable and beautifully arranged song “Aibo” is added too. This song with all its arrangements is also more distinctive from more deliberately focused associations. I very much like the way how the acoustic guitars add their own colours to “Aibo” and also to “Heliopolis” (also from the EP). This second track is another distinctive great track with an instrumental section of progressive guitars and some keyboards and some additional brass instrument, nice vocal arrangements and a good song too. On “Furies” the girls and guitars freak a bit out according to the theme, like during a wild dance, but also here we still hear the elves-angelic arrangements in the vocals too. Also on the last track the guitars get a larger free and progressive rock part. A very good album.

Mystic folk-rockers… prog-rock, celtic tunes and tight vocal harmony

Relaxing collection of tunes from Norwich based mystic folk-rockers Magicfolk. The sevenpiece band, which, at one time, supported the likes of The Mediaeval Baebes and The Daughters of Gaia play what they describe as "esoteric psych-folk" and pretty easygoing stuff it is too. Their tracks are a blend of 70's flavoured prog rock, Celtic tunes and tight vocal harmony; spiked through with some very prickly electric guitar. If you like Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull and Jefferson Airplane, you won't be disappointed. The opening track Green Man has some nifty lyrics while the Sea Priestess has some pretty spacey guitar.