Ave Maria

Bishopskin

Single Review

Written by Luke Knowles

Long time readers of my reviews will know that I have a hunger for music that does something different. Over the years I’ve come across maybe a handful of bands truly testing the boundaries of scaling something sonically different. So after reading the unique inspiration behind the latest release from London based band Bishopskin, my hopes were peaked. Once I hit play, they were realised. ‘Ave Maria’ is a track rich in texture and unchained from convention. Wrapping mythology in a blend of etherial folk and cinematic soundscaping, Bishopskin have created something unforgettable.

To put some context around it all. Buried deep at the heart of this offering is the inspiration of famous poet and misunderstood creative William Blake. Latching on to his poetry around visions of Jesus Christ Bishopskin paint their own tale of ‘Mr. England on the Moor’. As the song kicks in it creates a Medieval atmosphere that haunts the rest of the song as it moves forwards. Dapped along the way is the brilliant use of a scratching violin that really lends itself to the unauthodox nature of the songs lyrical content. Painting their tale the band seem to allow the song to swim along of its own accord. One moment brass and strings fill your ears, the next a gentle guitar lulls you inwards at beautiful vocals bounce around it.

It is this element of ever-changing sounds that make this song stand out for me. With every change in tempo or volume, it just feels natural. Nothing has been forced in this track. Quite the opposite. Each moment has been allowed to breath and take on a life of its own. In doing this I feel that the music truly connects with the lyrics and the tale they are forming. As the song goes on and we follow ‘Mr. England’ as he has his vision in 1934, the music seems to pull you into the story and capture the emotion of what the lyrics describe. For example as the song nears its climax everything drops back leaving a lone guitar which is then joined by an etherial backing cvocal and creates a call and response moment, almost transcendent in its nature. Perfectly coupling with the stories penultimate enlightening.

Overall, Bishopskin have once again proven their ability to carve breathtaking imagery into their own unique blend of baroque folk. Adding another tale to their ever growing chronicle it is clear that they have a knack for story telling that goes beyond their words and have in fact found a way to melt the stories into their music. I truly look forward to the next offering and urge you to truly emerge yourself in this song, and not just listen to it.

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