I really enjoyed the most recent album from Frostlake, ‘Shattered Stone’, so much so that I decided to discover their previous release which was from 2021. This was their third album, with Jan Todd (vocals, voices, lyrics, acoustic/electric/12 string guitars, E-bow, floor harp, cross strung harp, soprano lyre, jouhikko, alto tagelharpa, viola, e-violin, clarinet, melodica, Hulusi flutes, Idiopan, Korg MS2000, midi keys, Korg wave-drum, Drum creations, percussion, electronics, field recordings) and Terry Todd (acoustic-electric bass guitar, 12 string guitar). As one can see, it is not quite a solo album, but pretty close. Even though Jan provides a great many instruments it is important to realise than only a few are used in each song, and the concentration is always on her gentle wonderful vocals, with a gentle structure behind them which provides the accompaniment.
This is music which must be played on headphones, and only when the listener is prepared to fall deeply into the world being created, and not while operating heavy equipment. This never seems like the work of just two people and feels much more like a full band of multi-instrumentalists and again I think of Talis Kimberley, Maryen Cairns, Enya, Anna Ryder and Jo Beth Young as well as Katharine Blake (Mediaeval Baebes). The use of so many different types of instruments means we never know where we are going to be taken and it is quite possible for us to be listening to something gentle and eastern one minute where a gong is important to something which feels far more upbeat with in our face, far more modern in its approach and less New Age/Indie Folk.
Albums from Discus Music are always exciting and interesting, but there is something about Frostlake which really resonates with me and if you enjoy ay of the artists mentioned why not give them a try as this is available on the Discuss Bandcamp site. 9/10
Review by Kev Rowland
