Remscéla by Milkweed

Ancient folklore reverberates through history, re emerging in the present day draped in contemporary aesthetics and preferences while fundamentally retaining the same core story. Experimental folk collective Milkweed recount one such story on Remscéla, an album rendered timeless through its fascinating combination of modern instrumentation and deliberately cobwebbed production. Though the vocals, acoustic strings, song structures, and lyrics all derive directly from ancient tradition, the occasional introduction of drum machines and synths remind us of the living, breathing relevance of these stories. Especially given the story’s focus on an ancient conflict between Ulster and the rest of Ireland, a conflict which has continued on ethnic and religious lines into today, the sorts of petty royal intrigue that Remscéla recounts still feel like events which could spark armed conflict. Just when we think we’ve escaped our historical demons, they re emerge with all their drum machines, EU customs unions, synthesizers, and border control.