THE UNTHANKS – HERE’S THE TENDER COMING

Some insurance companies would have you “unworry”; now their is a band who would like to “unthank” you. Originally Rachel Unthank and the Winterset, Here’s the Tender Coming sees sister Becky sharing in equal billing under the Unthanks banner. Hailing from the hotbed of folk that is Northumberland, sisters Rachel and Becky Unthanks and friends have absorbed centuries of folk roots and distilled them in a way that still has them sounding like no other. Sounding stark and untreated, the voices of the sisters Unthank hit you immediately, both otherworldly and yet very present. The proliferation of strings and brass joins the piano-led instrumentation as the tracks build and wind their way through and around the words. For these are at their heart folk-song, gripping human stories that encompass the centuries. The title track showing their lyrical skills, what appears a simple love song is in fact about the arrival of Nelson’s navy (the “tender” is a boat) as they are intent upon press-ganging the local Geordies into service. Timeless.

****