SIMMERDIM:: For the Curlew

Emily Barker has been in touch with her fan base through her Facebook and newsletter emails to advertise the album 'Simmerdim' in support of the Curlew

 I bought it straight away and it is really worthwhile no matter your opinion on one of our most beautiful birds with the haunting voice . . . . . . . . . . The curlew is a bird that means a lot to me personally. I first heard its haunting cry when first staying in the cottage at Laugharne in Wales next to Dylan Thomas' cottage where he wrote so many of his fine works (a family obsession inherited from my father) the curlews calling across the estuary was one of the most beautiful things I had ever heard and regularly would try to hunt them down to catch a glimpse which I and my cousins and my brother often did. It is a beautiful bird at once elegant and delicate but also workmanlike and relentless in his search for food in the deep mud (thigh deep dark and sticky). That they should now be in need of our protection depresses me but this album and all its funds got to a very specific RSPB curlew project. Please consider contributing and exspecaiily by buying this wonderful album 

Hello You may have seen the announcements about a new album I have had the honour to be a part of, or even read one of the great reviews its been getting. LISTEN NOW When Merlyn Driver got in touch late last year with an invitation to get involved in his new project, Simmerdim, I was intrigued. The curlew was a bird I didn't know all that much about, but it didn't take much investigating for me to make my mind up that this was something I wanted to do. I discovered how the curlew has played an outsized role in the poetry, music, myth and traditions of cultures over many centuries, as well as finding out how critically endangered they are. I was drawn in particular to the Welsh legend of St Beuno - the fable tells of how he blessed the bird after it saved his scriptures from the ocean. I chose to update the story, and wrote a song appealing to St Beuno for a new blessing - just as the curlew saved Beuno's book from being lost to the waves, so they - alongside so many of the earth's creatures - need help to survive these dangerous times. For many of us, birds create the soundscape of our childhoods and beyond. The thought of their songs no longer ringing through the skies, being enjoyed by generations to come, is heartbreaking. The album Merlyn has curated features contributions from The Unthanks, David Gray, Talvin Singh, Cosmo Sheldrake, and many others. There are some haunting field recordings collected by Merlyn himself, and the final result is a wonderfully immersive and restful listen. “The prospect of losing curlews from the UK countryside drove me to assemble additional creative responses to this iconic bird, specifically to raise funds and awareness for its conservation.” - Merlyn Driver Thank you to Lukas, who recorded ‘Beuno’s Blessing’ whilst we were in Australia and played electric guitar and double bass. Thanks also to Rob Pemberton for drums and synths. The album comes as a double CD in a beautiful package with artwork by Tara Okon and design by Mat Martin. All the proceeds go to the RSPB. You can buy the album here: ORDER NOW

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