Mellow Candle

by Peter Saint-Andre

2004-12-16

I listen to some fairly obscure music -- various medieval troubadours, Palestrina, Agustín Barrios Mangoré, Aztec Two-Step, Spock's Beard, Wendy Waldman, Fatwall Jack, Judie Tzuke, Pousette-Dart Band, Dave Mallett, and the like. Lately I've been listening a lot to the sole recording by early 70s Irish progressive-folk band Mellow Candle, entitled Swaddling Songs (there's a good review here). Mellow Candle are similar in some ways to Renaissance, another of my favorite prog-folk bands. Pretty far off the beaten path and occasionally a bit on the twee side, but generally quite to my liking -- complex compositions, great harmonies, melodic bass lines, and many other good things you'd expect in a quality progressive-folk band.


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