ALBUM REVIEW: Warm breath of fresh air in folkland from Bourne world

In the Park, the fifth studio album by Bourne-based "psych-folk rock" band Pennyless.

For a flavour of old England, there are fewer places better to visit than Bourne and fewer things better to listen to than Pennyless.

The four-piece “psych-folk” band, Penny Stevens, Les Woods, Graham Dale and Colin Benton, have a near cult-like following in South Kesteven due to their ever-increasing catalogue of rural English life set to music.

Mytholgies and melodies come together on their fifth studio album, In The Park, which sways along from the instrumental tracks Kinloss and Road to Carnac, to the frankly orchestral on Angels in my Drink and Grendel.

Over the years, Pennyless has claimed to be influenced by musical acts as diverse as Steeleye Span, Peter Gabriel, Jethro Tull and David Bowie.

But In The Park spreads it tentacles far more widely, taking in The Sex Pistols and Adam and the Ants (on opening track Merrie Dance), while Penny’s vocals conjure up images of Judy Collins (Amazing Grace) and Annie Lennox of The Eurythmics.

Their voices come through strongly on Grimes Times, Dancing with Annabel, Chain of Love and The Turning of My Days.

To summarize, In The Park is an absolute must for anyone keen to find bygone England again.

Review by Winston Brown