Thank you for following Uncanny Landscapes. Here’s a new episode of the podcast; an interview with musician Laura Cannell. As you know, this is a free project, both newsletter and podcast - nothing is paywalled. If you're able to support my work through a donation (aka paid subscription) - thank you!! I truly appreciate it. And if you're not, perhaps you can support by telling a friend (or two, or 100) about the Substack's free subscriptions and accompanying podcast.
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https://uncannylandscapes.podbean.com/
… and on most podcast platforms. As always, books, records and events ‘n’at here: https://linktr.ee/oldweirdalbion
Links:
Laura Cannell website
Brawl Records bandcamp
Sealore album, from which much of this episode’s music is drawn
Laura Cannell is a musician based in Suffolk, in East Anglia, the eastern hump of England. Her work combines experimental, folk, early and medieval music, as well as a number of unique and rare techniques such as ‘overbowing’ the violin and performing on multiple recorders simultaneously, as well as studio and live effects. The resulting music is a strange hybrid of the ancient and the modern that feels like a new tradition arising from rural landscapes.
Suffolk is a mile from my house; I, too, live in East Anglia, albeit a transplant from what might seem a strange world. Laura’s music has become important to me in understanding this place as both dark and welcoming; unknowable and yet often irresistable. Like the author Noreen Masud, Laura celebrates flat places for their openness to possibility - as well as their known-unknowns. It is eye opening.
Many of you will already know Laura’s music; those that don’t, there are plenty of fragments in the podcast, but you’ll fall in love quickly and need to go to bandcamp and immerse yourself - she’s prolific, and does not release anything less than excellent. I hope you’ll also discover someone who may be one of the great artists of contemporary British experimental music, but is also always funny, always on the lookout for the magic over the mundane, and is generous with her deep knowledge of music - even with a fool like me.
The music from this episode is from Laura’s recent ‘Lore’ series, particularly ‘The Earth Under the Sea’ from the Sealore album.
*A quick term that may not be fully explained: we talk about ‘Doggerland’ - this is the name given to the once-existing land bridge between Suffolk and the Netherlands, when water didn’t fully separate Britain from Europe.
More episodes comin at ya soon, including horticulture-inspired artist Tony Heywood, hauntologist Drew Mulholland and more.
Also coming soon, new landscape writing in substack editions from Kirsty Badenoch, myself and others.
Finally, I’ve got a few events coming soon that will be further explored in the newsletter in coming weeks. On 4th of may, I’m at Caught by the River’s Big Day Out - it’s sold out, but if you’re going, get in touch if you’d like to walk from Lewes station together (weather permitting). And on 20th of May, I’ve got an event worth looking into at the University of Sussex - more in the newsletter, but for now, a link.
Thank you; until soon…
Uncanny Landscapes Podcast: Laura Cannell