Monkey Puzzle Tree - Villanelles (Album)
It is normally very hard to get excited about an instrumental folk album as they frequently amount to an uninspiring bore-fest. This is not so in the case of Adelaide’s Monkey Puzzle Tree.
Their first long player, Villanelles, is an extraordinary mix of genres constituting lush arrangements and some amazing instrumentation. Their songs - which consist of piano, guitar, violin and drums - flow superbly and make for some captivating listening. The instruments swell magnificently and fall dramatically to gorgeous and often stunning effects.
Take the hypnotic ‘Reverie’, for example, which travels effortlessly from the tranquil opening section to its much more ominous finish. Pleasant opener, ‘Rapture’ is a calm, though unremarkable affair, but serves as a rather charming introduction.
On the other hand, ‘How to Cast a Spell’, swells magnificently over gentle chiming piano before giving way to a riotous mid-section. The superb ‘Dorian Tango’ then moves into something completely different; an up-tempo number which finds the band in high spirits, and exhibits a sense of freedom that some of the other tunes perhaps lack.
The cheeky fills bridging the bars show a playfulness that is uniquely uplifting. The following piece, ‘Dr Mesmer’, is probably the most haunting song on offer here. The best, however, is still to come.
After the brief guitar driven ‘IX’, the turbulent ‘Opium Wars’ begins peacefully before erupting into chaos. By far the album’s finest moment, this menacing piece is as beautiful as it is scary - with spasms of violin over the driving undercurrent.
Then, this gives way to the exquisite ‘Paper Moon’, the album’s most heart-warming piece. The album’s final piece, ‘Escapist’, is a striking closer; a jarring violin sounds almost ill on the disorderly backdrop.
What’s clear from the outset is that Monkey Puzzle Tree is not an orthodox folk group which you often find relying on vigour and drive rather than simple balladry. They soar as much as they soothe and are never afraid to trade beauty for something more cathartic.
Not content with shaping mere mood pieces, they have emerged with something much more challenging and engaging.
