Silly Wizard is a Scottish folk band I recently saw someone talking about on Twitter, and almost immediately I saved an album from them to listen to. The group has its roots in Edinburgh, initially formed in 1970 by two students in university. The group took the name Silly Wizard two years later in 1972 with some additions and changes to the original lineup. Apple Music labels this album, So Many Partings (1980) as rock, while the Wikipedia page labels the album as folk. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen after seeing the instruments on the album include a moog synthesizer, harmonium, mandola, tenor banjo, to name just a few. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“A Scarce O’Tatties/Lyndhurst” has a super interesting folksy marching at the start of the track. Oh wow, the flutes and whistling feel as though they’re playing something pulled from a Lord of the Rings novel. Oh wow, the band really gets grooving in a super Scottish-folk-sounding movement. I’m really digging this track right now. I’m sort of reminded a bit of Richard Thompson’s album, Strict Tempo! (1981), which features a number of English and Scottish folk medleys. I’m not even sure what instrument I’m hearing at the moment, but I’m digging it. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “The Valley of Strathmore” has a super sweet, Scottish lullaby-esque feel. I really dig the vocals in this track as well, which seem to incorporate the accent of the singer in a super peaceful way into the track. Oh wow, the flute comes into the soundscape and the music becomes even more sweet and inviting than it already was. I really dig the folksy guitar playing in the background, which provides a feeling of continuous movement alongside the fluid playing from the fiddle and flute. Oh wow, somehow this tune seems to continue to get sweeter. I really dig the harmonizing vocals in the track. This song is quite lovely. Oh wow, the bridge changes the song up in a way that only has gotten me listening even closer. Wow, awesome track.
“Bridget O’Malley” starts out with some super folksy sounding synth or electric piano, which sets an ever sweetening tone for the track. Oh wow, the somewhat somber tone of the instrumentation and vocals somehow create this folksy sweetness that I can’t help but listen closer to. Oh wow, an earthy guitar enters the soundscape and soon after the synth/electric piano fades away, which makes the tune sound even more somber and sweet in a super folksy manner. Oh wow, more instruments continue entering the soundscape, further sweetening the soundscape. Wow, great track.
“A.A. Cameron’s Strathspey/Mrs. Martha Knowels/The Pitnacree Ferryman/The New Shillin'” starts out with some super tasty folksy guitar, which is soon joined by some Celtic-sounding percussion and some folksy fiddling. Holy smokes, the track picks up a bit in intensity as the accordion/string synthesizer enters the soundscape, as though you’ve just entered a busy trading market in the old foothills of Scotland hundreds of years ago. Oh wow, the tune keeps on evolving and I continue to get pulled further into the music. Holy smokes, the track continues evolving into what sounds to be a jig of sorts. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Donald McGillavry/O’Neill’s Cavalry March” starts out with some percussion that sounds as though it’s part of an ancient Celtic ritual. Holy smokes, the accent comes in pretty strong in this track, and really gets the tune grooving in a super folksy manner that I’m really digging. As different as the vocals and even instrumentation sounds, the pacing and general feel of the tune kind of reminds me of Bob Dylan to a certain extent. Oh wow, the track builds up to a super groovy and super folksy finishing movement. Wow, great track.
“The Highland Clearances” starts out with a low droning tone, somewhat reminiscent of a hurdy gurdy (though there doesn’t seem to be one listed in the instruments used on this album on the album’s Wikipedia page). The vocals come in as though to narrate an epic folkloric tale atop the drones in the background. Oh wow, the tune seems to get continually sweeter as the music progresses with the easing flow. Great tune.
Holy smokes, the segue into “Miss Catherine Bronsan” is seamless from the previous track, as though “The Highland Clearances” was just a prelude to this song. The flute and guitar take the slowly flowing folksy reigns in this tune, and seem to drift you over an old Celtic tapestry that recalls an epic folktale of sorts. Oh wow, I really dig this tune. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Wi’ My Dog and Gun” starts out with a slowly moving electric piano/harpsichord line of sorts, which is soon accompanied by some sweet, Scottish-accented folksy vocals. Oh wow, the sweetness of the fiddle somehow adds even more feeling to the sweet soundscape. I really dig the electric piano/harpsichord in this track, which almost seems to paint a starry night sky into the soundscape. Holy smokes, the harmonized vocals has dialed the sweetness of the track up even higher. Great tune.
“Miss Shepherd/Sweeney’s Buttermilk/McGlinchey’s Reels” begins with a super groovy folksy fiddle that sets the tone of the tune, and is soon joined by some distant bass notes as though the tune is about to take off. Holy smokes, this reel is in full swing with what sounds to be the string synthesizer, fiddle, and tenor banjo all seeming to play ever more rapidly. Holy smokes, an acoustic guitar chord progression has entered the tune and seems to be serving as a rhythmic center for the soundscape. Holy smokes, great tune and a great way to finish this album.
Wow, this album was great. The style is pretty different from anything that I’ve listened to in recent weeks, and has again reminded me why I dig the many different flavors of folk music so much. The music almost sounds plucked straight from a novel by J. R. R. Tolkien. If you’re into British or Scottish folk music, possibly from the likes of Richard Thompson and/or Fairport Convention, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A