Published on February 21st, 2017 | by Andy Barnes
0Oka Vanga – Dance of the Copper Trail
If you’ve ever experienced the music of Angela Meyer and Will Cox aka Oka Vanga, you’ll know their talent completely unarguable. The debut instrumental album ‘Pilgrim’ highlighted the duo’s wonderfully diverse guitar work, further embellished on the ‘Tales of Eyam’ EP, by bringing to the fore Angie’s not inconsiderable vocal and song writing talents.
New album ‘Dance of the Copper Trail’ verifies Oka Vanga as an exceptionally talented duo, while moving the pair onto the next, if not multiple levels above. Intricate guitar alongside Cox’s additional mandolin and ukulele, bind the musical and life partners together wholly, but the introduction of fiddle, percussion and stand-up bass add depth and richness to the words and melodies. Meyer’s vocals also exhibit a more individualistic facet, a slightly less quirky Liz Green springing to mind.
Once again, as with ‘Tales of Eyam,’ subject matter around the album is dark, even within the lighter sonic layers. Folklore, magic and superstition play major roles lyrically and a gamut of styles once again offered to the listener. Opening track ‘The Wicken Tree’ immediately grabs the attention having an opaque, almost Americana feel before the more up-tempo hoe down contrasts of ‘Capercaillie.’ While the cover of ‘She Moved Through the Fair’ may quantify their description as ‘Folk,’ that label but a simplistic depiction of the discoveries unearthed within an Oka Vanga compendium. Closing track ‘This Train’ a perfect example of their disparate nature, heading deep into country blues territory.
This is an enchanting and very special album, the rise of Oka Vanga continues unabated and the release date of March 31st one you should make a note of.
Better still, pre-order ‘Dance of the Copper Trail’ right here. https://okavanga.bandcamp.com/album/dance-of-the-copper-trail
@okavangaguitar
https://okavanga.com/
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