Re-working of The Blue Nile's "Rags to Riches" by two of Scotland's most popular contemporary folk-roots acts: inventive, experimental trio Lau and singer-songwriter Karine Polwart. Track available on the "Evergreen" CD EP, Lau vs Karine Polwart (February 2010). Lyric sung with a very discrete amount of artistic license and intent regarding the switching of words "I" vs "we" and "your" vs "our". 

Lau vs Karine Polwart "Rags to Riches"

Hen Hoose: Equaliser

Go Easy

BLOOD ICE AND ASHES

A bit of holiday fun from the KP Trio (me, Inge Thomson and Stevie P). Recorded at The Elm Tree in Craigrothie. We're plotting a cheeky wee covers album. Got any ideas for us? 

Video Killed The Radio Star

Tynewater Primary School's J-pop dance mix YOLO (You Only Live Once) - produced for a local schools project.  

01 YOLO MIX1 REF (MP3)

A snippet from "It Was A For Our Rightfu King" (Lyrics - Robert Burns / melody - Hannah Read) from the forthcoming Songs of Separation album. Performed by Hannah Read (lead vocal/guitar), Jenny Hill (bass), Mary Macmaster (harp/vocal), Karine Polwart (tenor guitar/vocal) and Rowan Rheinigans (banjo/vocal). Join our mailing list at songsofseparation.co.uk for release details and offers.  

It Was A For Our Rightfu King - Songs Of Separation (rough Mix Snippet)

A snippet from "It Was A For Our Rightfu King" (Lyrics - Robert Burns / melody - Hannah Read) from the forthcoming Songs of Separation album. Performed by Hannah Read (lead vocal/guitar), Jenny Hill (bass), Mary Macmaster (harp/vocal), Karine Polwart (tenor guitar/vocal) and Rowan Rheinigans (banjo/vocal). Join our mailing list at songsofseparation.co.uk for release details and offers.

Hannah James' fiery reinvention of the Uriah S Smart broadside ballad "A Poor Man's Lamentation" (from The Full English archive). From forthcoming Songs of Separation album. Please do sign up for our mailing list at songsofseparation.co.uk for release info. 

Poor Man's Lamentation (rough Mix Snippet)

Hazel Askew sings "London Lights" from the forthcoming Songs of Separation CD. Sign up to our mailing list at songsofseparation.co.uk for release info. 

London Lights - Songs Of Separation (snippet Of Rough Mix)

"Soil and Soul", written by Rowan Rheinigans for the Songs of Separation album project, 2015. Rough mix snippet. Please sign up to our mailing list at songsofseparation.co.uk for album release details and news. 

Soil And Soul (Songs Of Separation Rough Mix - Snippet)

A rough mix snippet of "Echo Mocks the Corncrake" (trad) featuring Karine Polwart on lead vocals and the assembled musicians of Songs of Separation project. Please join our mailing list at songsofseparation.co.uk for news of album release details. 

Corncrake (Songs Of Separation, Rough Mix - Snippet)

Rough mix snippet from forthcoming "Songs of Separation" album featuring a setting of a Danish poem and lead vocals by Kate Young. Please join our mailing list at songsofseparation.co.uk for more information. 

SEA KING (Songs Of Separation Rough Mix Snippet)

An early morning, scratchy-voiced, kitchen table cover of Rock Redbeard's beautiful "Wildlove", which I will sing tonight (29/11/15) at The Only Way is Ethics, St. Luke's in Glasgow. 

WILDLOVE KITCHEN DEMO by Karine Polwart (song by Rick Redbeard)

A desk recording of an ink-still-drying song KING OF BIRDS, inspired by the occupation at St Paul's. We ran it twice before the show at Salisbury Arts Centre andf I held the Sharpie scribbled words. It was a month in the brewing and then it fluttered down also ... this is verse 1 ... 

KING OF BIRDS live demo, Salisbury 18 11 11

Traces

Cover Your Eyes

We're All Leaving

Strange News

King Of Birds

Threshold

Better Things

Rivers Run

Daisy

Terminal Star

The Death Of Queen Jame

Take Its Own Time

Medusa

The Good Years

Follow The Heron

Dowie Dens Of Yarrow

Sorry

Wells for Zoë - Water for Life

Well for Zoë

For the Occupy London activists, thinkers and hopers. Your choice to protest at St Paul's has been hugely symbolic and powerful on many levels. The tiny wren (like Christopher) is The King of Birds in mythology. All luck to you in finding new ways to ring the bell. This is a demo recording ahead of an album in Summer 2012. 

King of Birds sketch IC 3 mp3

Recorded at Smoo Cave, Sutherland (northern Scotland) on March 31st 2018, with participants of The Cape Wrath Lodge Song & Pipes Retreat. Pipe Tune is The Battle of Ardmore (thanks to John). Song co-composed (extremely quickly! in about an hour) by the singers, facilitated by Karine Polwart.

Here We Return To The Ground

In their annual autumn migration from Iceland and Greenland to the protected Fala Flow peatbog south of Edinburgh, the pink-footed geese offer sky-borne sanctuary to one another: stepping up, falling back, labouring and resting. From Karine Polwart and Pippa Murphy's award-winning album Pocket of Wind Resistance (New Music Scotland Award 2018, shortlisted for BBC Radio 2 Folk Album of the Year)and The Royal Lyceum production of Karine's Wind Resistance (winner of CATS Award for Best Music and Sound 2017).

Karine Polwart & Pippa Murphy  Labouring and Resting (from Pocket of Wind Resistance)

For the people of Menie who have held out against the Trump Corporation's attempts to buy their lives and destroy their memories in the name of executive golf. My attempt to imagine myself into that place as a child. Will be the opening track of my next album "Traces" (August 13th). 

Karine Polwart

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