The Story (UK band)

The Story

Tom & Martin Welham
Background information
Origin United Kingdom
Genres Psychedelic folk, psychedelic pop, progressive folk, acoustic, folk rock
Years active 2002– present
Labels Good Village, Sunbeam, Cold Spring, Rainbow Quartz
Website thestoryuk.weebly.com
Members Martin Welham
Tom Welham

The Story are an English psychedelic folk duo comprising former Forest member Martin Welham and his son Tom Welham.[1] The pair write and record melodic songs that range from psychedelic pop to stream-of-consciousness folk and play an array of predominantly acoustic instruments as a backdrop to their blend of vocal harmonies.[2]

Biography

Martin Welham was part of the influential 1960's acid folk trio Forest.[3] In the early 2000s, thirty years after Forest disbanded, he formed Somerset based band The Story with his son Tom and returned to recording music. The duo's sound has echoes of Martin's earlier work[4] with authentic psychedelic songwriting at its core.[5]

The band's first release was a 2005 vinyl split album, The Dawn Is Crowned, with Californian freak folk band Whysp on Good Village Records. The Story's side features five broadly acoustic tracks that blend esoteric, dark imagery with powerful vocal harmonies resulting in an un-attributable psychedelic air.[6]

In 2006 the band released their first full-length album Tale Spin on Sunbeam Records - the first contemporary artists released by the label.[7] This psychedelic folk pop album features acoustic guitars, keyboards and light percussion combined with airy harmony vocals and wistful melodies.[8]

Follow-up album Arcane Rising was released in 2007. A stream of consciousness conceptual song cycle, the album is made up of improvised melodies and acoustic guitar backings augmented by flutes, melody harp, harmonica and hand percussion. Lyrically the album celebrates life and nature through the changing seasons whilst questioning religious doctrines and humankind's ecological footprint.[9] Also in 2007, The Story's sinister track "The Wicker Man" featured on the dark folk compilation album John Barleycorn Reborn on Cold Spring Records.[10]

The band's acclaimed[11] third full-length album Joy Ride on Memory Lane was released in 2011 on Rainbow Quartz Records under the band name The Story UK.[12] This confident, hook-laden[13] psych album has a rockier sound than previous releases[14] whilst continuing to incorporate the duo's warm harmonies and highly melodic aesthetic.[15] Cold Spring Records 2011 dark folk compilation album John Barleycorn Reborn: Rebirth included The Story's ritualistic celebration piece "All Hallow's Eve".[16]

Since 2011, Martin and Tom have also performed as part of the folk trio The TimeLarks[17] and appeared at the 2012 International Pop Overthrow festival in Liverpool's Cavern Club.

Discography

Split album

The Dawn is Crowned
Studio album (split vinyl album) by The Story and Whysp
Released October 2005
Genre Psych folk, acoustic
Label Good Village Recordings
Producer The Story

The Dawn Is Crowned

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Beginning"  T. Welham 1:20
2. "Floating Box"  M. Welham, T. Welham 4:17
3. "Road to Ascension"  T. Welham, M. Welham 3:53
4. "Emergency"  M. Welham 2:26
5. "English Oak"  T. Welham 4:54
Total length:
 16:06

Studio albums

Tale Spin
Studio album by The Story
Released 7 March 2006
Genre Folk pop, psych pop
Length 37:32
Label Sunbeam
Producer The Story

Tale Spin

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "The Story"  M. Welham 3:38
2. "Hope and Pray"  T. Welham 2:51
3. "Roll of the Dice"  T. Welham 1:33
4. "Down to the Trees"  M. Welham, T. Welham 3:07
5. "Windmills"  T. Welham 4:33
6. "Walking the Wall"  M. Welham 3:21
7. "Anyway"  T. Welham 3:05
8. "Strange World"  T. Welham 2:43
9. "Winterborn"  M. Welham 4:24
10. "All Around Me"  T. Welham 3:34
11. "Between the Lines"  T. Welham, M. Welham 4:43
Total length:
 37:32
Arcane Rising
Studio album by The Story
Released 6 November 2007
Genre Psych folk, acoustic
Length 39:58
Label Sunbeam
Producer The Story

Arcane Rising

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "A Story to Tell"  T. Welham, M. Welham 1:15
2. "Lingering"  M. Welham, T. Welham 2:46
3. "Watch Out"  M. Welham, T. Welham 2:42
4. "You Caught Me Just In Time"  T. Welham, M. Welham 1:57
5. "Winter Light"  M. Welham, T. Welham 2:21
6. "The Darkened Path"  M. Welham, T. Welham 2:44
7. "Slipstreams"  M. Welham, T. Welham 4:26
8. "A Wheel Turns"  T. Welham, M. Welham 1:00
9. "Awake Aware"  T. Welham, M. Welham 1:24
10. "Away With It All"  T. Welham, M. Welham 1:42
11. "The Fox"  M. Welham, T. Welham 1:54
12. "Precious One"  T. Welham, M. Welham 4:43
13. "Flash Across The Sky"  M. Welham, T. Welham 3:01
14. "Dappled Stream"  T. Welham, M. Welham 3:00
15. "A Course of Action"  T. Welham, M. Welham 3:47
16. "Night Calls"  M. Welham, T. Welham 1:16
Total length:
 39:58
Joy Ride on Memory Lane
Studio album by The Story UK
Released 11 September 2011
Genre psych pop, rock
Length 50:23
Label Rainbow Quartz
Producer The Story UK

Joy Ride On Memory Lane

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Her Name Is Love"  T. Welham 4:02
2. "Standing In the Rain"[18]"  T. Welham 3:55
3. "For the Good of Your Soul"  M. Welham 4:41
4. "Running Out of Time"  T. Welham 3:29
5. "A Stone's Throw Away"  M. Welham, T. Welham 3:06
6. "Roundabout"  T. Welham 5:17
7. "Sixty Eight"  M. Welham 4:17
8. "Andromeda"  M. Welham 4:32
9. "She Doesn't Care"  M. Welham, T. Welham 3:53
10. "Real World"  M. Welham 3:29
11. "The Chase"  T. Welham, M. Welham 4:27
12. "Magic Lantern"  T. Welham, M. Welham 5:15
Total length:
 50:23

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Dusted(Positive) [19]
UnbrokenCircle(Favorable) [20]

The Dawn Is Crowned

The Story's contribution to the split vinyl LP The Dawn Is Crowned was described by Doug Mosurak of Dusted Magazine as "panoptic in scope and fairly timeless, interjecting frills and fantasy elements into solid, warm musicianship".[19] While UnbrokenCircle's Mark Coyle described the song "Road To Ascension" as "a masterpiece of any era" and the vocal harmonies as "incredible with an un-attributable psychedelic air".[20]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
FoxyDigitalis[21]
PsychedelicFolk.com(Favorable) [22]

Tale Spin

Jeff Penczak of Foxy Digitalis Magazine described Tale Spin as "a whistful collection of melodic folk pop full of gorgeous harmonies" while PsychedelicFolk.com's Gerald Van Waes noted the "warm, delicate beautiful harmony vocals, simple guitars and percussion" making it "a beautiful album and another winner for true and truthful acid folk collectors."

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
PopMatters[21]
Shindig!(Positive) [23]
Uncut[24]

Joy Ride on Memory Lane

Joy Ride on Memory Lane has received positive reviews. PopMatters' Stephen Haag described the album as "Utterly Charming" and noted that the duo "definitely have near-encyclopedic knowledge of the Britfolk/psych genre".[21] Shindig! Magazine's Pat Curran described the songs as "highly melodic, warm and inviting" and commented that the album "bears repeated listening and comes highly recommended."[23] Uncut Magazine's Rob Young said the father and son "make a hugely sympathetic pairing" and that the album "combines the best elements of Brit folk-rock's heyday".[24]

References

  1. ↑ Young 2010, p. 604.
  2. ↑ "Profile of The Story". Theunbrokencircle.co.uk. 2008-01-31. Archived from the original on 31 January 2008. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  3. ↑ "Classic Artist Profile on TheUnbrokenCircle website". Theunbrokencircle.co.uk. 2008-01-31. Archived from the original on 2008-01-31. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  4. ↑ "Citizens Arcane", Shindig, Vol 2 (May - June 2008):32
  5. ↑ "psychedelic Folk review page : The Story". Psychedelicfolk.com. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  6. ↑ "The Dawn Is Crowned Review". Theunbrokencircle.co.uk. 2008-02-03. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  7. ↑ "The Story biography at". Sunbeamrecords.com. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  8. ↑ "Tale Spin review". Othermusic.com. 2006-05-11. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  9. ↑ "The Story Arcane Rising Review", Shindig, Vol 2 (May - June 2008):59
  10. ↑ "The Wicker Man video". Youtube.com. 2010-06-28. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  11. ↑ "Album Review", Uncut, (November 2011)
  12. ↑ "Red Eye Distribution artist information". Redeyeusa.com. 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  13. ↑ Haag, Stephen. "Popmatters review". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  14. ↑ "Terrascope Magazine album review". Terrascope.co.uk. 1997-04-26. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  15. ↑ "Joy Ride on Memory Lane Review", Shindig, Vol 4 (24 November 2011)
  16. ↑ "John Barleycorn Reborn: Rebirth information". Coldspring.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  17. ↑ "TimeLarks profile". Facebook.com. 2012-05-27. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  18. ↑ Standing in the Rain video
  19. 1 2 Mosurak, Doug Review: The Dawn Is Crowned. Retrieved 15 November 2011. Archived 12 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  20. 1 2 Coyle, Mark Review: The Dawn Is Crowned. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  21. 1 2 3 Penczak, Jeff Review: The Story: Tale Spin. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  22. ↑ Van Waes, Gerald Review: The Story: Tale Spin. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  23. 1 2 Curran, Pat (24 November 2011). "Review: Joy Ride on Memory Lane". Shindig!.
  24. 1 2 Young, Rob (November 2011). "Review: Album Review". Uncut: 102.

Sources

  • Young, Rob (2010). Electric Eden. London: Faber and Faber Ltd. ISBN 978-0-571-23752-4. 
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