Short Reviews [Tirill - 2011 - "Tales From Tranquil August Gardens"]

Tirill Mohn will always be best known for her part in the formation of Norwegian Progressive Rock band White Willow, although her sole album appearance was on 1995’s debut ‘Ignis Fatuus’. It wasn’t until 2003 that she released her debut solo album, titled ‘A Dance With The Shadows’ on small independent label The Wild Places, but in 2011 she revisited the album and added three additional bonus songs, changed the title and with new artwork ‘Tales From Tranquil August Gardens’ was released. Then, at the end of 2018 her three albums were finally reissued on CD in the UK for the first time. With White Willow she provided violin and classical guitar, but here the album mostly concentrates on her delicate vocals, and as well as her own talents on multiple instruments she has a great many guests adding nuances here and there. However, the album is incredibly delicate, with a feeling that a good puff of wind could cause the whole thing to collapse at any time. There are times when she reminds me of the wonderful Talis Kimberley, as well as Judy Dyble. Her style feels very much like that of English folk which was coming out in the early Seventies, yet with additional instrumentation which moves it more into the prog folk field than that of a purist approach to either genre. There is a strength and spine within the vocals, and Tirill can be forceful when she needs to, but never at the expense of beauty and grace. Space is an important instrument on the album, with music and vocals creating a web which is much stronger than may initially believed. I missed the original, and the last reissue, but am glad it has finally come to my attention.