Orchis - Trait

For quite some time now the English trio of Orchis have been quietly establishing a reputation for their folk sound. A clutch of albums from the primitive sounding The Dancing Sun through to the fully blossomed Mandragora have been steeped in pagan and Gnostic imagery, displaying a wide breadth of mystical knowledge. Orchis consist of Tracy Jeffery, and Amanda Prouten on vocals while Alan Trench handles the warm acoustic instrumentation. An array of instruments and percussive devices - bowed guitar, bodhran, dulcimer - lends the music its distinctive flavour. I daren't call it dark folk as Orchis's music is joyous and life affirming. Fellow travellers would be Sorrow, Dead Can Dance and perhaps Fire and Ice. Trait, drawn from Orchis's three albums - The Dancing Sun, A Thousand Winters, Mandragora - and various rare tracks, is devised for the Russian market and it is an enchanting collection and a fine introduction to a much under-rated trio. For more information contact alan@uriel777.freeserve.co.uk or go to http://brudenia.nm.ru