Album Review: Saltfishforty - Netherbow (Cellar)

The popular Orkney duo consisting of Douglas Montgomery (fiddle, viola, vocals) and Brian Cromarty (guitar, mandola, vocals), collectively known as Saltfishforty and variously seen about as part of The Chair (formerly Lazy Boy Chair), release their third album as a duo, their last being five years ago, which once again showcases some exquisite and dexterous playing augmented by a handful of thoughtful songs.

With clear and crisp production, the sort of sound that reminds you that these instruments are made out of wood, the selections range from traditional fiddle dance tunes to well-crafted contemporary songs with a timeless feel. The four songs on the album include The Cock O' Byam, a poem set to music, adapted from an Orkney poem written by local writer, photographer and butcher David Horne, with a fine musical arrangement by Brian Cromarty; The Bride's Lament, a traditional Orkney song with an infectious lilting melody, collected by the Big Orkney Song Project; The Yellow and Blue, a composite song Cromerty pieced together from several others and finally A Ring on Her Hand, based on a short story by George Mackay.

The slower airs are neither casual nor plodding but rather inspired and spirited. There's something of a haunting quality to Svecia, a piece of music composed on viola by Montgomery, eerily enough, a viola made partly from the wood of the ship of the same name that met its doom in 1740. The Lochs of Athy, a tune learned from the playing of fellow Orcadian Kris Drever, is performed with the same sort of conviction as Drever's treatment of Micky Finn's, the tune that precedes his version of the traditional Green Grow the Laurel.

The duo appeared recently at the Shepley Spring Festival and at one point cheerfully stormed the main stage where Kris Drever and Tim O'Brien were performing, just to say hello. Pleased to see the duo, Drever quipped 'this is Saltfishforty; they're poor, they're very very poor!' a reminder that not only does Orkney have a sense of humour, the islands are producing some remarkable musicians, who between them make some remarkable music.

Allan Wilkinson
Northern Sky