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Stones Throw, Lament Of The Selkie

by Rachel Taylor-Beales

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Full length CD comes in a gatefold card case, with original artwork by Bill Taylor-Beales.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Stones Throw, Lament Of The Selkie via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
Seaside 04:35
Seaside You can see her sipping wine Beneath the old town tavern sign Cross her palm with silver and A fortune she’ll deliver Counting each and every wave that breaks here Each and every wave Along the seaside by the seaside By the seaside, by the sea, on the sea shore Cuttlefish bones Shellfish stones Driftwood, glass And crab claw carcass Un-amusing game machines Froth and foam and carton cream Greasy chips with vinegar Water here it’s not so- clear Cuttlefish bones Shellfish stones Driftwood, glass And crab claw carcass Bottles thrown wash in wash out Kids and dogs chasing about Sea gulls scraping, feet are dangling Teenage kicks and couples- hanging out, Along the seaside by the seaside By the seaside, by the sea, on the sea shore Cuttlefish bones Shellfish stones Driftwood, glass And crab claw carcass Deck chair Frisbee families With wind-breakers and flasks of tea Seaweed, nets and wires twining Oily bathers on their towels- reclining Cuttlefish bones Shellfish stones Driftwood, glass And crab claw carcass Rock pool fossil barnacles Beers cans for BBQ’s Skyline scraping blue to grey Now smoke-ring billowed clouds turn into rain Along the seaside by the seaside By the seaside by the seaside by… (continued in background) She sells seashells and ice-cream cornets, plastic buckets Picture postcards, Mr Punch, rock hard candy-floss and gum Coffee served in polystyrene, Kiosk coupons donkey riding, She sells seashells on the seashore Cross her palm with silver and A fortune she’ll deliver Counting each and every wave that breaks you Each and every wave that breaks you Each and every wave
2.
Somersaults 04:18
Somersaults Under this blue Back somersaults Who would miss me? And why so much? Keep staring up Keep drifting out Who would miss me? And know my touch Under this blue Blue Under this blue Blue Waving Diving Into this deep Head back and kick Tight to a ball Head back And fall Keep turning These summer Summer somersaults Waving Diving Into this deep Head back and kick Tight to a ball Head back And fall Keep turning These summer Summer somersaults
3.
Summer Again 04:51
Summer Again Come with the morning girl Salt resting on your eyes This summer brings you now This summer brings you right out loud Right out loud Into the sea return Until we both become like shadows On the morning sun It’s summer again Summer again Summer again Summer again Lead me where the ocean meets the land Let me understand Lead me there come take my hand Lift me Oh lift me From the sand Seagulls and kites collide Seagulls and kites divide these skies Until the tide comes in Until the tide comes in and over My feet my toes my ankle bones And now I know I know, I know I’m home It’s summer again Summer again Summer again Summer again Lead me where the ocean meets the land Let me understand Lead me there come take my hand Lift me Oh lift me From the sand Come with the morning girl Salt resting on your eyes
4.
And May It Be And may it be so it may be And may it be so it may be This kiss, this mist This dust of choice This ghost, this myth This void, this voice This voice And nothing costs as As much heart does And nothing costs as As much as loss does And may it be so it may be And may it be And may it be so it may be And may it be This kiss, this mist This dust of choice This ghost, this myth This voice, this voice And hidden deep And hidden long Revealed in sleep Answered in song And nothing costs as As much as loss does It’s been a long, long day It’s been a long, long day And may it be so it may be This kiss, this mist These dusts of choice This ghost, this myth This voiceless voice No more to dread No more to weep No more to tread These worn down feet No more to fear To fear no more No more, no more And may it be
5.
Restless 04:35
Restless Wherever it is that your head lies? Restless as the spray that blinds you Restless as the swell that twists you Where ever it is that your head lies Tis not on this pillow beside me Restless as the spray that blinds you Restless as the swell that twists you Where ever it is that your head lies Tis not on this pillow beside me I fix no lock upon my door The candle wax filling up the floor Where ever it is that your head lies Tis not on this pillow beside me Restless as the spray that blinds you Restless as the swell that twists you Where ever it is that your head lies Tis not on this pillow beside me Restless as the spray that blinds you Restless as the swell that twists you Where ever it is that your head lies Tis not on this pillow beside me Your children look for a hand to rock them A voice rolling in with songs to sing them Where ever it is that your head lies Tis not on this pillow beside me Don’t sell today to buy a tomorrow Don’t sell today to buy a tomorrow Your children look for a hand to rock them A voice rolling in with songs to sing them Wherever it is hat your head lies We keep breathing out and drinking in and around we go again I fix no lock upon my door The candle wax filling up the floor Wherever it is hat your head lies We keep breathing out and drinking in and around we go And round we go and down Restless as the spray that blinds you Restless as the swell that twists you Where ever it is that your head lies Tis not on this pillow beside me Restless as the spray that blinds you Restless as the swell that twists you Where ever it is that your head lies Tis not on this pillow beside me
6.
Stone’s Throw I’m a stone’s throw from nowhere Pick any one and cast it high and long I’m a stone’s throw from nowhere Lean back into the breeze and spin it on I’m a stone’s throw from nowhere And no one knows the place where I belong I’m a stone’s throw form nowhere This beach I sit upon I can’t call home This beach I sit upon I can’t call home This beach I sit upon I can’t call home Hey yeah, hey yeah Hey yeah, hey yeah Hey yeah, hey yeah
7.
Selkie’s Song So won’t you please turn me again? Turn me again To you So won’t you please turn me again? Turn me again To you This skin it won’t fit like it used to These bones they don’t hold it so well In too many ways I’m a stranger And it’s a stranger who warms you right now But darling remember before you care to regret That song dark and wild, this skin soft and wet Bride of the water ocean’s silk child Well there’re times and there’s tides And there’s days she’s got to hide, She’s got to hide Oh this skin it won’t fit like it used to These bones they don’t hold it so well In too many ways I’m a stranger And it’s a stranger who warms you right now Oh this skin it won’t fit like it used to These bones they don’t hold it so well In too many ways I’m a stranger And it’s a stranger who warms you right now So won’t you please turn me again? Turn me again To you So won’t you please turn me again? Turn me again To you (Skin it won’t fit…)
8.
In The Cold 04:51
In The Cold And I can’t say when You grew so dark so cruel Can’t say when – don’t care how All of our Decembers - deciphered Can this winter last much longer Days get any lighter? We’re just done trying Done trying The dog outside’s still barking And anyway who’s fighting? Now it’s our voices raised, Like banners Out in the cold In the cold Out in the cold In the cold And everyone who wants you Can have you more than welcome Your song it’s not my problem someone else can hum along And I won’t be missing -second guessing Nothing concealing Not one frozen feeling We’re just done trying Done trying The dog outside’s still barking And anyway who’s fighting? Now it’s our voices raised, Like banners Out in the cold In the cold Out in the cold In the cold In the cold Out in the cold And I can’t say when And I don’t care how Out in the cold
9.
Fall Into You Take me under Underneath the covers Of this blanket so cruel I fear no other Save the lonesome hourglass My body clings to And I fall and I fall and I fall and I fall and I fall Into you And I fall and I fall and I fall and I fall and I fall Into you I hear you only As this dark envelopes’ me Enfolding me slow Breathing shallow Echoes of a great whale sighing Stealing me home I am no longer I am no stranger to this bed of sinking Drawing me under Under these covers of your, restless dreaming Rocking me, rocking me Into the swelling ecstasy of every Sailor who made you their lover And I fall and I fall and I fall and I fall and I fall Into you And I fall and I fall and I fall and I fall and I fall Into you Take me under Underneath the covers Of this blanket so cruel I fear no other Save the lonesome hourglass This body clings to And I fall and I fall and I fall and I fall and I fall Into you And I fall and I fall and I fall and I fall and I fall Into you
10.
Until The Snow Dogtooth coat, digging that hole, To climb down, to climb down, to climb down until Singing only one song, a hymn of separation A ragged refrain been winding from day she left him Hmm, hmmm They keep waving their bitter flags with no surrender now He’s seeing signs and symbols here of older winters walking Knuckles white and reeling, far too sharp, too loud this crowd With nothing left just fragment shards of postcards lost and found Hmm, hmmm So we’ll play and we’ll play And we’ll play these chords Until the snow, until the snow And we’ll play and we’ll play And we’ll play these chords Until the snow Where now lies the man? Where now lies the ghost? Where now lies the lover? Where now lies his thirst? Where now lies the fire? Where now lies the fool? Where now lies the liar? Where now lies his truce? Where now lies the coward? Where now lies her head? Where now lies the future? Where now lies a friend? Where now lies the man? Where now lies the ghost? Where now lies the lover? Where now lies his thirst? But we’ll play and we’ll play And we’ll play these chords Until the snow, until the snow And we’ll play and we’ll play And we’ll play these chords Until the snow, until the snow And we’ll play and we’ll play And we’ll play these chords Until the snow, until the snow And we’ll play and we’ll play And we’ll play these chords Until the snow
11.
Turning The Day This rizla’s ash, this pay-cheque spent Vacant guesthouse, cold park bench Cast a thousand stones to sting this sun A thousand stones ripple down upon her Wading uneven From the shelter of sand dunes Losing these shallows Chasing the light Chasing the light Chasing the light In empty lots along the quay Cruising for company Salesmen return from sea Their widows are not waiting Now they’re dodging the seaweed Tangling round here In a playground of shadows Chasing the light Chasing the light Chasing the light This rizla’s ash and pay cheque spent Dishwater coffee and unmade bed Cast a thousand stones to sting this sun A thousand stones ripple down upon her Wading uneven Shelter of sand dunes But I’m losing these shallows Chasing the light Chasing the light Chasing the light Turning the day I am not afraid Gonna cast that rock into the sea Repercussions reckoning Turning the day If only space and time would bend Just to see your face again Myth’s eroding, somersaulting Grinder and that monkey falling Rizla’s ash and pay cheque spent Just to see your face again If only space and time could bend I would count these waves again If only space and time could bend I would count these waves
12.

about

Stone’s Throw, Lament Of The Selkie is a dark folklore concept tale based around Selkie mythology from the Orkney Isles. The lyrics chart a tragic story of Selkie, who over the arc of the narrative finds herself struggling and unable to sustain life on land with her land-bound partner and eventually returns herself to the sea leaving her partner grief stricken with loss.

Rachel has brought together her ever-growing and eclectic grouping of musicians to this project.

Paul Gray (formerly of The Damned, UFO, Eddie and The Hotrods) guests on bass and acclaimed virtuoso guitarist Dylan Fowler returns providing slide guitar and sonic textures. Lucy River’s versatile violin nuances a folk edge to the songs, whilst Angharad Evans backing vocals and Rosy Robinson’s cellos enhance with rich harmonic textures and tones. Rachel’s brother Shane Beales makes a guest appearance on percussion leaving the rest of the breadth of instrumentation to herself and husband Bill, including guitars, piano, organ, ukulele, with additional percussion and bass.

The overall vibe is a rich and intricate sound palette that embeds the album’s narrative in Rachel's evocative sonic world.

For notes on Stone's Throw, Lament Of The Selkie, please visit Rachel's Blog Post here rachel-t-b.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/notes-on-my-new-album-stones-throw.html

Reviews...
"Exceptional Album" Folk Radio UK www.folkradio.co.uk/2015/08/rachel-taylor-beales-stones-throw-the-lament-of-the-selkie/

"Outstanding" BBC Radio Wales

credits

released July 22, 2015

Musicians:

Rachel Taylor-Beales: vocals, electric guitars, piano, organ, acoustic guitar, ukulele, distorted guitar track 11

Lucy Rivers: violin

Rosy Robinson: cello tracks 1, 5, 6, 7, 10
Bill Taylor-Beales: bass on tracks 2,3,7,8, 11, organ track 6, 12 string guitar track 5, distorted guitar tracks 1,3 and 5, electric guitar track 10, percussion track 3

Dylan Fowler: electric and acoustic slide guitars, kantele track 7, acoustic guitar on track 8, percussion track 11

Paul Gray: bass on tracks 1 and 10

Angharad Evans: additional backing vocals tracks 1,5,7,8,10

Shane Beales: percussion tracks 1 and 10

All tracks copyright Rachel Taylor-Beales except tracks 3, 5, 6 copyright Rachel and Bill Taylor-Beales. Recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by Bill and Rachel Taylor-Beales at Hushland Studios 2015 www.hushland.com
CD design, layout and artwork by Bill Taylor-Beales
Selkie’s Lament story by Rachel Taylor-Beales
www.racheltaylor-beales.com www.billtaylor-beales.com

Huge thanks to all the wonderful musicians Lucy, Dylan, Angharad, Rosy, Paul, Shane and Bill for being a part of and bringing your expertise to this project and especial thanks to Bill for his tireless commitment and support and encouragement throughout it all. Thanks also to Polly for the all the joy and dancing and repeated listening over the process of making this.

Many thanks to my friend Gill Stevens, who introduced me to the Selkie stories and helped to spark and inspire so much of this project in its early stages.

To all who are refugees in body, soul or spirit: may you find solace, may you find home and may you always be comfortable in your own skin wherever you might be.

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Rachel Taylor-Beales Wales, UK

Singer songwriter and multi instrumentalist whose music meets on the crossroads between folk, roots, blues and jazz... Described as “Musically exquisite and enthralling.” BBC Radio 4 / "Exceptional" Folk Radio UK and "Outstanding" BBC Radio Wales /
"Excellent and Original' Folking.com
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