H.M.S. Ginafore/ Iona Marshall

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3...according to our Clinton on Fri 14 Jan, 2011.

Already confusing me by the label being all on one side and the info on another (but not on the sleeve as its a promo), I finally made it to the Iona Marshall side when Dave shouted out 'Is this The Coors?'. So cruel, so so cruel. And now its Phil's turn 'Is this The Cranberries or The Coors?' Ok, ok its a bit Celt influenced and the vocal is of that ilk but musically its more interesting than that with understated electronics bubbling away and a nice finale where the voice is sampled and overlaid to good effect. I've made it to the other side and it sounds very familiar the HMS Ginafore side has the same basic ingredients as the A side. Scottish female singer way atop electronics and an overall folky feel. Its just a little too tasteful to be interesting, the vocals are nice but overall a bit wishy washy.

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H.M.S Ginafore

Following on from the momentary potential of Jenny Casino and the Gamblers, HMS Ginafore was a brief, periodically rewarding, but ultimately disappointing experiment, drawing inspiration from the great musical traditions of the age-old gospel, early twentieth century love songs, 1980s Saturday teatime comedy shows and early nineties Grunge.
Thanks to King Creosote and his stoic consorts stationed around the East Neuk of Fife, this Bride of Fencenstein has enjoyed remarkable commercial success at a couple of merchandise stalls. But now, having only ever learned guitar so that she could play Nirvana songs in her bedroom at the age of 15 and having made little technical progress since, she will return to indulging in her less exotic hobbies by exploring medieval history, improving her repertoire of one pot cookery, entertaining large-livered, unmarried thirty-somethings, surviving cold water swimming temperatures and identifying tree and bird species one or two at a time.
When all you've got left in you is other people's words it's time to bid ta ta! If I can no longer pen and this is my swan song then who better a cob than OnTheFly?
Thank you and Goodbye!

Iona Marshall

Iona Marshall is based in the West end of Glasgow, becoming recognised there for her original live performances, fusing melodic folk with experimental synth parts, delicate harmonies, found samples and acoustic guitar hooks. Her songs are Celtic-tinged and her solo performances are heartfelt and enigmatic. She sings about landscape, love, travel, spirituality and whatever sounds come out in a stream of consciousness. Born in Glasgow, brought up in Perthshire and having roamed a few far flung places of the world, help explain why.
Iona’s ethereal qualities are clear - a strong connection to the spiritual west coast island of Iona. Her unique song-craft has been honed over many years, blending life-long influences with modern interpretations and experimentation, exploring her passions, emotions and philosophies through sublime, haunting sound-scapes.
In 2007, Iona found herself with new music, ready for a series of gigs in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and at festivals including Wickerman and The Big Green Gathering and produced a couple of DIY CDr's - ‘IM Pulse’ and ‘Ghur’. Towards the end of 2008 came ‘One Dove’ - a solo album with the help of sampled beats from Wez Simpson, Steve Mason, Ian Stoddart (Stoddy).
Iona has collaborated with numerous musicians; producing a solo album for William Douglas, joining forces with The Oates Field (formally Little Pebble) on the duo 'AC Hum' and has worked with others on remixes including Jonnie Common and most recently Con Brio and Gav Duvet.

Tracklisting:

rock of ages - hms ginafore
having wintered - hms ginafore (king creosote remix)
take my hand - hms ginafore
shtoom - iona marshall
free elephants - iona marshall

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