Odin Dragonfly's 'Sirens' - Album Review

It is always a treat when an act that has essentially been dormant for quite some time release something new. Being a musician, especially when being such is not a full-time pursuit, is never easy - and finding the time to write and record new music around a day job and family life can be a struggle. This becomes all the more true when said musician has a number of projects on the go. Side projects are just that, something to enjoy when focus is diverted away from a main project. I think that it is fair to say that the British folk duo Odin Dragonfly was formed with being a side project in mind. Odin Dragonfly is made up of two singers, songwriters, and multi-instrumentalists: Heather Findlay and Angela Gordon; and was formed in the mid-2000s when both were members of the British progressive rock act Mostly Autumn. By the time Odin Dragonfly had been formed, Mostly Autumn had already found their feet. They had established themselves as one of the nation's best underground progressive rock acts, a position which they continue to hold today. While Findlay fronted the band at the time and contributed significantly to the songwriting, Mostly Autumn has always been Bryan Josh's baby. Having struck up a firm friendship with bandmate Gordon, I assume that Odin Dragonfly was formed by the pair to allow them to have something that was more their own - as well as to play music that was much more folky and delicate than Mostly Autumn's wall-of-sound approach. The pair made a few live appearances around this time and released their debut album Offerings in 2007. Offerings was popular with the Mostly Autumn fanbase, and it is an album that I return to relatively often. It is much lighter in tone than much of the music that I usually listen to, but it was great to hear Findlay's recognisable songwriting style forced through a sparser filter. It was also great to hear Gordon's songwriting efforts, with many of her songs being up there in quality with Findlay's. Gordon has never really contributed to Mostly Autumn from a songwriting perspective, so Offerings opened my eyes to her wider talents. Gordon left Mostly Autumn later in 2007, however, due to the birth of her daughter, and not much was heard from Odin Dragonfly for a number of years. Findlay left Mostly Autumn herself three years later, and has been plugging away at a solo career ever since - occasionally with Gordon in tow. Gordon has also been back in the Mostly Autumn fold since 2015, and as she has become more musically active again it felt like a second Odin Dragonfly album was inevitable at some point, but the question was always when? Both Findlay and Gordon had hinted at one over the years, but earlier this month the duo's second effort Sirens was finally released. Those of us who pre-ordered the album directly from the duo have had it since late last year, but it has now been released officially. Listening to Sirens, it feels as if no time has passed since Offerings. The duo's sparse, but melodic, brand of folk is still perfectly intact - and the songwriting from both Findlay and Gordon is as strong ever.

The album starts with the atmospheric instrumental piece The Dimming. As with Offerings, the songs throughout Sirens are arranged relatively simply - with the main instruments throughout being Findlay's acoustic guitar alongside Gordon's piano and/or flute. Findlay contributes some additional wind instruments and percussion throughout, but the guitar, piano, and flute dominate. The Dimming is one of the few pieces that breaks from this tradition however, as it goes for a more natural sound - with the sounds of water and what sounds like a subtle keyboard drone filling the speakers. Findlay and Gordon add some wordless vocal harmonies atop this atmospheric backing, and the track perfectly helps to set the scene for what is to come thanks to its slow-burning, atmospheric vibes. Across the Sea, penned by Gordon, starts the album proper, however, with delicate piano melodies taking over from the intro's drone. While each song on the album is principally sung by either Findlay or Gordon, vocal harmonies are a big part of Odin Dragonfly's sound. They really add a lot of depth, especially given the generally sparse instrumentation throughout, and the two ladies' voices have always worked so well together. Across the Sea is dominated by Gordon, however. Her floaty vocal delivery sits perfectly across her sombre piano melodies, with Findlay's guitar chords generally just adding depth. That being said, however, a brief instrumental section towards the end makes more of the guitar's presence - and Findlay's voice helps to enhance the beautiful chorus perfectly. Circling Ravens is more upbeat, and features Findlay's sweet voice throughout. It is a song that really reminds me of the style that the duo cultivated on Offerings, with the jaunty folk vibe only enhanced by Gordon's main flute hook. Findlay dominates, with her prominent guitar chords and familiar voice, but the flute refrain helps to add some additional melody - while Gordon's piano also adds depth. This overall sound is probably the side of Odin Dragonfly that I like the most. The duo excel at ballads too, but these more upbeat folky tracks never fail to bring a smile to my face. Circling Ravens is a real album highlight as a result for me, and it is a song that I can see myself returning to a lot. Driving shines the spotlight back onto Gordon. While the song is relatively more upbeat than Across the Sea, which was rather sparse and sombre, Driving is still quite downbeat. The song's lyrics pack an emotional punch, and it sees Gordon singing in a much more full-bodied manner - which differs from the floatier approach taken throughout Across the Sea. Her piano again dominates, but Findlay's guitar and harmony vocals are more prominent this time - which helps to contribute to the song's bigger sound. Occasional whistle lines add welcome melodic instrumental breaks too - and the song is another highlight as a result.

Don't Wait too Long is another relatively jaunty piece, built around a catchy flute hook that again recalls the sound that was present throughout Offerings. Despite the song being written and sung by Gordon, it is Findlay that actually supplies the main musical backing. Much of the song is built around her upbeat guitar chords, without the piano that bulks out many of Siren's songs. This makes the song stand out, as many of Gordon's compositions are generally very piano-driven. It is nice to hear sing against an acoustic guitar backing, however, and of course Findlay is always on hand to provide some harmonies. Gordon instead makes her musical contributions felt through her flute and there are many flute breaks throughout the track - including a lengthy one towards the end that allows her a chance to stretch out somewhat. Come Right to Me is very typical of Findlay's songwriting, and those who are familiar with her work will instantly feel at home listening to the relatively upbeat piece. Big guitar chords drive the song, with Gordon's musical contributions being relatively limited this time around. There is some piano adding depth, but it is mixed into the background - so much so that often the track is purely about the guitar and the two ladies' harmonies. The song is pretty short, and I like how it ends - with a radio fade-out effort that makes the song crackle as it comes to a low key close. Four & Twenty Moons is one of Gordon's, and it is a song that she has had knocking around for quite some time. I seem to remember it being played at the Mostly Autumn Convention back in 2007, and she also dusted it off in 2016 for a rare recent Odin Dragonfly live outing at that year's Cambridge Rock Festival. The song is something of a piano-led sea shanty, with a great rhythm throughout thanks to Gordon's busy piano playing and some relatively aggressive guitar strumming from Findlay. I remember enjoying the song a lot in 2016, and I am glad that it has finally found a home here. It is a great example of Gordon's songwriting style in my opinion, and some of the album's best vocal interplay is found throughout - with some of the closing vocal harmonies including some great high notes from both. Beneath Your Armour is more of a ballad, something which Findlay has always excelled at. It is a song that also reminds me of the Offerings sound, but the side of the album which stripped away the overall jauntiness and went for a more sombre sound - like Magnolia Half-Moon. It also reminds me of some of the older, more acoustic-based songs that Findlay wrote for Mostly Autumn, with The Eyes of the Forest in particular coming to mind. Gordon's piano adds depth, but this is a song that really focuses on Findlay and her excellent vocal performance. Findlay's delivery is extremely varied throughout - with the early portion of the song being sung in quite a low register, but she ramps up the power as things move along. The song is very familiar sounding, however, which makes it another album highlight for me as it allows Findlay to revisit a writing style that she has not really tackled for a while.

Fall from the Stars is the album's final solo composition from Gordon, and it returns very much to the vibe that kicked off the album during Across the Sea. The song is a ballad-esque piece with rumbling piano melodies and a floaty vocal that acts as something of a contrast to the rest of the song. Guitar chords add depth, but this is a song that is all about the piano. The melodies throughout are excellent, but the song's overall highlight for me is the instrumental section that allows Gordon an opportunity to play something of a piano solo. It is not the most exuberant instrumental section, but Gordon builds on the song's main melodies perfectly - and it showcases her talents as a pianist nicely. She is generally known as a flautist, but she has always been an excellent keyboard and piano player too - as Fall from the Stars showcases. The album's final three songs are all co-written by the duo, with Rise & Fall kicking off this more collaborative closing trilogy. Despite this, however, Rise & Fall is very much in the classic Findlay mould. She takes the lead vocally throughout, and as such the vocal melodies and inflections are very typical of her usual approach. Gordon adds plenty of harmonies and some excellent piano depth throughout, but this is a song that belongs to Findlay. Gordon does temporarily steal the spotlight with a gorgeous flute section, however, but this is relatively short-lived as Findlay's excellent vocal delivery rightly dominates. Gulls, the album's longest song, returns to the natural sounds of The Dimming. Bird sounds can be heard during the song, but it is a piece that is more typical in sound to the rest of the album than its atmospheric intro. It is a real slow-burner, however, with the initial bird song initially only punctuated by a gentle acoustic guitar melody. Findlay again dominates vocally, but much of the song is sung in tandem - with Gordon ever-present adding harmonies. Some of the chord changes throughout the song really remind me of those early Mostly Autumn albums, with those slightly sharp changes that the band often used to great effect throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. Findlay was of course a big part of that era of the band, so the style sounds natural here - especially when Gordon's flute is added to the mix during the song's occasional instrumental breaks. The album comes to a close with the gorgeous ballad Diamond Soul. Some of the songs here took a few listens to fully appreciate, but Diamond Soul was one that jumped out at me from the off - and it remains a favourite. It opens with Gordon's piano, which Findlay soon starts to sing over. The guitar adds depth, but in the main the song is a piano ballad - and it is nice to hear Findlay singing against the piano backing, as the album's other piano-led pieces have been sung by Gordon. Gordon adds her voice to the simple chorus to help add to its emotional pull, but this is another song that showcases Findlay's vocal talents perfectly. She has always had a real warmth to her voice, and Diamond Soul demonstrates this - all while bringing the album to a lovely close. It also ends the album much how it started, with a relatively sombre ballad. This highlights the overall diversity of Sirens too which, despite its relative simplicity, is a pretty diverse album. It was certainly worth the wait, and I am glad that Findlay and Gordon once again decided to team up to deliver another album of excellent folk compositions that perfectly compliment Offerings from 15 years ago.

The album was released on 21st January 2022 via Black Sand Records. Below is the duo's promotional lyric video for Driving.