By Tom Berry
Issue 64, September 2020

There are few sights more thrilling than a gathering or murmuration of starlings, watching hundreds of birds swarm together at dusk creating something greater than the sum of its parts…

Such a scene has provided an unlikely inspiration to Australian songwriter and Stroud resident Emily Barker. Having witnessed such a phenomenon while sat in sand dunes on the coast in her home country she started thinking about migratory birds and the parallels with her own life – going home each year but constantly moving.

A Dark Murmuration of Words is Emily’s latest record and it certainly isn’t afraid to tackle the big issues that face us –the climate emergency and racial inequality are just two topics covered while the lead single The Woman Who Planted Trees is a tribute to Green Belt founder, Wangari Maathai. Yet this is a record that never feels difficult to listen to, the latest stopping off point in a remarkable career that has effortlessly straddled rock, folk, soul and Americana.

Of course, due to current circumstances, Murmuration is not quite getting the release that Emily had originally conceived. For now the bulk of touring will have to wait - although she will be playing the Red Rooster festival in September. She is determined though that this record will have longevity and will be returning to the stage as soon as it is possible and safe to play it live. In the meantime, lockdown has enabled her to ‘strip things out a little’, getting off the treadmill and developing her own projects. One particularly significant avenue she tells me about is writing poetry, some of which will soon be published, another has been her popular Music + Coffee series on Youtube which pairs classic albums with great brews.

Its music however that remains her primary focus. For this record she has worked exclusively with Stroud based musicians and recorded it in a week in Pembrokeshire, rather than Memphis, which provided the setting of her last solo record. Despite this reliance on local talent the playing on the record really is top notch. Drummer Rob Pemberton (ex Low Chimes), bassist Lukas Drinkwater (who also happens to be Emily’s partner) and Pete Roe on keys and guitar perfectly compliment Emily’s songwriting and singing to enable her to shine. This approach sits well with the overall feel of the record that recognises the importance of acting at a local level to begin to influence the wider global situation.

Emily told me about the significant impact that one particular text has had on her own thinking: Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth, who advocates a much more holistic approach to our time on the planet than the current obsession with economic growth. For Emily the book brought into focus the need to bring all of the issues facing us together to tackle them together. Just one example she says is ‘educating girls being one of the most effective ways of defeating climate change.’

The Woman Who Planted Trees - A film by Joe Magee periphery.co.uk

These issues are tackled on perhaps the most striking track on the record Machine. While many of the tracks on Murmuration could fit under the Americana banner, Machine is almost abrasive. Emily herself recognises that the track is some sort of departure but it actually provides an extra dimension to the record which flows perfectly. She admits that she spends ‘many hours agonising over the tracklisting’ and the vinyl and CD versions of the release are programmed slightly differently to compliment the formats. Having previously worked in a record shop herself, Emily recognises the value of the physical album while respecting that much of her audience may stream as well.

For all of the record’s political dimensions, it is actually Emily’s voice that really stands out as the most impressive aspect. As I listened to it I remembered the first time I heard her voice at one of the annual Good on Paper Parties at the Prince Albert. I was cueing up an Eddy Grant record when it hit me. On stage was a woman with a voice like honey, I turned to a friend and just said ‘wow, she’s good!’ That same voice beautifully compliments the gorgeous songs she writes and enables the listener to really engage with the lyrics, something Emily is particularly keen to achieve with Murmuration.

I asked her when she first realised she could sing? It was in a school year 10 graduation event when she sang Aretha Franklin’s Respect that the penny dropped. For the next two decades this particular talent has enabled her to tour the world, collaborate with heroes and record work that will ultimately cement her legacy. Talent is great but it's also clear that in this particular case, it is also accompanied with hard work and an ongoing willingness to learn and innovate that has got Emily where she is today.

Where Have the Sparrows Gone - directed, filmed and edited by Tom Jacob tomjacob.co.uk

This really is a universal record – it will appeal to those who like the current in vogue alt-folk acts such as Laura Marling and This Is The Kit as well as those who most know Emily for her haunting theme for the Wallander TV series. It will appeal to those who want a proper album discussing the big themes of our time but also those who just want great tunes sung well. Emily Barker is a unique talent and we’re very lucky to have her…

A Dark Murmuration of Words is out now via Thirty Tigers (thirtytigers.com). On Sunday 15th November Emily will be performing the album in it’s entirety live from Stroud Valleys Artspace venue the Brunel Goods Shed in Stroud together with the local musicians who played on the record; Lukas Drinkwater (bass, guitar and vocals), Rob Pemberton (drums, synths, percussion and vocals), Pete Roe (keys, guitar and vocals), Misha Law (viola) and Emily Hall (violin). Click here for further information and tickets.

Tom Berry is a record shop proprietor, DJ and Minnie Riperton obsessive. He can be found propping up the counter at Sound Records.