Tapir! - The Pilgrim, Their God & The King Of My Decrepit Mountain Review
Mythical, Curious and Spirited. Tapir! Take us on a journey with their new album The Pilgrim, Their God & The King Of My Decrepit Mountain.
On January 26th 2024, the long-awaited debut album The Pilgrim, Their God & The King Of My Decrepit Mountain by Tapir! will become available to buy and stream. This formidable six-piece band from South London fuses the talents of Ike Gray, Will McCrossan, Tom Rogers-Coltman, Ronnie Longfellow, Emily Hubbard and Wilf Cartwright. Their distinctive contemporary folk sound reached new heights in 2023, signing to Heavenly Recordings alongside The Orielles and Mildlife. The album is made up of three acts, two of which are currently available as individual EPs on streaming platforms. The full ensemble has been eagerly anticipated, and I assure you that it is every bit as curious and spirited as imagined.
The Pilgrim, Their God & The King Of My Decrepit Mountain is structured in three acts, each following the ‘The Pilgrim’ on a journey through a mythic universe, confronted with a range of fantastical happenings along the way. Although unorthodox for an album, this chronicle approach creates a captivating narrative and an idiosyncratic listening experience.
The introductory track in each act is a collaboration with the Californian vocalist Kyle Field from the band Little Wings, and each has a quality of theatrical storytelling. Act One (The Pilgrim), Act Two (Their God) and Act Three (The King Of My Decrepit Mountain) add narration to the songs that proceed them, aiding the visualisation of the environments and atmosphere. The instrumental of these tracks are dimensional and vivid, the perfect backdrop to set the tone of each act.
Despite being entirely cohesive, Tapir! successfully achieve a different Flavour in each part of the album. Act One has an overarching feel of playfulness and optimism, Act Two is melancholic and consumingly gentle, and Act Three encompasses a sentimental characteristic. In terms of versatility, this debut album is a testament to the talent behind it.
Art and Classical Music are both clear influences within the album. It has been said that Tapir! has taken inspiration from the works of Henri Rousseau, which is entirely audible. You can visualise ‘The storm tossed vessel’ c.1899 when listening to track 6, Act Two ‘Broken Ark’, and ‘The Equatorial Jungle’ c1909 in track 12, Act Three ‘Mountain Song.’ This is a decadent point of comparison, as it shows that the band can effectively relfect in music the raw creativity of naïve art. Nods to late 19th century artists continue with track 7, Act Two ‘Gymnopédie’, which samples chords from ‘Gymnopédie No. 1’ by Erik Satie, 1888.The ability to take a piece of classical music and revitalise it in this nature, shows the genius that has gone into each individual track.
What this album achieves above all else is strong authenticity. At a time when new music can often feel commercial and lacking heart, Tapir! has assembled an album which is full to the brim of life and soul. It is indisputable that the music is theatrical, clever and meticulously thought out.