Daffodils; A Lost Trade-Mark!

A classic scenario for the creative is repeating the magic of a debut piece, as pressure mounts from admirers and time is of the essence. Whereas prior, they had all the time in world to perfect an inauguration, the sequel risks hasty yield or unoriginality. I’ve been enjoying The Lost Trades new single Daffodils for best part of a month, and I’m happy to report this is far from the case with our lovable award-winning folk harmony trio.…

Rather they’ve smashed the problem, managing, with just a single, to sum up everything which was great about The Bird, the Book and the Barrel, and that little bit more. Hence the title of my review, this wonderful sunny side of the street tune is a neat little package tallying up the brilliance of the Trades, virtually a lost-trademark, geddit?!

Though with signs of spring popping up really rather early this year, ergo the feel of Daffodils might be a tad overdue, this would’ve put a spring in your step and sunglasses on your head if released in the bleak midwinter!

The when the chips are down, you’ve got a friend with a remedy leitmotif is model hand-me-down, but with a delivery so perfect it’s the mint jersey in the jumble sale. Themed like when Toy Story first blessed your ears with Randy Newman’s You’ve Got a Friend in Me, yet with the retrospective banjo riff and vocal harmonies of the Carter Family, a closer comparison technically, and one which I believe the trio strive towards, this has the timelessness of Will the Circle be Unbroken.

Such are the vocal harmonies, Jamie takes the lead, yet I detected Phil’s slip in virtually unnoticed; the trio are this tight now, the camaraderie highlighted here, their three celebrated solo voices are merged and what comes out the end is multiple times what should.

Their debut album The Bird, the Book and the Barrel, reached the Official Folk Album Chart in both September and January, as well as winning Album of the Year at the GSMC Music Awards; if this is a teaser for a follow-up album, the future is looking intensely all things bright and beautiful.

You’re a newcomer to Devizine if you ask who the Lost Trades are, we might well be the official fanzine, but I swear, cos swearing makes me big and clever, that every smidgen of praise is thoroughly honest and deserved, and this single clarifies it. It’s out on Friday 8^th April, bottle any burden till then and this’ll be the sunny respite of deliverance blowing clouds apart!