Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes you get sideswiped by the unexpected. Sometimes you think you are getting something suitably conventional and trendily folky and instead, you get something else entirely. Something unexpectedly inspirational like Siskin Green’s self-titled album.
I can’t say that I have heard of Siskin Green before - Jane Bentley, Suzanne Butler, and Margaret McLarty – but my musical tastes usually lead me in other directions for, as the Man once said, the Devil has all the best tunes. Yet, this album had a curious effect on me and some might even say that effect was something akin to the hypnotic. Packaging their Christian message within the boundaries of entirely standard folk music boundaries was an inspired choice for Siskin Green and this approach completely defeated my defences against any sort of deeper message with their, really rather fine, harmonies serving to entrance my ears into listening further. It’s an abyss of sorts but quite clearly not one that leads to Hell.
I think it is fair to that Siskin Green’s album is the purest that I have heard this year. Their Christian message is never forced upon the listener and the elegant and eloquent presentation of all that you hear might indeed move you closer to enlightenment. Stranger things have happened.