It is perhaps a question for the philosophers of today. That question.? Whither the anachronism. Another question. Is there still a place for music that has not been contrived for commercial gain? Music that exudes a form of art that is as much of today as it is of an artistic subculture of a time when freedom of thought and expression was given more than lip service. Onwards and inwards, therefore, to “Nothing May Come Of It” by Joan Ure and Sheila K Cameron.
Joan Ure – as probably too many do not know – was a poet and playwright of past times who possessed the curious directness that has so often been the modus operandi of the many overlooked literary ghosts of Scotland and Sheila Cameron has also long been a purveyor of words that exist out of time so the combination of these two sentimentally motivated artists - separated mostly by mortality – was always going to be at odds with the current trend for living life in the perennial loop of the monthly subscription. “Nothing May Come Of It” resolutely resonates with the concept of emotional truth whilst drawing in enough of the ennui that is the result of exposure of the heart to the hot and cold versions of reality.
This is an album that exorcises memories of a time when even those that the future would underrate could, by that combination of talent and the societal equivalence of those times, ascend to a firmament that would and will last forever, at least for those who dare to look where most have forgotten. Timelessness and the truth are often left solely within the purvey of the academic yet it is clear that “Nothing May Come Of It” has truth within it and, while the commercial potential may be limited as a result, true art has never been about profit and there are few better ways to spend 22 minutes of your life than spending it in the company of Sheila Cameron.
The album is available as a limited release on compact disc from Bandcamp.