Video Premiere:
Rachel Taylor-Beales – Fire Girl
folk radio December 01 2022

https://www.folkradio.co.uk/2022/12/video-premiere-rachel-taylor-beales-fire-girl/

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Recorded and co-produced in collaboration with fellow artist and husband Bill Taylor-Beales in their South Wales based studio. The twelve tracks traverse a lyrical blend of alt-folk-baroque-americana-blues and jazz infused melodies. 

 

Joined by Lucy Rivers on violin and additional vocals, Stacey Blythe on accordion, and guest appearances from Rachel and Bill’s daughter Polly, who adds spoken word elements on two tracks, while Rachel and Bill provide the rest of the musical accompaniments. From lyre-harp to kalimba, multiple guitars, to steel tongue drum, pianos, organs, banjos, bass, harmonicas, percussion and even a hint of soprano saxophone, Out Of This Frame weaves a dynamic tapestry of sound and stories. 

 

Rachel says: “So much has happened during the process of making this album. The ongoing fallout of the global pandemic, as well as personal loss, the death of Bill’s mother, and two dear friends, have impacted me deeply. Like everyone, I have had to delay plans and rearrange schedules as around life as it has happened… And inevitably these emotions and losses have found their way into the songs and recordings. I think it’s an album that acknowledges individual and collective despair, exhaustion, and helplessness, while at the same time still choosing to hope. As well as my own self-expression, I also wanted to amplify voices of others, be that a refugee, or a fire spinner, First Nations children found in unmarked graves in Canada, a dream whale, a fellow singer-songwriter, mythological Pandora, Eve… These songs are political, personal, mythic. Sometimes they’re a shout, other times they’re a whisper, or a wail… And at its core this is an album about re-framing narratives.” 

 

Alongside the music, Rachel has also created an Out Of This Frame Companion Book of lyrics, artworks, photos, notes and fragment streams of consciousness. A digital version of this book is included with purchase of the digital album. A full colour, 52 page, A5 limited edition hardback version of the book is also available to purchase.

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Rachel says “While I was painting portraits of each of the album contributors, I began to realise that these images were also a voice of their own within the project. Painting Steffi Wulf of the Fire Girl song, with arms outstretched and a fire fan in each hand, spoke out as an emblem of strength and empowerment underlining her story. Reframing Pandora and Eve as proud, older women and contemporary icons, or juxtaposing a joyful dancing image of hope against the darker themes of the Shoot the Moon song, added extra layers of meaning to the work. And so, the idea of the book was born as a space to incorporate words and images, as well as ideas, dreams, quotes, and anecdotes that support and further illuminate these songs and my song writing process.”  

 

 

Released 24th November 2022 on Hushland Records, Out Of This Frame will be available to purchase, stream and download, from the 24thof November 2022 on Rachel’s Bandcamp https://racheltaylor-beales.bandcamp.com.