SONGS FROM THE WOOD

Oh boy my occasional favorite Jethro Tull album! My experience with the Tull is very fragmented, having only heard particular songs from wildly varying eras of the band from my bass teacher before actually exploring them on my own. The eclecticism of what I heard made diving into Jethro Tull seem like an intimidating task, almost Zappa-esque in the many different styles I heard, but I eventually checked out the "proggy" stuff like Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play. Needless to say I loved them, and I was content to leave the Tull there, for looking at the track lengths of the ensuing albums seemed as if they went lightweight afterwards. That was quite the mistake. A while after, my bass teacher played me Songs from the Wood, and I was immediately hooked. It was punchy, it was catchy, there were weird instrumental runs that reminded me of APP, and it was all contained in a joyous, tight 5 minutes. I immediately set out to find the album, and I was not disappointed. The title track is wondrous and complex, yet accessible. Jack in the Green is fun, as is Cup of Wonder, which almost borders on folk-disco, and believe me that is not a bad thing. The low point of the album to me is Hunting Girl, which has a pretty killer riff, but gets a little too complex for complexity's sake by the end with its endlessly repeating and alternating themes. Ring Out Solstice Bells has quite the nice melody to it and is certainly joyous, if not a bit lightweight, but is still a lovely track. Velvet Green is a wonder of a track with beautifully composed sections (the transitions can be a little jarring) but in the end the overall effect is a lovely ode to promiscuity at a renaissance fair. The Whistler is also a very fun track with jaunty whistle work from Mr. Anderson. Pibroch is definitely a grower of a track, passing me by on the first couple of listens, but repeated listens definitely do reward on this grandiose but solemn piece. Finally, Fire at Midnight, as before, used to pass me over after the lengthy Pibroch, but definitely stands on its own after repeated listens, and may in fact be my favorite Jethro Tull "ballad", its a simple, beautiful bookend to the album.

I have to give a mention to the synth choices, since no one really mentions how dated the synths used on this record are. Synthesizer on a primarily acoustic record was an odd choice to begin with regardless of the settings used, but it miraculously works. It definitely adds some fun and lightheartedness that would have been missing had it not been there. The only issue is that instead of being a timeless record, the sounds definitely place it in '77. Regardless, this is still a fun listen and a great way to get your daily dose of paganism in.