ANGELS OF PECKHAM RYE

As a prog folk esthete, band names can attract or repel, and it was with high hopes that our team was asked to consider THE WOOD DEMONS for inclusion in our sometimes kind and gentle, sometimes wacky and savage, sub genre. Though they didn't pass our cattleguard, they were diverted into the crossover corral, so here we are. Nonetheless, fans of folk rock will effortlessly unearth a bounty of delights in 4 out of the 7 tracks on this, THE WOOD DEMONS' first full length release.

The opening number, "Arithmomania", carries a mystical chant through numbers large and small and their relationships to nature. It's an archetypal piece with which to kickstart the proceedings, and certainly formed the basis for my exploration of the group, as Simon Carberry's insistent vocals and the shifts of pace are both auspicious. "The Odd Particle" is one of two instrumentals, accentuating the more predominant delicate and atmospheric aspects, first mostly John Silver's bass, then on Naomi Belshaw's electric violin, which together augment the arrangements and really help engrave the group's signature sound. The most Celtic oriented number is the splendid ballad "Big Game Fishing", while the title cut weaves middle Eastern motifs into a decidedly English tale of a ghostly apparition.

The two rockers, like the surrounding numbers, confirm the group's mastery of their assignments. While they don't flatter the WOOD DEMONS' true strengths in melody and subtlety, the more I hear them, particularly "Starstruck", the more I see them as of a piece with the overall work.

"Angels of Peckham Rye" is a bold devil-may-care release that fans of accessible prog with a folk slant should take to readily. 3.5 stars rounded up.