Birch Book - s/t (10" Vinyl + CD) LIKE: MARISSA NADLER/ESPERS/CATHERINE RIBEIRO

	€		24
	$		27

Format: 10" Vinyl EP
Includes: CD version of the EP, two large art inserts and a unique patch
Edition: Limited to 500 numbered copies

 "The songs sound like something one might hear emanating from the warm windows of a cottage nestled in the startling green of the French countryside." kNOw Deposit, kNOw Return

"These beautiful folk lullabies could calm even the most savage beast."
The Inarguable

Aware of Birch Book's interest in French language and culture, Les Disques du 7ème Ciel suggested that they collaborate on the release of a record based on French song.

This eponymous EP contains six tracks – a reworking of Life's lace, which originally appeared on his album A Hand Full Of Days, and five new ones.

Limited edition with just 500 hand-numbered copies worldwide.

The vinyl is packaged in a 400gsm grey cardstock gatefold sleeve and comes with two large art inserts on uncoated 300gsm white paperboard and a full CD version of the EP housed in a printed 400gsm grey cardstock sleeve.

It is all hand-made from 100% recycled raw paper. The package also includes a unique 100% embroidered Birch Book patch exclusive to the release.

Tracklisting
    01. Life's Lace
    02. Le Temps De Vivre
    03. Le Chanson De Prévert
    04. Son Du Soleil
    05. Les Feuilles Mortes
    06. Vent d'Automne

Credits
B'ee: Vocals, guitars (acoustic, electric & inverted) & arrangements
Ron Walker: Harmonium
Brier Nitz: Female vocals

All songs written by B'ee except:
(A2) (Georges Moustaki) - published by Warner Chappell Music France
(A3) (Serge Gainsbourg) - published by Warner Chappell Music France / Melody Nelson Publishing
(B1) (B'ee - Carole Chiaramonti / B'ee)
(B2) (Jacques Prévert / Joseph Kosma) - published by Enoch Et Cie
(B3) (B'ee - Damien Loret / B'ee)

Produced by B'ee at La Maison des Uns - Astoria, Oregon
Mastered by Mark Beazley

Artwork by Damian O'Hara


Reviews
    The enigmatic B'eirth (or B'ee) is best known as the frontman for the psychedelic folk outfit IN GOWAN RING. However, with his Birch Book project, he has moved away from the psychedelics and instead, opted for a simpler, more straightforward folk sound. The result, however, is still some pretty haunting — and haunted — music, thanks to B'eirth's deft guitar-work and dreamy NICK DRAKE-esque vocals.

    One of the most recent examples of this is a limited edition Birch Book EP released by Les Disques du 7ème Ciel. The EP consists of six songs: a gorgeous, moving version of Life's lace — which originally appeared on Birch Book's A Hand Full Of Days — plus five new songs sung primarily in French. Admittedly, my French is pretty rusty, so I don't know what B'eirth is singing about exactly — I suspect the subject matter is just as otherworldly and "wyrd" as his English-language material — but that doesn't change the fact that this is a lovely sounding batch of songs.

    The man's lazy-hazy vocals are just as good in French as they are in English (maybe even better). Furthermore, the music's subdued tone—achieved primarily through gracefully picked acoustic guitars and some subtle atmospheric flourishes (e.g., La chanson de Prévert's shivering drones, the reverb-soaked guitar on the MORRICONE-esque Les feuilles mortes) — is perfect for grey rainy mornings.

    – Opus.fm / Jason Morehead

    What a superb little release! Other than a couple of songs on free download compilation releases, this is B'ee's first release on French label Les Disques du 7eme Ciel. Appropriately enough, it features French songs. Only the first song, Life's Lace (the only song here to be solely written by B'ee), is sung in English, although the French language creeps in towards the end.

    On this release, the transition between the original compositions and the cover versions is seamless. For a moment, I was tempted to drag out the old cliché about how (in this case, B'ee) makes the songs sound like his own, but instead I think I'll just point out that in many cases, musicians simply choose to cover songs written by kindred spirits.

    The songs sound like something one might hear emanating from the warm windows of a cottage nestled in the startling green of the French countryside.

    – kNOw Deposit, kNOw Return

    B'ee's music and I go way back. I believe I was 15 or so when I first began to discover folk music and an old friend sent me Birch Book's Volume 1. At first I sort of neglected it, finding sole musician B'ee's use of the mouth harp a little too unnerving, but, over time, I found myself revisiting the album, suddenly knowing all the words. Maybe Birch Book wasn't so bad, after all. With albums few and far between, each Birch Book release is something to be cherished and at which to marvel.

    Having spent the past year or so in France, B'ee took this opportunity to record a small homage to his new home. B'ee's voice, due to the French language's softer consonant sounds, is absolutely beautiful and at its calmest ever.

    Son du soleil makes nods at French musical culture with its use of the concertina, a smaller scale accordion, along with his droning, Americana-folk: a reminder of his origins. Perhaps I never noticed it with the original, but Les feuilles mortes breaks into the jazz standard Autumn leaves, which, due to its subject matter, is absolutely perfect for Birch Book's autumnal music.

    I don't think I will ever leave a Birch Book release underwhelmed. B'ee's songwriting remains as strong and solemn as ever, while still retaining that memorable catch that hooked me six long years ago. These beautiful folk lullabies could calm even the most savage beast.

    – The Inarguable

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