Enchanted

The New Faerie album by Karen Kay & Michael Tingle
10 beautifully crafted faerie songs singing of love and magic in the faerie realm.
Spanning time and touching the soul between the worlds at twilight’s veil.
Be carried away into the heart of enchantment, to the heart of the fae.

Karen has a gorgeous voice, and Michael’s arrangements are exquisite” – Mike Scott

Listen to clips from the album

Reviews

‘Enchanted’ by Karen Kay & Michael Tingle, UK. Review by Louisa John-Krol

Intricate acoustic guitar plucking sparkles in the foreground like raindrops, with luminous keyboard sounds that glow, echoing faerie lights of the sleeve art: lanterns lighting a secret path on a lake. Inside, bright green leaves unfurl across internal panels of the digipak. These effects are offset by the sensual, smoky vocals of Karen Kay, reminding me at times of Vespertina, an American ethereal gothic project that appeared on the German darkwave label Hyperium in the 90’s; also a trip-hop group Baxter, shades of Kate Bush in her Never Forever era, Wendy Rule in recent albums such as Black Snake, and the singing of ….. on the album Verde-Monde by the great French neo-baroque chamber art-pop outfit, Collection de Arnell Andrea. Karen’s lyrics, particularly in the opening track, carry sharply defined folk lines reminiscent of Australian mythic rocker Adrienne Piggott in Spiral Dance.

This album’s musician, producer, arranger and visual designer is the multi-talented Michael Tingle, who co-wrote the songs with Karen, except for #7, ’Stars in Puddles’, by Armorel Hamilton.

One of my favourite tracks is #2 ‘Faerie Feeling’, which arrested me initially because the melody reminds me of the verses in a Clannad divine song ‘Magical Ring’, but also has a charming counterpoint of aforementioned plucking, mixed close-up like fey fingers tickling earlobes, or splashing dew along one’s skin as we venture farther into woodlands. Who knows which sprite in Titania and Oberon’s retinue might be near?

Another fave is #5 ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, which lives up to being the album’s fifth track by a gorgeous vocal melody with leaps in fifths to the word ‘dream’ (and occasionally octaves, to the word ‘joy’), closing key phrases. Loving Shakespeare, and having a numerological obsession with the pentacle/ pentagram, the combination of ‘dream’ + 5 is hard for me to resist. Moreover, it’s a memorable tune. I also enjoy its reverse-recording motifs, one of my longtime favourite sonic effects. Further, lyrically I like the reference to seeing a dragonfly out of the corner of one’s eye; a nod to the peripheral vision so characteristic of faerie glimpses.

Congrats Karen and Michael on pooling your talents to bring us this crepuscular caress. Long may you and your faerie clans prosper.