Beachcomber's Windowsill + Tales From Terra Firma

As its title suggests, Stornowayrsquos 2010 debut album, lsquoBeachcomberrsquosWindowsillrsquo, is something of a treasure. Featuring singles lsquoFuel Uprsquo, lsquoI SawnbspYou Blinkrsquo and lsquoZorbingrsquo, it showed just why so many were excited by thenbspOxford indiefolk quartetrsquos arrival a DIY guitar band unusually rooted in folknbsptradition. They stood out further with their deft ability to try their hand at mostnbspinstruments, never shy to experiment while their pure pop harmonies soared.nbspWarmly received on release, lsquoBeachcomberrsquos Windowsillrsquo quickly attained Silver status in the UK and, among the many positive reviews, The Observernbsppraised it for having a ldquoreal emotional depth that transports their music fromnbspthrowaway sunny songs to something altogether more poignant andnbspenduring,rdquo while the NME called it ldquobeautifully rendered and melodicallynbspmagnificent a Constable landscape of a record.rdquoThe album is complemented by a stunning sleeve by designer Chris Bigg, who has played on the albumrsquos title and their songs about nature by working with illustrations of shells, aquatic life and old maps.Stornoway followed up lsquoBeachcomberrsquos Windowsillrsquo, in 2013 with lsquoTales From Terra Firmarsquo. Ten this year, lsquoTales From Terra Firmarsquo is an album of stories birth, death, marriage and coming of age. Featuring the singles lsquoThe Bigger Picturersquo and lsquoFarewell Appalachiarsquo, it was recorded and produced by the band in the main at their own Oxford space, bringing in mix engineer George Shilling having loved his work with Teenage Fanclub, a huge influencenbspon them midway to help them achieve their vision. It worked too.nbspBy being true to themselves and remaining oblivious to outside influences,nbspthey made a truly special album where life is unfurled for the listener. ThenbspGuardian said in their full marks review that therersquos ldquono curse of the secondnbspalbum for Stornoway, whorsquove stretched out without losing sight of thenbspintimacy of their charming debut.rdquonbspFor its sleeve, the band worked with the artist Kirini Kopcke who used fragments of lyrics as her start point to create a picture foreach lsquotalersquo on the album, presenting a strip cartoonlike depiction of the adventures in the life of the main protagonist.Both albums are pressed on recycled black vinyl, in FSCsourced card sleeves.