Releases
The Unthanks - Here's The Tender Coming in stores March 2nd
Rough Trade is very pleased to present the third release from Britain’s premiere folk group,The Unthanks, Here’s The Tender Coming, BBC’s Music Folk album of the year.
It’s hard to imagine a British folk outfit with fans like Radiohead, Portishead and Ben Folds, but The Unthanks occupy a unique place in music. Influenced as much by the minimalist eccentricity of Antony & The Johnsons or Miles Davis, as they are by the traditional music of the North East of England, The Unthanks have established themselves as the most innovative and critically acclaimed folk bands in modern history.
Here’s The Tender Coming released in the UK and Europe last year to an avalanche of critical acclaim, with the album being called “absolutely exquisite” and “a rare undisiplined magic.”
Formerly known as Rachel Unthank & The Winterset, their second album The Bairns (2007), nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, was recently the only British folk album to appear in The Best Albums of the Decade in both Uncut magazine and The Observer (The Guardian on Sunday).
The group have just completed a sold out 42 date UK tour in support of Here’s The Tender Coming (London show – Shepherds Bush Empire), on which they unveiled a new line-up featuring a kaleidescope of instruments including string quartet, trumpet, marimba, dulcitone, chord organ, piano, guitar, marimba, double bass, drums and vocal harmonies from the whole band.
Known for their timeless, unsentimental and quietly subversive tales of loss, fear, booze, brawls, abuse and sorrow, siblings Rachel and Becky Unthank are honest, young storytellers outside of time, forging links between folk worlds old, new and other.
Selling out shows all over Europe and Australia, in the US and Canada, The Unthanks have a glowing New York Times review and a support slot last summer with Ben Folds under their belts, but otherwise are looking forward to relatively untested waters with Rough Trade, hoping to become a British counterpart to the leftfield folk leanings of Sufjan Stevens, Bonnie Prince Billy (who they cover on The Bairns) and Fleet Foxes.
For the latest information or to preview music, visit www.myspace.com/rachelunthank and www.rachelunthank.com/
PRAISE FOR HERE’S THE TENDER COMING
“My favorite county record of 2009. The county of Northumberland, that is. The supernatural singing from Rachel and Becky Unthank and the lovely arrangements are three reasons to hear this wonderful album.” – Elvis Costello
“Even more satisfying, compelling and varied than the Mercury-nominated The Bairns. Haunting, original and magnificent” 4 stars – The Guardian
“An exquisite mixture of light and dark, instinct and artistry.” 4 stars – Uncut
“Folk music’s most beguiling act is back” 4.5 stars – The Sun
“There is nothing obvious about this album” 4 Stars Observer Music Magazine
“Absolutely exquisite. A real work of art. I will be playing it at least forever.” – Paul Morley
“When confronted with music as splendid as this, it’s easy to be swept along on a wave of purple prose. “Beautiful”, “haunting”, and “beguiling” are all words that spring easily to mind whilst listening to this astonishing record..even such effusive descriptions drastically undersell” – BBC Music Reviews
Comment
