YARROW LET THE SONGS BREATHE
On Message of the Morning, Olympia's Yarrow turn heavy psych and extended improvisation into a debut that feels captured
I hear Message of the Morning as the sound of a band refusing to rush the good parts. Yarrow's debut is built from six long-form pieces, and because the album was recorded almost entirely live in the band's practice space, the performances retain the small imperfections and spontaneous shifts that I love.
“Drivin'” gets things moving with a loose blues-rock pulse, and the record really opens up on “Piece of Mind” and “Morning,” where the six-piece lineup gives the music considerably more room. Guitar and bass establish the weight, while organ, harmonica and flute add psychedleic colours to the arrangements. I particularly like how the extra instrumentation feels embedded adn layered in the groove.
“Beltane” is the obvious statement piece, stretching beyond ten minutes and allowing Yarrow's improvisational instincts to become part of the songwriting itself.
Message of the Morning sounds like six musicians discovering what happens when they give a song enough time to unfold. I recommend it to anyone who still believes heavy music can be patient and honest.
Interview with Yarrow
(•)> Message of the Morning was recorded almost entirely live in your practice space. Why was capturing the band in that environment important to the album?
(•)> How much of what we hear on the record was improvised in the room, and how much had already been worked out before recording?
(•)> “Drivin'” opens the album with a comparatively concise structure. What made it the right introduction to Yarrow?
(•)> “Dancing Words” and “Piece of Mind” both give the rhythm section plenty of space. How important is the groove when you're building a psychedelic-rock arrangement?
(•)> “Morning” runs for nearly nine minutes. What determines when a Yarrow song has earned the right to keep going?
(•)> “Beltane” stretches beyond ten minutes. Was that song conceived as an extended jam from the beginning, or did the length emerge naturally through playing?
(•)> The instrumentation is unusually broad for a heavy psychedelic-rock record, with flute, organ, electric piano and harmonica alongside the core rock setup. How do you decide which additional textures belong in a song?
(•)> What does Finn Foley's organ and harmonica playing contribute to the band's sound that a conventional guitar-only arrangement couldn't?
(•)> Silje Flatruud's flute is one of the more distinctive elements in the lineup. How did you discover the role that flute could play within Yarrow's heavier material?
(•)> The later Yarrow Live recordings contain extremely long performances, including a nearly 20-minute “Beltane” sequence. Has performing these songs live changed the way you understand the original album?
(•)> Your Bandcamp describes Yarrow as blending psychedelia, heavy riffs and blues. Which of those three elements tends to lead when you're actually writing?
(•)> Message of the Morning is dedicated to Davis Coleman Hill. How did that loss affect the emotional context in which the album was made?
(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Yarrow on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist