The Loscoe State Opera nearly derailed my ambitious plans at the onset.

Sure, I said, let's use this period of isolation, imposed on so many of us by the COVID-19 quarantine, to dig into boxloads of old CDs that were sent to me for review and give a little attention to some long-overdue music. And believe me, I've discovered a lot of good stuff that I'd overlooked years ago, and I've enjoyed bringing some of it to your attention.

Then I put Loscoe State Opera's 2004 disc, All Begins Again, into the player. And I played it over, and over, and over again. When, I wondered, would I move on to another CD?

I'm not going to claim it's the best CD in the world. But it's good, and the music -- the vocals especially -- get into your bones. And you don't want to stop listening.

As I noted in my review of a previous album back in -- OMG, 2002 -- the band's name is a clever misdirection. They're based in Derbyshire, England, and their music is steeped in British and Celtic traditions with a thoroughly modern (for the early aughts) sound.

It's a good package all around, but the highest praise goes to singers Ben Daglish, who also plays flute and whistle, and Dave Everitt, who also plays guitar. Their vocals are edgy, distinctive and strong. (I'd say I could listen to them all day, but that's redundant since I already told you I have.) With them are Andy Martin (melodeon, accordion), Anna Brooks (fiddle), Kate Rounding (flute, percussion), Kev Fisher (bass) and Tony Brown (drums, percussion). Everyone but Brown adds backing vocals.

The album is a mix of original music ("Midsummer's Day," "Broadstairs," "World Goes Round") and biting traditionals ("Arthur McBride," "The Recruiting Sergeant," "Geordie"). The band's website paints themselves as "raggle-taggle folk-punk with attitude," and I have to say, they nailed the description.

A quick search online tells me the band remained active until 2019, when Daglish passed away and the others decided to call it quits. Sadly, over two decades of performing, they only released two albums, so there's not a lot to share with people who haven't heard them before. But the two albums are good, so consider picking up a copy or two!

[ visit the Loscoe State Opera online ]