The original concept of field recordings dates back to the early 20th century with the work of folklorists John and Alan Lomax, and its time may have come again in this age when the authenticity of nearly everything is questioned.
Vancouver singer/songwriter and roots music scene veteran Mark Branscombe has adopted that concept for his new album, a 10-song collection that contains the full musical gumbo of distinctive sounds he developed with his previous groups The Gravel-Aires and the Mud Bay Blues Band.
As the title Field Recordings suggests, Branscombe completed the album over a two-year period in various locations, after writing several songs during a 2023 trip to Turkey and Greece. He says, “Every morning I would try to come up with some riffs or chord structures, record them on my phone or make a voice memo, and try to write lyrics by the time I had my second cup of coffee. It was all about capturing the moment, and if the ideas were strong enough, I would come back and assemble them into a song.”
Branscombe shared the first taste of Field Recordings last fall with “Blind Leading The Blind,” a plaintive folk song that’s certainly the album’s outlier, but one whose message resonates in our current turbulent age. Among its key lyrics, “Things have changed in the land of the free, they locked the door and can’t find the key, lost the handle on democracy.”
With the album’s release, the focus is now on “Leave This World,” a soulful rocker in the spirit of The Band that Branscombe wrote for his wife Colleen. “That song is essentially about celebrating everyday moments unique to a relationship—the ups, downs, happy days and hard nights, along with the love, joy, beauty and imperfections that couples and families experience. Colleen had kidded me once about never writing her a love song; this one seemed to write itself.”
“Leave This World” is one of three songs on the album recorded by Juno Award-winning producer and musician Steve Dawson at Vancouver’s Warehouse Studios, and features him on guitar. With the rest of the album completed over the course of other sessions, one of Branscombe’s challenges was to maintain a consistent vibe throughout. This, he says, was accomplished by sticking to his vision, and putting his trust in a group of Vancouver musicians he’s forged strong ties with over the past few years.
“Since leaving Mud Bay Blues Band in 2022 I have met a few different Vancouver artists that I could collaborate with, which led to The Gravel-Aires making our third album Westerly in 2024. But I’ve found that writing as a solo act provides more room to move stylistically and to express what is in my heart, mind and soul.”
Those feelings come out in different ways as the album plays out, from the most overtly blues-based tracks such as “Cheque To Cheque,” to the classic rocker “Hard Way To Do Anything” and the ‘70s-styled ballad “Cold To The Touch.” In short, Mark Branscombe’s Field Recordings has something to appeal to every roots music fan.
