''Silent June'' is the first album by

O'Hooley & Tidow O'Hooley & Tidow is an English folk music duo from Yorkshire. Singer-songwriter Heidi Tidow (pronounced ''Tee-doe'' or ''Tee-dov'') performs and records with her wife, singer-songwriter and pianist Belinda O'Hooley, who was formerly a member of ...

. Recorded between August and November 2009 at their home in

Golcar Golcar (pronounced ) is a village on a hillside crest above the Colne Valley in the Kirklees district, in West Yorkshire, England, west of Huddersfield, and just north of the River Colne and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The 2021 populatio ...

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...

, it was released on 22 February 2010 on the No Masters label, distributed by

Proper Records Proper Records is an English record label founded by Proper Music Group Chairman – Malcolm Mills and Paul Riley. Commencing with a handful of releases, including the Balham Alligators and Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers, the label grew ...

. The album, which was mixed and mastered by Neil Ferguson of

Chumbawamba Chumbawamba () was a British anarcho-punk band who formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the Brit Awards 1998. Other singles include "Amnes ...

, also featured Anna Esslemont and Cormac Byrne (both from Uiscedwr),

Jackie Oates Jackie Oates is an English folk singer and fiddle player. Life Jackie Oates was born in Congleton in Cheshire in 1983. At the age of 18, she moved to Devon to study English literature at Exeter University and was based in Devon until 2011, ...

and the Solo Players

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

. It was critically acclaimed and received a four-starred review in the ''Financial Times''.

Songs

The title of the album refers to the words of one of the songs on the album, "Que Sera", about the

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

of the British nurse

Edith Cavell Edith Louisa Cavell ( ; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for treating wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination during the First World War and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape ...

. Belinda O'Hooley says that "Que Sera" seeks to portray "the horrors of war from a woman's perspective" and "explores the feelings, sounds and senses that Edith Cavell may have felt as she stood before a firing squad". The album also includes a version of the song " Spancil Hill" and a new song "Too Old to Dream" incorporating a segment of "

When I Grow Too Old to Dream "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" is a popular song with music by Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, published in 1934. The song was introduced by Evelyn Laye and Ramon Novarro in the film '' The Night Is Young'' (1935). It has si ...

", a popular song with music by

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his Musical theatre, musicals and operettas, particularly ''The Student Prince'' (1924), ''The Desert Song'' (1926) and ''The New Moo ...

and lyrics by

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Award ...

, published in 1934 and recorded by many artists, most notably

Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was a British actress, singer and comedian. A star of cinema and music hall, she was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...

Reception

Colin Irwin, for ''

BBC Music BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...

'', said: "Too Old to Dream is a sentimental, yet still intensely moving picture of faded memories, melded into the old Sigmund Romberg/Oscar Hammerstein II standard and a recording of a Dewsbury care home resident....One More Xmas might also one day be recognised as a classic. Thoughtful, provocative, yearning and deeply poignant, it’ll resonate with anyone who's lost a loved one or wilts under grown-up responsibilities, and may just be the best seasonal song written since Fairytale of New York."

Neil Spencer Neil Spencer is a British journalist, author, broadcaster and astrologer who lives in north London. He edited the ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') from 1978 to 1985 and was a founding editor of the men's magazine ''Arena'' and of the jazz/art ma ...

, writing in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'', said: "The spare, dramatic piano parts that Belinda O'Hooley formerly brought to the Unthanks have grown into rippling, neo-classical arrangements on this first album with fellow singer and songwriter Heidi Tidow... A bold, unsettling debut." David Honigmann, reviewing the album for the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'', gave it four stars, and said "the deceptively light 'Shelter Me' is a memorably off-beat love song...O’Hooley unfolds a gorgeous piano melody." Peter Culshaw of ''

The Arts Desk ''The Arts Desk'' (theartsdesk.com) is a British arts journalism website containing reviews, interviews, news, and other content related to music, theatre, television, films, and other art forms written by journalists from a variety of tradition ...

'' described ''Silent June'' as a "low-key but intensely beautiful and poetic album...the piano, adventurous bracing strings and vocals give it a semi-classical feel." It was one of ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...

'' magazine's Top 10

Folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

Albums of 2010 and won "Best Debut" in the Spiral Awards, organised by Spiral Earth.

Track listing

# "Flight of the Petrel" (O'Hooley/Tidow) (6:38) # "All Stand in Line" (O'Hooley) (4:59) # "Shelter Me" (O'Hooley/Tidow) (3:42) # "Banjololo" (Traditional, arranged by O'Hooley/Tidow) (0:35) # "Spancil Hill" (Traditional, arranged by O'Hooley/Tidow/Dumbelton/Oates) (4:20) # "Too Old to Dream" (O'Hooley/Tidow/Romberg/Hammerstein II) (7:44) # "Hidden from the Sun" (O'Hooley/Tidow) (7:33) # "Que Sera" (O'Hooley/Tidow) (6:12) # "Beautiful Danger" (O'Hooley) (3:54) # "One More Xmas" (O'Hooley) (5:19) # "Cold and Stiff" (O'Hooley) (2:14)

Personnel

O'Hooley & Tidow

* Belinda O'Hooley – vocals, piano, dampened piano, piano chimes, hand claps * Heidi Tidow – vocals, hand claps

Other musicians

* Anna Esslemont – violin, hand claps * Cormac Byrne – bodhran, cajon, percussion, hand claps * James Dumbelton – guitar *

– octave fiddle * James Budden – bass * Nia Bevan, Raymond Lester, Jayne Coyle, Damion Browne –

* Irene Rourke from Barking Banks Care Home,

Dewsbury Dewsbury is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder, West Yorkshire, River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, ...

– vocals at intro to "Too Old to Dream"

Production

The album (except for the string quartet, which was recorded at Hill Top Studios,

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

) was recorded at West End Studios, Golcar by Belinda O'Hooley from August to November 2009. It was produced by Belinda O'Hooley & Heidi Tidow.

Cover artwork

The album's cover, designed by Boff Whalley, incorporated photographs by Casey Orr.

References and footnotes

External links

Official website: O'Hooley & Tidow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silent June 2010 debut albums O'Hooley & Tidow albums