Wagtail's “One Clear Moment”: Two Albums in One

Listen at Wagtail' s web site.

According to percussionist Carter Stowell, it was fellow band member Kristina Stykos who coined the name “Wagtail” as a moniker for one of central Vermont's newest and most engaging acoustic foursomes. I swear there must be something magical in the drinking water out greater Montpelier way. Every time I turn around, my ears pick up the sound of something sonically good and wholesome floating across the breeze from the direction of the state capital.

So who is “Wagtail”? Longtime listeners within the central Vermont music scene probably know Stykos and Stowell (formerly with the band “Ekis”), may be familiar singer/instrumentalist George White, and are no doubt well-versed in the work of the prolific singer/fiddler Susannah Blachly. Put ‘em all together, and you've got “Wagtail” – a foursome that is really two bands ((at least) in one.

Let me explain.

The “wag” portion of the band's name refers to the toe-tapping spontaneity that emanates from roughly one half of the tunes – all instrumentals - on “One Clear Moment,” the band's first (and hopefully not last) CD. The “wag” formula is simple and true – turn talented fiddler Susannah Blachly loose, and hang on for the ride and the varied change-ups, as attested to by the original medley “Crossing the Causeway/Icehouse” and the traditional “Martin Wynne/Carol Roe/Connaughtman's.”

Interspersed among the instrumentals are vocally-driven numbers, mostly stories – the “tail,” or “tales,” as it were.

Neat, huh? “Wagtail.”

One part instrumentality, the other part vocal storytelling.

Now I know what you are thinking. Mixing instrumental and singer/songwriter genres on one album is a dicey prospect, especially with so many samples of each tune in the mix.

The good news: whoever arranged the line-up on “One Clear Moment” knew exactly what they were doing. Timing is everything on an album like this.

To their credit, the band pulls us right in with the opening track - the seductive and sensual “When the Sun Goes Down”:

Here the ancient willow sigh/
As the clouds spin across the sky/
Watch the day's last embers die/
And I'll meet you when the sun goes down…

Sign me up.

From there, they move into the rollicking “Causeway,” followed by a hypnotically percussive Stykos number called “River Go By,” driven by the guitar and Stowell's djembe and shaker playing, and then swing into the classic tune “House Carpenter,” ably fronted by chanteuse Blachly's fiddle playing.

The fifth tune also happens to be the title track – “One Clear Moment” – and for my money, it is the weakest song on the record. The sentiment is familiar, and the tune is catchy enough to rub smooth some of the rough lyrical “tell, don't show” edges and mixed metaphors – “traffic is slow and its making me stressed/throw out the anchor ‘cause I want to slow down” – just what is going on here?

But the rest of the CD is first rate. A generous fourteen tunes round out the project, and my favorite is the last one, a Blachly-crafted tune called “Honey Man.” The song is built on the traditional number “Sandy Boys,” but ramped up with incandescent and playful lyrics reminiscent of the best of old timey meets Americana music – a sort of female version of “Shady Grove,” in which a lover sings joyfully of her found love – Johnny O, in this case. Be sure to listen all the way through, so you don't miss the sweetness of this final tune.

And don't miss this new CD from “Wagtail” – may there be many more to come from this talented foursome.