I've probably watched this 40 times over the last few years and every rime I'm completely mesmerized and moved to tears by the end, I honestly can't think of another performance that has moved me in this way
This is definitely one of my favorite Aldous performances. You can't beat the acoustics of a bathroom! It's like the perfect mid point between her original folk music and her newer stuff. And she actually shows emotion here; which she doesn't show a whole lot of in some of her newer live performances. If you want another great artist who will rip out your soul, show you all the cracks, glue them back together... say a native prayer, slam your soul back inside... pat you on the head, punch you in the arm, and runaway. Checkout Aurora. You won't even know why you're crying tears of joy, you just will be. She's an algae ball full of pure unadulterated hope.
This is just one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard and I think it exceeds the album version of the same song. This recording should be etched onto a gold disc, blasted into interstellar space and preserved for the next billion years.
I attended her concert here in Gothenburg a few weeks ago (april 2023). Fantastic appearance! The last song was "Swell does the skull" which she perfomed solo on the stage. A truly genuine artist, I feel only true human love for her. This is what it means to be a human in this worldy context.
when you read that comment and it s only 40 sec into the song you go like , what this guy is talking about ?!?! here another one that is to much into this and then 2:57 came ....the human flute....^^ ( actualy you can ear a glympse of that human flute at 1:52 but its kinda short , a minute later it hapen again and very clearly )
Funny how I didn't connect with this song the first time I heard it on her album and now, I'm absolutely amazed by it. Her body of work is like a never ending discovery for me even though I've listened to her for hundreds of hours..
You're not wrong about the wind. She's actually simultaneously singing and making light blowing sounds through her lips during the onomatopoeic ("ooo-wooo-ooo") section of the song. You can actually SEE her doing it by when she starts and stops (her lips puff, then de-puff, when you can hear the low whistle of the air pushing past her pursed lips). It's similar to what the Tuvan throat singers of Mongolia do (only somewhat less complicated), creating two tones through one voice.
The old folk songs that have been passed down through generations have a deep soul searching melancholy that has been lost ,aldous has tapped into that perfectly with her amazing voice ,just beautiful .
Bathroom acoustics strike again. This is spellbinding. We won't hear a better version of this song. Moments captured and shared for us. The phrasing and tonal quality make me weak in the knees.
Aldous is so brutally honest in her music and performances. Don't think I'm aware of a more pure artist. She hides nothing! It (and she) is beautiful in every way.
Beautiful! As far as real singers try Joni Mitchell. Her lyrics brought me to my knees when I first heard Other People's Parties and all of the album Blue❤
Nailed it. This is, by far, the superior version of this song. Absolutely perfect. This is my new favourite Aldous Harding song. A spectacular performance by one woman and one guitar, in her bathroom. No effects, no snazzy production team, just talent and heart. Love it.
Swell does the skull I don't want to be a sinner, no Don't want to be a sinner, no But bourbon, always bourbon Swell does the skull Don't want to be a sinner, no Don't want to be a sinner, no But velvet, always velvet Here he comes through the rain With his coat and his walking cane And he says softly to me: "The war is over, we belong in the country" Ooh Ring have the bell There's honey on the bread now There's honey on the bread now And music, always music He comes home, out of the rain I take his coat, and his walking cane He can feel that I hold him tight The day's over We belong by the fireside Swell does my skull I'll never be without him, no I'll never be without him, no I'll never be without him, no
I just fall in love with this beautiful woman again and again every time I see and hear her. What a blessing, to experience her. I hope the industry is not strangling her to extract every last tear. An army should be raised to prevent that. God bless you Aldous Harding, the beauty of your being brings me joy. :)
My grandfather died about a year ago. As a child he used to take care of me while my parents worked, cutting up melons and fresh fruit instead of giving me baby foods. When he was dying, I felt like such a coward, I didn’t want to see him, I didn’t want to watch someone I loved die, I felt like I was winning for running away from supporting him, and I didn’t want to be a sinner. When he died, my grandmother began to drink more heavily than she did when he was alive, heavy liquors, like bourbon. He served in the army at the end of WWII and during Korea, and I imagined him coming home from those wars to my grandmother, being done with it all, and trying to go back to rural Texarkana, where he was from. When he passed, my grandmother began to have more sugars in the house, namely honey, which she couldn’t do before with him having diabetes. When i hear this song, about an old man in a coat, out in the rain, it makes me think about how even when he was 80 years old he’d go out and play in puddles, when he couldn’t walk right he’d still play out there with a cane or a walking stick, and how most of the nights I’d go see him we’d start a fire in his front yard fireplace, and all my family would come together to talk. Even as I wrote this I began to cry, and every time I do I feel like there’s a swell in my skull, like my head is shaking with the tears coming out. And then I hear that last line, that I’ll never be without him, and I just want to hear his voice one more time, or give him a hug, because I miss him so much. I don’t know if the writer of this song will ever read this, but this song was one of the only things to bring me peace. It hurts me so much to hear this beautiful song, and yet it means so much to me. Hearing it makes me remember how much I loved my grandfather, and I can only say thank you.
I feel like whenever she sings she is channeling thousands and thousands of years of spirits of powerful, resilient women who have martyred themselves for righteous causes. Jus me ?
Man, this is beautiful and amazing. What a finely crafted song- feels as if it was hundreds of years old, burnished by the hands of so many passing it down the years, its lyrics both universal and cryptic enough to hold any number of personal stories. A lovely melody line -lamenting, wistful, warm, chilling, remote; it's all of these. I'd place its origin as English or Flemish, 1770 - 1825, if I didn't understand the lyrics (bourbon and vervet give it away, in a hilarious fashion). That it's a contemporary creation imbues it with a mystical quality, as if this anachronism fell from the sky fully formed, like a meteorite - ancient, its shape and texture the testament of its long journey. Aldous Harding must have listened to and sung a lot of old folk songs over the years to have created this original gem. Very very cool.
Her Mum is a folk singer. I will say Aldous Harding in the same sentence as Bob Dylan with the reference to actually my favourite album of all time, The Times they are a Changin
Does anyone else feel as if Aldous is able to channel or kinda tune into somewhere else when she performs? Seems to come back into the room at the end of each song! Quality human!! 👍🏻
@@coaltin2509 Real talk! there’s too much psychic connection and witchy and Ouija board and Tara card stuff nowadays and way too many grown-up people believe that childish foolishness
I have to admit, this girl is so interesting. Her voice is beautiful, and I'm listening to everything she's done. Her facial expressions have me transfixed. Crazy, chilling, compelling...odd....I need more!
Stunning and haunting, her album "Party" is really amazing, and rigthly named Rough Trades album of the year. She has an astounding voice that really moves you, live she is equally astounding
This girl is wired so differently , oddly beautifully awkward in her delivery of these haunting notes, playing with the colouration of vocal tone with such maturity and confidence . I could watch her face forever it's almost painful where it goes.. Soooo earnest it kills me.
every performance she does is so pensive, so mysterious yet incredibly honest, so free yet incredibly crafted. she is one of the most compelling musicians of our time.
Have watched and listened to this many many times since hearing Aldous Harding on BBC 6Music for the first time, yesterday morning. Completely mesmerising voice and performance, wow, just wow.
@@lebruitdesgraviers Hi there, thank you very much for capturing this extraordinary artist so exceptionally well! May I ask what microphone was used for the recording? Means a lot, thanks again!
Heavenly, her voice and music are hypnotizing. i keep coming back to listen to this beautiful song, tho every time i get tears in my eyes. it feels nostalgic and brings me back to warm memories of a long time ago.
I am so moved by the music of Aldous Harding, I have to hold back from commenting on every video. Her music is Hauntingly beautiful. One could cry it's so sad but I feel peaceful too. You go on a journey of emotions... Her expressions are the bonus song you fell in love with. 🌸❤️☮️🇨🇦
this is true talent, I cant take my eyes off her,, she is creepy and perfect at the same moment, fascinating musician and woman, this music will open doors you did not know where there
IMO this is the first Aldous performance I would represent to anyone. Blessed to see her at work at Bristol UK twice. My take on the song is that the man with the cane is on a Jonnie Walker bottle. She is the artist. Hope she is in UK soon and I will endeavour to be stared through by her.
Yes! I thought I was the only one who was making the Johnnie Walker connection! The song could entirely be about a struggle with alcoholism. The lyrics "velvet always velvet", "there's honey on the bread now" both could be describing bourbon characteristics. And of course "bourbon always bourbon" is a dead giveaway. I just imagine the character in this song somberly sitting by the fireside, listening to music on a rainy evening after the day's work is done, and clutching tightly a bottle of JW; alone and contemplating her life as a singer/sinner.
OK so me and my darling Ben cat are hearing this beauty of a song together..he's nudging my phone because he knows as much as I do exactly how fabulous this song is. Peace and love to you all xx
