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Eternal Child - Daria Kulesh

by Folkstock Records

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1.
Fata Morgana 04:06
You came to me when I slept your lips made no sound your feet made no din I missed you so much since you left and I asked you: My darling, where have you been? Chorus: And you smiled softly and I saw that you'll tell me whatever I wanted to know But some things must be hidden and so... I woke up with your voice in my ear - the link is unbroken, I felt you were here My fata morgana my mystery fay on the horizon of my senses you melt away... Your stories of joy and of strife are scattered like beads but I am the thread You looked so real and alive and I asked you: What is it like, being dead?
2.
Letting Go 03:08
Letting Go (for my first love) There is a place I left behind - I thought it would be my forever home Life can be odd; sometimes you find That happiness you claimed was not your own Chorus: Not meant to be My promised land across the stormy sea I’m letting go Will you ever heave a sigh or wish for me? We both moved on - I have my songs and I was happy on my wedding day You have a girl - a homely soul I’m hearing there’s a baby on the way Farewell, farewell... I won’t return and if I did, there’s nothing I could keep I have a home - away from home and I must put my memory to sleep
3.
Right Here 03:37
Right Here Round and round the garden as a dreaming child I was roaming, blissfully beguiled Long before reality began I didn't know the world's more full of sorrow than I could comprehend Chorus: I've never left that place my childhood without pain and fear my charmed and protected space I'm always staying right here staying right here Leave me to my dreaming it's my only skill Sometimes it's the only thing that's real Long before I fell into the trap I didn't know I had to make excuses for never growing up Staying right here inside my shell all will be well all will be well To stay a child forever I ran away from home Didn't know what I was running from Long before, when I began to flee I didn't know my innocence was hidden right here inside of me Chorus: I've never lost that place my childhood without pain and fear my charmed and protected space It's always staying right here staying right here
4.
Tamed 03:08
Tamed (for my husband) I had a grubby little heart you picked it up in the mud It was growing, wild and foreign, on a heap of waste You took it in, you took it home and you gave it a scrub And you put it on the mantelpiece of our glory days O-oo, I don't understand Why you shunned all the roses, picking me instead? O-oo, take me by the hand - we're responsible, forever, for what we have tamed Do you remember when we met? You were strong, you were sure there was kindness in your eyes and you rescued me Together, gently, we will grow whatever life has in store and for you I'll be the best I could ever be O-oo, do you understand you are rare, like a raindrop in a sea of sand? O-oo, take me by the hand - we're responsible, forever, for what we have tamed
5.
At Midnight 02:01
At Midnight* (for my short-lived long-distance fling) At midnight my head grows wings and leaves my body to sleep alone I will fly through your open window drink you dry till the break of dawn Stretching across the distance, I am a hungry shade my soul is a string so thin that spiders are put to shame The village is full of whispers, they know that I am a witch I am stretching across the distance as far as my soul can reach At midday, the sun is scorching and I'm shrinking, as shadows do But at midnight I’ll keep on searching reaching out of my mind to you The village is full of whispers, they know that I am a witch I am stretching across the distance as far as my soul can reach Stretching across the distance, I am a hungry shade my soul is a string so thin that spiders are put to shame (*co-written with Igor Devlikamov
6.
Butterflies 03:03
Butterflies (for the Butterfly Children - see www.debra.org.uk) Most of us are wearing thick skins to hide the fragile beauty sealed inside We are caterpillars building our cocoons... but one day we'll have to fly, bursting into butterflies... too soon There are some among us, no armour or disguise their skin as brittle as the wings of butterflies To the world outside them no immunity Such fragile beauty a pain to see So squeamish caterpillars hide in their cocoons... While brittle butterflies break their wings on ignorance... too soon So think of those less hardened and don't avert your eyes from fragile beauty of butterflies We may feel protected In our safe cocoons... but one day we'll have to fly, bursting into butterflies... too soon
7.
The Hairdresser (for the lady that used to cut my hair when I was a child) You're working at home cutting all sorts of hair The TV is on, there's no news to share Your daughter's reckless, the wanton sort A drunken brawl and a life cut short... Your daughter's boyfriend, the rowdy sort he'll beat her no more, but she's due in court Accused of murder - it takes its toll - she scribbles in black marker pen on a white bedroom wall... Chorus: Snip-snip, snip-snip, snip-snip Lull your conscience to sleep You have ties to cut and secrets to keep There is no escaping, you're in too deep So just carry on... Snip-snip In desperation you rushed about To borrow money to bail her out The lawyer was pricey, but you couldn't fail - you had to save her from years in jail You live in the past, in your innocent youth your tresses were loose, free to flow as they choose Старый, забытый юности нашей вальсок... (Russian: The old, forgotten little waltz of our youth)
8.
Fake Wonderland (for a wealthy man I happen to know) In your suite that overlooks the Winter Wonderland you are standing far above Hyde Park Pumping beats pollute the evening air neon towers glitter in the dark Chorus: Fake wonderland, vanity fair I understand you, you stand and stare Money will buy nothing that lasts Rumours abound about your past Who will be the Alice to fall in your Wonderland now you've parted ways with Queen of Hearts? Like the little mermaid, she'll be walking on shards stepping through the broken looking-glass In this world of mirrors I'm forgettng what is real clinging to ambition, mixed with fear I recall a place where I could say what I feel but it must be far away from here
9.
Track 9 on Daria Kulesh's debut album Eternal Child I Watch the Snow* (for absent friends) I watch the snow, I dream of you I watch the snow, I find what I seek Across the miles I fly to you and reach you as a snowflake on your cheek Chorus: The snow will fall around us all And fill the emptiness between the sky will touch the land and I will fly to land a kiss like a snowflake on your chin The snow will fill each crack and void No sense of time, no space for time at all So soft and pure, the perfect cure upon the wounds the snow will gently fall *co-written with Igor Devlikamov
10.
Cracks 03:14
Cracks (for a rebellious friend) A day will break, a day for breaking free The night will break, the cracks are plain to see The darkness isn't perfect anymore The warning signs are harder to ignore Chorus: Cracks - the words are spoken Cracks - the spell is broken Tattered lies are tearing at the seams Cracks - the paint is peeling Cracks - a new beginning Cracks appear in every single thing The jigsaw's crumbling, piece by piece and what I know is this: through the cracks the light breaks in A bond will break, but I am breaking free I have been blind, but now I start to see I can't go on pretending anymore My inner truth is harder to ignore I'm free! Crossing to the other side I'm free! To ignite the fire inside I'm free! To embrace my inner light Through the cracks the light breaks in

about

Album of the Month (January) on FolkWords
Artist of the Week on Sunday Girl (Siren 107.3FM) 22/02
Album of the Week on Blues and Roots Radio (Canada) 24/01
Album of the Week on Fatea Magazine's Along the Tracks 23/01
Album of the Week on Marlow FM 10/01/15

Most recent review from Peter Taranaski
Daria exhibits a life of push and pulls and ups-and-downs. One moment the album brings joy, the next cloudy nostalgia, then poignant protest, and then disillusionment with life. It is a broad canvas of "lived experience" and one which will suit the listener who likes variety. It is clear that Kulesh has successfully mined some life lessons and has a precise memory of feeling in these moments and conveyed them very well across the album. The selection is all the better for it's variety and despite this there isn't a weak track on here at all. t.co/sDcjutlEoA

It is a good fusion of English Tradition and Russian Tradition with a seasoning of mystery and poetry. Her singing voice is individual, her writing is burning and emotive, and the imagination of her song writing is unquestioned. She is someone who if you don't know, you should become acquainted as this album is pure efflorescence.
First Review in for Eternal Child. Thanks to Rob Bridge at Redwood.

There’s an aspirational place that many artists strive to reach. A place where the artist truly ‘lets go’ and through the medium of their art exposes their heart and soul to the audience.

In all honesty a lot of artists never get to that place. The reason (I suspect) is that it can be a lonely, vulnerable and sometimes unpleasant place in which to spend any time. The harsh fact is that exposing yourself in this way…laying your innermost feelings and experiences out for everyone else to scrutinise…can get you hurt.

So as an artist it’s easier to play safe. Much easier to produce something that you think people will like and keep yourself sufficiently detached from the subject matter such that, whilst it might make for a nice tune or an interesting story, it’s unlikely to cause you any collateral damage as a human being (a bad review at worst).

But for those brave enough to strive for that place of transparency…that place where despite the risks, you allow the audience a glimpse into the innermost ‘you’…there’s a chance of creating something, well, magical.

All this sounds very ‘arty’ (and frankly quite un-redwood like…I’m not generally known for talking about emotional connectivity with music), but in truth it’s what I found myself reflecting on when I listened to Daria Kulesh’s debut album ‘Eternal Child’. The singer-songwriter originally from Russia has already achieved UK folk scene acclaim as vocalist in the band KARA…and based on this album is set to achieve similar acclaim as a solo artist.

In Daria’s own words…

“This album took a long time coming. I guess autobiographical, even intensely personal, first albums are rather common. What (hopefully) makes this album different is the story itself and the way it’s deeply rooted in childhood as a sanctuary, as a state of mind, as a reference point, as an object of deep longing.
From childhood memories to brutal loss of innocence, from chance encounters to life-defining love stories, from the tragic to the routine, from the fragile to the enduring, this is my story….”

Well, that certainly resonates. Listening to the album I absolutely had the sense of experiencing someone’s life-story, so much so that at times I felt that I could be listening to a west-end musical. There are recurring themes in here, the relative ‘safety’ of childhood being one of them. There’s drama, emotion, brighter moments, more drama and just a tad of darkness. Bright and breezy background music this certainly isn’t, but as a body of work capable of taking the listener on an emotional journey, I can only summarise it as a resounding success. Daria’s vocal is distinctly wonderful throughout.

For me the effectiveness of the collection is underpinned by the quality of its arrangement, recording and production. There’s enough there to help weave the drama that befits the subject matter, but there’s also the right amount of ‘emptiness’ to allow Daria’s beautifully articulate vocal to tell such captivating stories. Full marks to Ben Walker and Lauren Deakin Davies for a tremendous job in producing tracks on the album and kudos to all the musicians who performed on it…Ben Walker, Lauren Deakin-Davies, Luke Jackson, Kate Rouse and Kaity Rae all feature.

High points? The theatrical opening track ‘Fata Morgana’ is an excellent scene setter for the album with echoes of Eastern European verse overlayed on a piano and acoustic guitar. Incidentally if you don’t know what ‘Fata Morgana’ means (I didn’t…I had to look it up), it’s ‘an unusual and complex form of superior mirage that is seen in a narrow band right above the horizon’. There’s little in the way of superfical lyric on this album…

‘Right Here’ (a beautifully moving acknowledgement to the ‘Eternal Child’ concept), the bitter-sweet love story of ‘Tamed’ and the wonderfully descriptive ‘Fake Wonderland’ are all stand out moments for me.

So if you hadn’t gathered by now, this is a definite ‘recommend’. The album will be launched on 31st January through Folkstock Records…expect plaudits amongst the folk blogging community. If you want to be on the front foot, pick up a copy of the album at the earliest…" Rob Bridge, Redwood.

Second Review
"This is possibly the most raw and unashamedly revealing collection of songs I’ve heard in a long while. That said, it’s not a gushing exercise of self-indulgence, it’s a set of powerful and intensely direct narratives that reach out to touch, and that touch goes deep...The faultless production that releases this album’s soul for all to hear is the work of Ben Walker and Lauren Deakin Davies.

With her band Kara or as a solo performer, Daria Kulesh always delivers lyrics that expose untainted sincerity with a voice that pours out their spirit, through ‘Eternal Child’ the source of those words is revealed. If there’s an album to buy this New Year, this is it.". Tim Carroll, Folkwords www.folkwords.com/latestreviews_93060.html

Third Review
"an album that rewards repeated listening and will be near at hand for quite a while".Dai Jeffries, Folking.com folking.com/daria-kulesh-eternal-child-folkstock/

Fourth Review
"Daria Kulesh has one of the most distinctive and instantly recognisable voices on the folk circuit. Her hauntingly refined and precise singing has an element of the operatic and as you listen she seems to have an ability to evoke images within your psyche which are not yours" Danny Farragher, Folkall Blog folkall.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/daria-kulesh.html

Fifth Review ( exerpts from FATEA Magazine's review)
The majority of the music on the album is provided by Ben Walker, who also did most of the recording, mixing and producing. He plays a wide variety of instruments, including accordion, ukuele, keyboards, bass, guitar and mandolin. Daria is also joined on "I Watch The Snow" by her fellow Kara band member, Kate Rouse, playing an absolutely beautiful instrument called a hammered dulcimer; by Kaity Rae, playing cello on "Fake Wonderland", and by Lauren Deakin-Davies who plays guitar on "Butterflies" and "Fake Wonderland", keyboards on "Fake Wonderland" and a role in production.

She is also joined by a certain talented singer songwriter from Kent, Luke Jackson, (just awarded Fatea male vocalist of the year), who provides backing vocals and guitar on "Cracks". All told, a very talented group of musicians, playing some very beautiful music.

As well as writing and singing, Daria shows that her talents don't just stop at music, as she designed all of the album artwork as well. Her hair is streaked with die the colour of autumn leaves, so virginia creepers feature heavily on the sleeve but I particularly like the pregnant guitar on the front. The album comes complete with a booklet containing all of the lyrics, but her singing is so clear, you'll hardly need to look at them.

All told, a phenomenal debut album.
Pete Bradley
www.fatea-records.co.uk/magazine/2015/DariaKulesh.html

From the artist :
This album took a long time coming. I guess autobiographical, even intensely personal, first albums are rather common. What (hopefully) makes this album different is the story itself and the way it's deeply rooted in childhood as a sanctuary, as a state of mind, as a reference point, as an object of deep longing.
From childhood memories to brutal loss of innocence, from chance encounters to life-defining love stories, from the tragic to the routine, from the fragile to the enduring, this is my story....

Additional notes are accompanying each track

PS So, we've now reached the end of our journey. Thank you for flying with Air Daria!
As Josienne Clarke said about her own album, "Every moment of my life and every ounce of my being went into it".
That's how I feel about Eternal Child, it was almost therapy to me. So if you actually enjoyed the music, that would make me very happy

credits

released January 31, 2015

The musicians
Daria Kulesh - vocals
Ben Walker - guitar, keyboard, mandolin, ukulele, octave
mandola, bass, accordion, synths
Lauren Deakin-Davies - guitar (Butterflies; Fake Wonderland),
keyboard (Fake Wonderland)
Luke Jackson - vocals and guitar (Cracks)
Kate Rouse - hammered dulcimer (I Watch the Snow)
Kaity Rae - cello (Fake Wonderland)

Produced by Ben Walker and Lauren Deakin Davies

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Folkstock Records UK

Boutique label releasing handpicked singer songwriters from the Folkstock fold.
Most engineering, mixing and mastering by Lauren Deakin Davies.
Except Bright Season by Bright Season - released 31st May 2014
The F Spot by Friends of Folkstock - release date 17th May 2014
Passing the Baton - Swarb and Folkstock friends - 5th April 2014
Debut EP release from Kelly Oliver on 26.11.13. Far From Home
... more

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