Folkémon
Encyclopedia
Folkémon is the tenth studio album by the British
folk metal
band Skyclad
. It is the last album the band recorded with Martin Walkyier
as vocalist. As is normal with the bands works under Walkyier, the albums' lyrical themes deal with politics
, environmentalism
, spirituality
and personal issues.
The album's title was thought up after one of the band members read in a newspaper that, according to a survey, more children recognised the Pokémon
character Pikachu
than the current Prime Minister. The theme is continued in the liner notes, with the band members listed, for example, as 'Folkémon trainers'.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
folk metal
Folk metal
Folk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with traditional folk music...
band Skyclad
Skyclad (band)
Skyclad are a British heavy metal band with heavy folk influences in their music. They are considered one of the pioneers of folk metal. The etymology behind the term "skyclad" comes from a pagan/wiccan term for ritual nudity, in which rituals are performed with the participants metaphorically clad...
. It is the last album the band recorded with Martin Walkyier
Martin Walkyier
Martin Walkyier is an English singer who began his career with thrash metal band Sabbat in the late 1980s, releasing two albums. After leaving Sabbat in 1990 due to differences with other band members, Walkyier teamed up with guitarist Steve Ramsey to form a heavy metal band with strong folk...
as vocalist. As is normal with the bands works under Walkyier, the albums' lyrical themes deal with politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
and personal issues.
The album's title was thought up after one of the band members read in a newspaper that, according to a survey, more children recognised the Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
character Pikachu
Pikachu
is one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series...
than the current Prime Minister. The theme is continued in the liner notes, with the band members listed, for example, as 'Folkémon trainers'.
Track listing
- All lyrics by Martin Walkyier; all music as noted (except on bonus track).
- "The Great Brain Robbery" - 4:34 (Steve Ramsey)
- "Think Back and Lie of England" - 4:59 (Graeme English)
- "Polkageist!" - 4:01 (Ramsey)
- "Crux of the Message" - 4:52 (Ramsey)
- "The Disenchanted Forest" - 7:10 (Ramsey)
- "The Antibody Politic" - 3:18 (English)
- "When God Logs Off" - 3:09 (English)
- "You Lost My Memory" - 5:57 (English)
- "Deja-Vu Ain't What It Used to Be" - 5:45 (Ramsey)
- "Any Old Irony?" - 3:52 (English)
- "Swords of a Thousand Men" (Bonus Track) - 2:47 (Lyrics & Music: Edward Tudor-PoleTenpole TudorTenpole Tudor are an English punk band fronted by Edward Tudor-Pole. The band has been active intermittently since 1977.-Origins:Tenpole Tudor formed in 1977 when Tudor-Pole met guitarist Bob Kingston , bassist Dick Crippen, and drummer Gary Long...
)
Skyclad
- Martin Walkyier: Vocal
- Steve Ramsey: LeadLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, SlideSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
& Acoustic GuitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
s, Vocal Backing - Kevin Ridley: RhythmRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
& Acoustic Guitars, Vocal Backing - Georgina Biddle: KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, FiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, Vocal Backing - Graeme English: ClassicalClassical guitarThe classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
, Acoustic & BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Guitars, Vocal Backing - Jay Graham: DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, PercussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, Keyboards, Jew's HarpJew's harpThe Jew's harp, jaw harp, mouth harp, Ozark harp, trump or juice harp, is thought to be one of the oldest musical instruments in the world; a musician apparently playing it can be seen in a Chinese drawing from the 4th century BC...
, Hunting Horn, Vocal Backing
Additional Musicians
- Tirza Abb: "Horny Huntress" on "Polkageist!"
- Averre Graham: Pennywhistle & Cor AnglaisCor anglaisThe cor anglais , or English horn , is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family....