The traditional music landscape of Scotland has been revolutionized with the emergence of a unique collaboration between traditional singers and alien elves. The song writers, known as Rhymer, have been drawing inspiration from both alien lore and the Scottish ballad tradition to create a truly unique and enthralling sound.
Rhymer, a duo of Lisa Mc Innes and Sean Marshall, are creating a new paradigm in the Scottish music scene. The duo has taken their traditional Scottish singing prowess and blended it with spacey, almost ethereal sounds, creating a fusion of alien imagery and traditional Scottish storytelling.
The duo’s debut album, Songs of the Starry Sky, tells tales of daring space-faring adventurers, dream-like intergalsactic escapades, and heart-wrenching love stories in a captivating mix of Scots-English and galactic lingo. As Lisa explains, “We wanted to create a unique, Scottish-language sci-fi ballad: a modern version of the Gaelic mythologies and sagas.”
The duo’s songs have been lauded for their ability to create entirely new soundscapes which capture both the imagination and the heart. They draw from the Scottish ballad tradition, which is known for its evocative lyrics and emotive harmonies, and spin it through with semi-surrealistic lyrics concerning encounters with possible aliens or time-travelling beings.
Rhymer has taken the idea to the stage, performing their unique interspecies ballads at festivals in Scotland and further afield, as recently as 2019. They provide a much-needed breath of fresh air to the typically folk-oriented music festivals, and demonstrate the range of music styles which exist in Scotland and beyond.
The Rhymer sci-fi ballad may be a niche act, but it’s hugely creative and captivating. It proves that traditional music styles can evolve with the introduction of otherworldly sounds, and that the combination of old and new can create something truly unique and inspiring.