The background to this takes a little unravelling. This split release of sorts, which comes as a 7” and download, contains two tracks – different versions of the same song. Belgian Duo Soy Un Caballo play ‘A Travers La Neige,’ a French translation of ‘Birchwood Beaker,’ by This is The Kit, while This is the Kit – the project of Kate Stables, who’s been billed as one of the rising stars of modern folk, play the original version of the song in its original English language form.
As a song, ‘Birchwood Beaker’ possesses a simple beauty that works in any language, the delicate vocal melody tugging on the heartstrings with the language of sound.
In a game of compare and contrast, Soy Un Caballo’s version, which is almost a minute longer, is the more lusciously arranged with the gently picked acoustic guitars, augmented with subtle strings and woodwind to superb effect, adding a breadth and depth not found in This is the Kit’s altogether sparser, more starkly arranged rendition. I wouldn’t say I prefer one over the other, because they’re almost entirely different songs, and it’s remarkable to hear the two versions in succession. This is a credit to both Kate, for the quality of songwriting, and Soy Un Caballo, for the quality of their musicianship and sensitive yet very different interpretation of her material. Truly lovely.
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