Parlour Ballads by Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings

“Parlour Music” is a genre that has been much derided over the centuries. Its heyday was the Victorian era when many middle-class houses had pianos and many middle-class sons and daughters could sight-read piano scores to a high level, musical literacy being highly prized. Many parlour songs are cloying, nationalistic, pompous and irritating to modern ears, but nestling among the dross there are many shining gems to be found. The early folk song collectors despised all these songs as fakery, usurping the place of the naturally occurring folk songs of the rural working class.

This album is not a collection of parlour songs in the technical sense of the term, but it does seek to awaken the sound of the old, well loved, slightly out of tune domestic piano and to reunite it with (or introduce it to) songs that might feel glad of the acquaintance.

Jon Boden is best known as the lead singer and main arranger of the progressive folk juggernaut Bellowhead.

Jon is now touring with his band The Remnant Kings, Solo and String trio The Remnant Strings.

jonboden.com