Originally commissioned by the organisers of the Folk By The Oak festival, the Spell Songs project was initially conceived as a one-off project but are now onto their third album.

Spell Songs brought together seven outstanding musicians and comprises Karine Polwart (tenor guitar/vocals), Julie Fowlis (whistles/vocals), Seckou Keita (kora/percussion/vocals), Kris Drever (guitars/bass/vocals), Rachel Newton (electroharp/viola/vocals), Beth Porter (cello/ukulele/vocals) and Jim Molyneux (piano/keyboards/drums/percussion/vocals).

Following the success of the initial album The Lost Words Spell Songs in 2019 and its follow-up Let The Light In in 2021, In Thin Air is released as a musical companion to the acclaimed work by artist, Jackie Morris, and conservation writer, Robert Macfarlane, whose The Book of Birds was published earlier this year.

As I look onto our communal back-garden here on the south coast with its abundance of blackberries and newly-installed bird bath, I like to pride myself on how many feathered visitors we get in a typical day. Should that lull me into a false sense of security, however, both the book and the album are a timely reminder of the threats to our natural bird population and the 49 bird species it celebrates are all on the RSPB’s Amber or Red List. An enduring presence in folksong, as Polwart reminds us, birds inhabit “our languages and stories, our art and folklore, and our individual and cultural memories.” We lose them at our peril.

Featuring twelve tracks that lean heavily on the seven key themes in the book – nest, egg, beak, song, feather, flight and migration – the album  is a stunning celebration of the life-cycle of the bird. Highlights include the title track which gently opens the album to the sound of birdsong and soft whisperings; ‘Najan (Nest)’ with its African rhythms and reminding us of the truly international flavour of some of our favourite avian visitors; and ‘Flight’ which takes us on a magical journey with its delicate melodies and sumptuous vocals.

An ambitious project that’s beautifully executed, and drawing on a captivating juxtaposition of musical influences, In Thin Air is another triumph for this hugely creative and talented seven-piece.

Released: 4 September 2026 https://www.thelostwords.org/spell-songs/