Terrascope Online: On this latest Fern Knight release, the strengths of the chamber quartet assembled by Margie Wienk are very much to the fore. Margie's vocals and cello are augmented by Jesse Sparhawk on harp and electric bass, Jim Ayre on Flying V and percussion, and James Wolf on violin. Traditional chamber instrumentation (harp, cello, violin) are thus able to form a narrative able to be emphatically punctuated by storms of electric guitar and bass to give voice to the drama in Wienk's songs. It's a dialectic between the pastoral and the apocalyptic that is central to the concerns of this particular Fern Knight work, if not all. 'Bemused' seems to come from a European art music tradition; Brechtian techniques come to mind in its juxtaposition of harp breezes and electric guitar super-cells. Lyrics are impressionistic rather than narrative: "Lapping sea foam with your fingers that stretch circumference around", repeated in rounds, endlessly gyrating. 'Silver Fox' must be one of the most striking neo-folk compositions of the past decade. An iconic melody and a traveller's tale – originally it was intended for a compilation on the theme of Carnival that was never realised but the world has it now to enjoy. Margie explained the haunting story to me thus: It's a story of conjoined twins and their attempt at running away from their circus life sometime in the early part of the 20th century. Their tale of loneliness is told through the eyes of other solitary creatures they meet on their way: a mushroom, a fir tree and a fox. But as winter arrives, so does the realization that they will have to heed the barker's call and make their way back to their home in order to survive. Sonorous cello introduces the marvellous 'Sundew', a bewitched impression of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, which can now cast some light to erase the dark shadows left in my mind by the brilliant, snowbound episode of The Sopranos set there.
Several tracks on the CD were written during travels in Ireland. 'Synge's Chair' stunningly depicts the search for a landmark, conducted to fill in time while temporarily stranded on one of the Aran Islands. It takes a typical UK folkloric route, using a Childe Ballad approach with numerous verses telling the story.
The album concludes with the three-part progressive folk 'Magpie Suite'. The Prelude's lyrics are taken from Milton's "Paradise Lost" and features fine overlapping male and female vocal lines sung by Wienk and Greg Weeks, forming an effective lead-in to the apocalyptic second part, which has almost a Cold War anxiety about nuclear holocaust to it. In effective contrast to the lyrical concerns, the music setting is medieval and sentimental. The final part sets of a blasted landscape over baroque instrumentation, as if Cormac McCarthy's coldly secular "The Road" were to be re-imagined as ending in rapture rather than ambiguity. (Tony Dale).
SPIN Margaret Wienk is as influenced by the spacey thrills of the Incredible String Band as by the down-home mumbles of the Folkways catalog. Predicated on a certain preciousness, her group's third full-length features loads of spectral harp, violin, acoustic guitar, and high, sinister vocals (the record closes with an apocalyptically minded three-song cycle, "The Magpie Suite," which borrows lyrics from Milton's Paradise Lost). Regardless, Fern Knight is a delightfully creepy homage to Celtic-Appalachian tradition, and a compelling subversion of traditional folk structure.
Pitchfork: ...the album succeeds in large part due to Wienk's classical roots and her innate melodic instincts. The album fairly overflows with images of greenery and the natural world, as Wienk's lyrics abound with fiddlehead ferns, waves of seafoam, various forest critters, and romantic beds of pine needles and moss. Throughout the album, however, a dark undercurrent of trouble and dissonance lurks beneath these deceptively placid idylls. On the opening "Bemused" the group's subtle washes of cymbal, harp, and acid guitar loom like ominous thunderheads, while James Wolf's violin provides a spot-on melancholic tug to the lovely, haiku-like "Hawk Mountain"... ~Matthew Murphy, June 26, 2008, Rating: 7.1
All Music Guide: Fern Knight's third album will on many levels appeal to fans of the early 21st century variations of acid folk music. It has some of the same characteristics: gentle female vocals, a tentative delicacy, and an audible debt to British folk and folk-rock of the late '60s and early '70s (although singer/songwriter/cellist Margie Wienk is American). There are some differences, or at least unusual shadings, that set them off from the pack. There's a pronounced chamber music feel to much of the instrumentation, particularly with the liberal use of cello and violin drones, as well as harp accents. Often it's darker and tougher, however, than some other artists who follow similar lines. There's a sinister grit to the playing, and melodies that belie but do not undercut the sweetness of Wienk's vocals, and while the arrangements don't have anything like a classic bass-drums rock rhythm section, there are some occasional blasts of ferocious electric guitar. The overall impact treads the border between the haunting and the truly spooky, though some of the material, especially "Synge's Chair," sounds like it could almost be traditional in origin. If the influence of vintage British acid folk is audible, it must be said that it is in the strength of the songs and the clarity of the production; this is more impressive than many obscure relics of much earlier vintage in the same style that are championed by some collectors. ~ Richie Unterberger.
SF Gate: With its third, self-titled CD, the Philadelphia band Fern Knight has made a quintessential freak-folk album. Harp, cello, acoustic guitar and violin create a Baroque chamber vibe; drum rolls, cymbal splashes and vocal echoes and harmonies expand the sense of space; distorted, overdriven electric guitar raises dark, psychedelic blisters in the melancholic sound; and leader/songwriter Margaret Wienk sings with airy restraint about the endangered natural world and the power of love. ~ Derk Richardson
Pop Matters: Fern Knight, like most self-titled albums, is in many ways a statement of purpose. It's a wonderfully full realization of the many aspects of Margaret Wienk's abilities, as a songwriter, as a musician, and as a storyteller. She's conscious that great beauty and great darkness often go hand in hand, and deftly balances both throughout her work. On Fern Knight it's her bright voice that lights the way, and even as the music descends into the depths, that light is never extinguished and makes approaching the darkness far easier. ~ Michael Patrick Brady
Baby Sue: The folks in Fern Knight return with another unique album that is wonderfully out of place in today's musical climate. This band is the project headed by Philadelphia-based guitarist/cellist/vocalist Margaret Wienk. Wienk and her associates create otherworldly progressive pop that seems to be influenced by some of the best British progressive art bands from the 1970s. Some of the compositions on this album could be compared to Curved Air and even Henry Cow at times...but that only gives a slight idea of what this music sounds like. The songs on this self-titled album are soft and thoughtful and feature some truly absorbing and unusual (and extremely subtle) arrangements. At the heart of the music are Margaret's beautiful, heartfelt vocals. This album is the perfect fusion of folk, pop, and classical music. Folks who may be becoming increasingly tired of the same old generic throwaway pop of the twenty-first century will find a lot to take in here. Cool, classy cuts include "Bemused," "Sundew," "Loch Na Fooey," and "Magpie Suite: Part II, Part III." Highly recommended... (Rating: 5+++)
Raven Sings the Blues: Another beautiful piece of dark magic from Philly's inner circle. Fern Knight is the guise of songwriter and gossamer voiced singer, Margaret Wienk. This is the most fully formed and devastatingly potent album she's done under the Fern moniker yet. Her voice hangs unobscurred and terribly assured above the harmonic scrabble of sun baked guitars and harrowing strings, played amiably by a group that includes Jesse Sparhawk, Jim Ayre and James Wolf. Recorded by PA-Folk ringleader extraordinaire, Greg Weeks and put forth by VHF, this certainly has all the right pieces to the puzzle. Despite the cast and crew that bolter this production though, it really is Wienk's voice and songwriting that shine on this eponymous album. When the tone is somber, her voice captures you in its sadness but never lets you feel pity and when the mood turns light, it pulls the sun from every corner of the room like drawing a shade. So far its been quite a fair year for folk but this is definitely the strongest folk release, and more to the point one of the strongest records I've heard all year. This is definitely one to anticipate. Fern Knight's s/t is out May 6th.
The Big Takeover: A bewitching mix of madrigal and folk, FERN KNIGHT's eponymous album is both earthly and ethereal, balancing the lightness of harp strings with the weight of '70s psychedelic guitar lines that slice scythe-like into soundscapes both foreboding and sweet. This is magic with a 'ck', a woodland mysticism conjured through ESPERS frontman GREG WEEKS's understated production and MARGARET WIENK's clean, unaffected vocals, minor melodies, and lyrics that delve into the natural and supernatural. ~ Kristen Sollee
The Ptolemaic Terrascope: Like so much contemporary US psychedelic folk, Fern Knight takes its cues from the dark underground UK folk of the late 60s and early 70s. Opening track 'Song for Ireland' could be from a lost Stone Angel recording or an outtake from Loudest Whisper's touchstone LP 'Children of Lir'. Dark magic is here, the kind that is celebrated by ritual gatherings in hidden glades. 'Awake, Angel Snake' is given an Espers-like sheen courtesy of Week's screaming acid lead guitar, but the results somehow recall doomed Transatlantic folk rock outfit Mr. Fox than anything from this millennium, which is laudable, because how often does one get to compare something to that benighted but magnificent project? -- Tony Dale
Broken Face: Philadelphia musician Margie Wienk's debut album under the Fern Knight moniker sure had its bright moments but it's not even near the sonic genius presented on the aptly titled Music for Witches and Alchemists ( VHF ). What we get here are some beautiful fusions of delicate British folk and dreamy psychedelia filtered through a prism of surprisingly rich arrangements and endlessly deep emotions. Primarily constructed from guitar, voice and cello but definitely one of those album where the sum is a whole lot more impressive than its parts.
Aquarius Records: Another gorgeous missive from the ever expanding world of modern freak folk, this time from Philly based singer, songwriter, guitarist, cellist Margaret Wienk, who with Music For Witches and Alchemists has crafted a darkly dramatic gem of moody mournful melancholia. Equal parts Pentangle, Incredible String Band, and of course some of her more modern sonic compatriots, Brightblack, Vetiver, Espers (Greg Weeks and Meg Baird both play on Music For Witches and Alchemists) and the like, Fern Knight is most definitely modern folk, but at the same time sounds so classic, the songwriting, Wienk's voice, the arrangements, a perfect combination. But the band manage to take that classic sound and infuse it with some sweet sonic mystery, due in no small part to the unlikely instrumentation, the sweet moaning cellos, dreamy swaths of harp, alien melodies on the singing saw, the twang of the Jew's harp, the wheezing harmonium, but unlike most bands, those sounds don't define Fern Knight's sound, merely add to the texture and mood of the music, which even stripped to its bare basics would still sound as sweet.
Dusted: Music for Witches is a much more orchestrated affair, quietly dense and mesmerizing with the interplay of strings, electric guitar, accordion and multiple voices. Redfearn is on nearly every track, mostly playing accordion but occasionally shifting to the weird percussive twang of the jaw harp (in "W. Memphis" particularly). Esper's Otto Hauser plays drums and Greg Weeks (who recorded the album) sings, as does Meg Baird. (Weeks must also be the guitarist behind the electric guitar implosion at "Awake, Angel Snake"'s mid-section, since it sounds a lot like the best part of "Flaming Telepaths.") Timebold's Jesse Sparhawk laces a few songs with delicate harp. All this is to say that there's a fair amount going on, but things never seem cluttered. Wienk's singing remains the centerpiece but sits jewel-like in a more elaborate setting, its soft melancholy made luminous against velvety cello or stately guitar figures.
Lost at Sea: Fern Knight apparently hail from Philadelphia, but their sound is strictly one of the British Isles; the lushness of the Scottish highlands, the minstrel-y pluckings of ye olde English, and a wee bit of Irish spunk. If Leprechauns were to rock out, it would most certainly be to Fern Knight. Having fantasized that the music was the work of a singular woman, whom I could woo with limericks and promises of lustful embraces on the forest floor of Myspace, I was a bit disappointed to find out that there is a working collective of musicians behind the sweeping arrangements of Music For Witches and Alchemists . But where my libido weeps my ears rejoice, as the contributions from other musicians are what lead to Fern Knight's sprightly wall of sound. Think Mono with accordions, mandolins, harps, saws, triangles and various bowed instruments, then add the most soothing, plaintive female vocals ala Vashti Bunyan and you'll be on track. Do not, however, get the idea that Fern Knight are homely and content to rest on tradition - guitar squalls and noise are interspersed with the softly woven village sounds, but only when utterly appropriate. Shakespeare would no doubt be equally enthralled and appalled. Reviewed by Eric J. Herboth
Paste Magazine: Fern Knight's upcoming release, Music for Witches and Alchemists emerges from the dusky twilight of its predecessor with a clear and brisk attitude, aided by a competent stable of guests like accordionist Alec Redfearn and Greg Weeks and Meg Baird of Espers. "We've all been connected for years," Wienk says. "Having so many talented people lending a hand definitely shaped the overall sound of the album." "W. Memphis" is an apt example of the ensemble's contributions, brimming with guitars, strings, cascades of harp and accordion all flowing over one another as Wienk's airy vocals tie it all together with the focus of a darning needle.
Music for Witches and Alchemists inspires fervent and breathless devotion, succeeding with memorable songs that wrap around the listener with the tenacious determination of creeping ivy. There's no substitute for such authentically beautiful music, and Fern Knight is willing to provide as much as any listener can handle. - Michael Patrick Brady
Brainwashed
On Seven Years of Seven Limbs, Fern Knight has given us a collection of their own folktales that play with darker shades of storytelling imbued with a fairy tale like sense of wonder. From the outset of "She Who Was So Precious to You," we find a sparse arrangement of acoustic guitar and strings that are lit up by Wienk´s gorgeous vocals, like a shaft of sunlight peeking through a dark thicket of dead trees. Fern Knight draws a slow story, one that makes for an excellent tale that explores those winding forest paths and the things that lie hidden between the lines. - Michael Patrick Brady
Aquarius
Fern Knight is not a person's name as we initially thought, it is the moniker for this duo from Rhode Island whose hushed folk pop songs take a number of haunting instrumental twists, turns and detours into atmospheric soundscapes. Heavily reverbed and tremoloed guitars are interwoven with strummed and plucked acoustic guitar as deep somber strings and an occasional accordion wind their way around the unmistakable warm sound of a Fender Rhodes keyboard. So heart-baringly bittersweet and intimate, much like a cross between Julie Doiron and Mirah. Absolutely lovely!
Logo magazine
The secret is the way they lash the accessibility of The Bangles to a Brechtian vision of Peter And The Wolf; imagine Sparklehorse working his magic on Joni Mitchell, and Mitchell returning the favour. The results inhabit the same space as Kristin Hersh's Appalachian murder-ballads, only filtered through the ruminative perspective of a doomed Nick Drake and the veiled beauty of Nina Nastasia. It's 99% inspiration, the sound of shackles being loosed and imaginations allowed to roam; one day all music will be made this way.
George Parsons - Dream Magazine #4
Fern Knight make a distinctive personal sort of warm melancholic folk pop. Haunted and haunting, with a wonderfully crafted organic acoustic sound. Comparable to: Kristen Hersh, Greg Weeks, Barbara Manning, Pentangle, and Northern Picture Library.