One of my favourite modern acts, South Wales folk-rock duo, TangleJack return with a brand-new EP, Eden.
There are some definite progressive sensibilities in this set of songs, so I am hoping that more traditional prog rock visitors to this website can take some time out and discover a vibrant, creative act rooted in the former colliery valleys of South Wales.
The EP marks the tenth anniversary of John-Paul & Duncan’s first release, Eden. The link at the bottom of this review tells you how you can order vinyl & digital copies of the five tracks they have chosen from that work, but they are freshly recorded and, thus, inform us of the state of TangleJack in 2026 very nicely.
Before setting out my thoughts on the music, a word of praise for the artwork produced by Charlotte Swann.
We kick off with That’s What I Call Love, which I have embedded from Bandcamp at the foot of this review. As such a title should suggest, a bright and breezy opening hits us, and I love the lyrics contrasting differing strands of life, love, faith, family, grace, with a hint of the area’s chapel past reaching the top of the mountain. A catchy tune with some strong harmonisation between the two.
I Pray follows, a mournful harmonica accompanying the guitars, a song rich in the Americana tradition, the protagonist many miles from home, reflecting the critical roots narrative down the centuries of working men having to leave kith and kin simply to survive, and the vocals on this drip with sadness at the situation, the anger at the fact that these people could not turn back and start again, so prayers for peace of mind and those they left behind are all that is left, the railroad at the end taking them further and further away, halleluiah being sung, as much in defiance as in worship. A superb song, in contention for “track of 2026” on this website’s annual awards.
Sunny Day has the use of guitar to create a bucolic dream and reminds me of some of Anthony Phillips’s earlier work, and the theme is universal – when shadows dismay, put your burdens away, it’s a sunny day. Music is the way I banish those darker thoughts and feelings, and this is a perfect accompaniment to this. The vocals capture that blend of fragility and hope, the guitars gorgeously harmonious. Music to live to, and pastoral folk rock at its strongest.
Oh My Girl is the penultimate offering. There is a lot of admiration in this for the “girls” who are often forgotten in music circles – the partners who cope with the highs and lows of performing and recording, quietly plotting the paths moving forward, never faltering in their support. The vocals have a great range from the softly admiring to the loud proclamation of the girl feeling the fire within. Two minutes out, we are treated to some dextrous fretwork, the pair interacting in a blaze of acoustic glory, the work definitely bringing a progressive complexity to proceedings. This track deserves wide airplay.
We close with Eden itself. The harmonies which have seen commentators compare John-Paul & Duncan to Paul & Art are strong here, a very moving song detailing how those brave men left home, crossed an ocean to survive, life fragile, but not destroyed, run aground, the threat of death constant, and thematically this can be compared to Big Big Train’s immortal classic, Victorian Brickwork. This track is a very good example of how a song can portray deep danger, bravery, and ultimately hope, and is best enjoyed in a dark room over a wee dram, the fire roaring in front of you.
Eden is another triumph from TangleJack and comes highly recommended.
TangleJack can be found at:
PERSONNEL:
John-Paul Davies
Duncan Leigh