the greatest endangered thing

Interview: The Greatest Endangered Thing

/ James Fenney

There’s beauty in new beginnings. In nurturing new life to grow from the ashes of what came before. While we may wish that all our endeavours work out first time, all that really matters is that they work out in the end. All the road blocks and wrong turns we encounter on the way to get there, while frustrating at the time, make for a good story in the end. All the best stories have plenty of twists and turns after all. There are few storytellers more deserving of turning their new beginning into a happy ending than our favourite Transatlantic duo Samuel James Taylor and Rebecca Van Cleave. Sheffield based Americana outfit The Greatest Endangered Thing (f.k.a. Ophelia) – having taken the time to slow down and reflect on both the way forward and the road behind – feel as though they’ve hit their stride once again with the tender, bittersweet folk of their new EP Phosphenes Vol.1. We were lucky enough to have the pair play our tenth anniversary show, and luckier still to chat to them all about the new music they’ve been creating. Continue reading →

Top Tracks: The Greatest Endangered Thing – One Day

/ James Fenney

We have but one life to spend on this Earth. Only so much time to see all we long to see, experience all we can of what life has to offer, and only so many days to share with those we love. But the life we long to lead and the one we end up leading are rarely one and the same. Life has a habit of getting in the way of living; the daily grind taking precedent over the adventures we always dreamed of. The soft folk arrangement that opens ‘One Day’, the latest track from The Greatest Endangered Thing, has a wistfully bittersweet quality to it. Speaking of adventures to be shared and time spent together as some fading ambition slipping away like sand between your fingers. The last vestige of a romantic yearning just barely clinging on. But then that bright hopeful piano tone kicks in, followed soon after by the comforting swell of strings, and suddenly the whole atmosphere of the track transforms. What began as a distant dream now feels like a promise, a heartfelt vow that the “one day” you’ve both been holding out for is closer than you think. That life you long to share, the memories you long to make together, it’s all there for the taking.

Top Tracks: The Greatest Endangered Thing – Balancing on the Horizon Line

/ James Fenney

The best things in life are often fleeting. The radiant glow of golden hour illuminates the world for mere minutes before fading into twilight. The playful innocence of childhood, a brief blissful reprieve before adult responsibilities begin weighing us down. Some days even a whole lifetime doesn’t feel enough to do everything you want to do, be the person you want to be. The best parts of our lives burn out in a blaze, and we’re left trying to fan the embers to keep the moment alive. “We’re far too young to fade, Let’s light these fires again, we’re burning“. ‘Balancing on the Horizon Line’, the latest track from Transatlantic folk duo The Greatest Endangered Thing, holds a yearning to rekindle all those moments left on the road behind. Taken from their forthcoming EP Phosphenes: Volume 1, out 1st May, its message is echoed in how the arrangement burns bright in its brief runtime. With its gorgeous vocal interplay, rich welcoming violin tone, and the dramatic way the drums build, rumble and fade like distant rolling thunder, this track is a stirring spark of greatness that leaves you longing to relive it again.

Top Ten EPs of 2021

/ James Fenney

Delving into a given year’s finest EPs often feels like gazing into a crystal ball for a brief glimpse of the future. It’s with releases such as these that many up and coming artists first make their mark on the world and become the name on people’s lips. It’s often here that the brightest stars of tomorrow are forged, and so this list in particular is one of our favourite ways to sing the praises of the wealth of talented new artists on the scene, alongside outstanding projects from old favourites. Continue reading →

Spotlight!: The Greatest Endangered Thing

/ James Fenney

It’s rare to get a second chance at a first impression. In part because it’s equally rare for us to get a break from the hectic humdrum of modern life to afford us a moment for reflection and reinvention. But then again, it’s not every day that the whole world grinds to a halt, and offers up an unparalleled opportunity to look at things from a new perspective. It was an opportunity that transatlantic duo Samuel Taylor and Rebecca Van Cleave seized to the fullest, and in doing so found the missing piece, the essential capstone, for their latest musical endeavour. Embracing life in the slow lane while recording in the Peak District village of Tideswell, the pair developed a deeper appreciation for the beauty of nature around them, as well as for the profound power of human connections and the joy of collaboration. All the things that we all too often take for granted came into focus, and in doing so informed and inspired what would become their debut EP And You, And Me. Continue reading →

Top Tracks: The Greatest Endangered Thing – Bramble Lane

/ James Fenney

There are plenty of wonderfully emotive songs out there which perfectly capture a feeling, like joy, or love, or heartbreak, and lots of tracks that evoke a certain point in time, expressing the mood of certain seasons or reminiscent of past decades. But one less heard and underappreciated facets of songwriting that holds a place in my heart is the kind of song that manages to embody the spirit and character of a certain place. Music that echoes the symphony of nature, lyrics that can vividly describe a stunning vista, songs which offer an escape by whisking you away someplace else. The latest single from The Greatest Endangered Thing is perhaps the finest example I’ve heard all year. Paired beautifully with some stunning cinematography from filmmaker Brett Chapman, ‘Bramble Lane’ plays as an evocative love letter to the Peak District. There’s a haunting mystique that conjures up the feel of misty moorlands and dark gnarled woods; ancient and unchanging like something from a long forgotten legend. Yet there’s also an air of romanticism that calls to mind the morning sun rising over heather-clad hills, that evokes birdsong and bright clear skies, and brings with it that same sense of freedom and sanctuary that comes with being off the beaten path.

Top Tracks: The Greatest Endangered Thing – Green, Blue

/ James Fenney

Having the world come grinding to a halt around you is incredibly jarring, especially so for those who found themselves taking their foot off the accelerator for the first time in forever. Suddenly all those burdens of modern society, and the pressure we keep placing on ourselves – the need to pack as much into a day as possible, tailoring your existence around expectations and deadlines, being all about the destination without sparing a thought for the journey – all that fell by the wayside. We suddenly found ourselves encouraged to literally stop and smell the flowers, and in doing so gained a new perspective on the things that truly matter. With their blissful debut single ‘Green, Blue‘, transatlantic duo The Greatest Endangered Thing embrace life in the slow lane. With the warm and welcoming country charm of violin and banjo, the perfectly matched mellow vocals of Samuel Taylor and Rebecca Van Cleave, and a delightful backing chorus of birdsong, it’s an idyllic reminder of the need to put the world on pause once in a while. To spend time with the people we love, bask in the beauty of the world around us, and above all trust that you’ll make it to wherever you’re headed in the end, so you may as well take the chance to savour every step you can along the way.