Hand-numbered limited edition CD with three covers to choose from. Only 300 copies were produced; 100 of each cover. Each one comes with a tiny lyric book (inspired by the tiny books the Brontës wrote as children).
Artwork by Oliver Allchin, tiny books by Nat.
NB all CDs contain all three songs
...
The Liberty System is a Brontë sisters triptych full of classical elements and meteorology. The songs 'Anne, the Gardener', 'Emily, the Diver' and 'Charlotte, the Levitator' study the literary sisters' creative approaches and their influence on one another's writing and ambitions.
Each song sees a sister returning to the Parsonage dining room to write - bringing the room alive - before her work is released into the world. Each sister has been ascribed an element and each seeks a different kind of liberty.
Commissioned by Off the Shelf Festival as part of the Brontë bicentenary celebrations.
Includes unlimited streaming of The Liberty System
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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about
A song for Charlotte Brontë.
Charlotte's element is Air. She seeks Liberty of Mind.
lyrics
A stillness she can’t bear,
This curling, swirling air
But she holds her breath and, from right to left,
Patrols the perimeter
Oh, a breeze breathes relief
She comes in, then what’s in is released
Soars to ceiling height, then from left to right
Spreads her secrets to each dew-soaked leaf
Decanter, thought-planter
Blow through the grass and speak at last
Set em flyin, dandelion
Come sing out loud, don’t whisper now
Navigator, levitator
Over mist prevail to fill that sail
Before you turn again, weathervane
Weeds to tumble and stalks to bend
Soil to crumble and breath to lend
Prithee pepperpot-shaker
Show your power, sea-shaper
Take us up, take us out, sky’s friend
Hair-tangler, cloud-wrangler,
It’s up to you when the sun breaks through
Take us higher, spread this fire
Through the great outside, be satisfied
Fog-lifter, seed-drifter
Your own heart as proof, tell the truth
Before you circle back on your corkscrew track
And with this tidy turn the wallflowers wince and waver
Flickering the lamplight, dropping the temperature
Throwing back the bushes like a tossed head of hair
Right to left - so bereft - blowing a cold, cold air
Refuter, uprooter!
“I gift to thee a dormancy”
Chastiser, capsizer!
“And evaporate this sinful strait”
Oh banshee, how can she!
“Watch me dim the Northern Lights”
Turn again, hurricane
The wind can but grasp at the hands of time
Wise-turner, late learner, all liberty thine
credits
from The Liberty System,
released October 21, 2016
Written and performed by Nat Johnson
“A treat for fans of PJ Harvey and Alela Diane” – Subba Cultcha
"Let’s talk about Nat Johnson.
Sometimes people do, but not nearly loud enough or often enough, which is a shame, because she is as integral to the Sheffield scene as Kid Acne murals and Jarvis Cocker poems on the sides of buildings." - The Girls Are...more
supported by 24 fans who also own “Charlotte, the Levitator”
Another nice "reunion item" done by Nat Johnson and Kevin Gori in 2016, featuring two of their songs from the 2006 debut "The Bright Carvings". Nat Johnson's Version 2.0 of "Sheffield Shanty" has undergone a complete overhaul, shining with a full-blown wind arrangement now, similar to the stunning "Not Now, Horse" on "Neighbour of the Year". Kevin Gori's "Groucho" - a hidden track then on "The Bright Carvings" - is a quite faithful rendering of the original version, except that he's singing a bit less out of tune here... yes, really! Sven B. Schreiber (sbs)
supported by 20 fans who also own “Charlotte, the Levitator”
"…I first stumbled into Emma Kupa via Mammoth Penguins and with a solo album in the works, this 6-track EP is a good a place as any to start... wry, semi-autobiographical and heartfelt melancholic lyrics pair perfectly alongside gentle indie-folk hued feet-tapping melodies and Emma's home-spun vocals.... throw in added banjo and what's not to like? Not so much a record as a chat with a long-lost friend holed up in a cosy snug…"
https://reclaimingthecolonies-onestateatatime.blogspot.com steveinsocal
supported by 18 fans who also own “Charlotte, the Levitator”
Just a great and varied collection of songs from all sorts of different acts. I buy this festival record annually and will continue to do so. Gavin Hellyer
The second EP from Northern Irish singer-songwriter Bea Stewart runs from gentle folk to pillowy pop ballads, all perfectly executed. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 15, 2024
supported by 18 fans who also own “Charlotte, the Levitator”
Another great album - dean wareham, joanna gruesome, lonely tourist, dorotea, the chills, manhattan love suicides & spearmint are all highlights but the whole lot is pretty darn great really martin kiosk