Autumn Chorus used to be the now disbanded alternative folk project led by British songwriter, Robbie Lloyd-Wilson, but now the moniker stands for Robbie's lastest solo sessions, out of which came Snake In The Grass, a beautiful orchestral folk song, inspired by some of all-time's greatest like Simon & Garfunkel, The Everly Brothers and Buffalo Springfield, and bringing to mind some of the genre's contemporary major acts like Will Oldham, Damien Jurado, Kings Of Convenience and so on...
Sadly, Robbie has marked this one as his final song, as he was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2014. About the song and his condition he states: "I was diagnosed with cancer in October 2014 and this made writing and rehearsing together almost impossible due to regular chemotherapy. Making solo music since then has become slow, but it's also now more poignant to me than ever. It's about the contradiction of good and bad within these times. Obviously there is the sinister side of something lurking in the background, ready to cause disruption, but also it's about acknowledging the joy and blessings we have that can consume any sadness and win out. The last line then resolves the sheer love and gratitude I have for my wife who I believe has kept me alive, and given me a lifetime's worth of love and support in just a couple of years."
So, as we wish all the best for Robbie, we listen to his beautiful swansong below and long for more like it.
ZR