Album Review: Vincent Carr's Sumic - Crow Fragments (2026)
- 13 hours ago
- 5 min read
Written: 26th August 2026
Anyone familiar with the music of Vincent Carr will know that he has little interest in repeating himself. While certain themes and influences reappear throughout his work, each release tends to occupy its own musical landscape. Following To Begin Again, it seemed that Carr might be taking a break from composing for a while. Instead, an unexpected source of inspiration led him in a very different direction and the result is Crow Fragments.
The origins of Crow Fragments lie in Vincent Carr's rediscovery of Ted Hughes's Crow, a collection of poems whose dark and often unsettling imagery provided the spark for the album. From there, Carr expanded the concept to incorporate elements of the fifteenth century Scottish folk song Twa Corbies and Aesop's fable The Fox and the Crow. Together, these influences provide the thematic framework for a work steeped in folklore, myth and the darker aspects of the natural world. He has also drawn many of the track titles directly from Hughes's Crow, allowing the poems to leave their imprint upon the album in ways that extend beyond the initial inspiration. The album is split into two long tracks: The Spoils of the Field and The Flatterer’s Reward. Both are further divided into several parts that help weave the narrative Carr creates.
The Spoils of the Fields begins with the insistent cawing of crows – a theme that recurs throughout the album. Jangling tambourine and slightly mournful piano begin to paint a picture. Carr's musical landscapes are built patiently, and the opening Croverture paints a largely pastoral picture, albeit one tinged with melancholy. Thoughtful guitar is introduced and the track begins to move away from the opening into the first main segment Who Begat. In Hughes’s poem, Who Begat explores ideas of creation and origins and when Carr’s gently whistling begins there is something hypnotic about the structure as it combines with the tambourine and guitar. It is easy to imagine walking across a huge cornfield surrounded and being at one with nature. Nevertheless, there is a feeling of unease as we do so which shows a willingness to remain faithful to the darker nature of the source material.
Carr's narratives are conveyed through atmosphere, texture and instrumental colour, each composition slowly expanding as additional layers are added to the arrangement. At the four-and-a-half minute mark, bass guitar is introduced, adding a subtle foundation. Repeated motifs mean we become familiar with the patterns of the music and as each of the instruments arrive, we understand that Carr is adding brushstrokes to the bucolic landscape he is creating. Thus begins the three-part Twa Corbies, the first of which is entitled The Eye’s Pupil. A spoken word section that begins at six minutes is taken directly from the Twa Corbies. The words sit within the music becoming part of the overall tapestry rather than dominating the entire piece.
At about seven minutes, an electric guitar completely changes the aura of the piece. Played in a style that is redolent of Mike Oldfield, it shakes us from any complacency that may have descended. This falls away leaving us with a solo piano. As The Black Beast unfolds, further hints at Carr's admiration for Oldfield emerge, with passages that recall the musical sensibilities of albums such as Ommadawn.
Within The Black Beast, Hughes delved into the primal, animal side of existence and by combining it with Twa Corbies – during which two crows on a battlefield discuss which corpse to feed on that day – Carr reinforces the darker undercurrents that run throughout the album, immersing the listener in a world that feels both ancient and faintly disconcerting. There are moments here that recall the more medieval aspects of the Robin of Sherwood soundtrack, creating a sense of connection with an older and far less predictable world.
By the time The Spoils of the Field reaches its final destination, the individual elements have become inseparable from one another. What initially appears fragmented gradually assumes a clear shape, resulting in a piece that remains engaging throughout its considerable duration.
The Flatterer’s Reward – which has seven parts – has several motifs that continue from The Spoils of the Field showing the cohesion that the album has to offer. Mandolin is used to great effect during the opening stages of The Flatterer's Reward, helping to establish the folk-influenced character of the piece. However, violin is often employed in a far more abrasive manner. By deliberately dragging the bow harshly across the strings, Carr creates sounds that are at times a little uncomfortable to the ear but which play an important part in establishing the unease that runs through much of the music. It is worth noting that, in the first version of The Fox and the Crow, the crow carries a piece of flesh in its beak rather than the cheese associated with the better-known modern retelling. Consequently, the music often possesses a distinctly macabre quality that reflects the harsher nature of the original tale.
The Fox and The Crow forms the basis of three movements of The Flatterer’s Reward: Heaven and Earth, Like The Sun and Gold and Diamonds. There is a great sense of urgency in the music as the fox addresses the crow with his sly lies. Heaven and Earth in Hughes’s poems was an examination of the conflict between spiritual and earthly realms and the insistent, repeated musical motif serves as a reminder as to the persistence of the fox. Low organ notes combine with a jagged melody that drives home the deceit that lies at the heart of the fable. My good crow / Your voice is right enough / But your wit is wanting.
Penultimate section Grown So Terrible – which leads towards the final Croverture – is a combination of wooden percussion, electric guitar and piano. Leaving us to reflect on what we have heard across the album, it perfectly mirrors the themes of transformation, corruption and the consequences of experience that inhabit Hughes’s work of the same name. If The Spoils of the Field gently draws the listener into Carr's world, The Flatterer's Reward demonstrates just how fully realised that world has become by the album's conclusion.
Those familiar with Vincent Carr's previous work will know that a strong connection with nature has often been present within his music. Crow Fragments explores some of the darker corners of that relationship, drawing upon folklore, poetry and ancient stories to create a work that is best experienced in is entirety. This is not an album driven by instantly memorable melodies or obvious climactic moments. Instead, it invites the listener to inhabit its world gradually, rewarding patience and attentiveness. Those willing to look beyond the surface narratives of Twa Corbies and The Fox and the Crow will also find additional layers of meaning that deepen an understanding of both the music and the sources that inspired it. At times reflective, at others faintly unsettling, it is a distinctive and thoughtfully crafted release that demonstrates Carr's continuing willingness to follow inspiration and improvisation wherever it may lead.
Crow Fragments is released on 28th August 2026
Vincent Carr's Sumic online
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