Natur by Eve Goodman + SERA

Natur is the long-awaited collaborative Welsh album by North Wales artists Eve Goodman & SERA, a hymn of love to the cyclical element of women and nature.

Ranging from a whimsical sea shanty about a Menai Strait mermaid to an evocative acapella spell-song; from a love song inspired by a moth, to an ode to emotions and the weather, this is a meaningful and creative folk songbook. The album is a rich and varied journey from percussive, hooky ear-worms about burnout and modern life (Anian), to expansive and moving Celtic blessings that sing of reverence for the land (Bendith).

Eve Goodman and SERA (Sarah Zyborska) began working together when they were both selected as BBC Horizons Artists in 2019. Both women, with rising solo careers, grew up in Caernarfon, North Wales. After just one writing session they found common ground in their connection to and curiosity around nature. Surrounded by the beautiful North Wales landscape that is such an important part of their lives, they began to explore the Welsh names for birds, trees, flowers and the more-than-human world. The song tendrils soon grew to touch upon the cyclical element of both nature and women. Soon enough a body of work was growing, each song a celebration of both. Natur was born.

“We both loved the Spell Songs project (ft. Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart et al) and the way the songs serve as a call to reawaken our love of the wild. We approached our songwriting with this call in mind in the language of our land, Welsh. As one of the lines in our song Anian says ‘I cofio ein natur, edrychwn ar natur’ (to remember our nature, we look to nature). It’s about accepting our wild nature in an increasingly complex and digitalised landscape.”

The album was recorded in Wild End Studio near Llanrwst, North Wales, nestled in the foothills, with co-producer Colin Bass (member of Camel and also producer of the Tincian album from 9 Bach which won ‘Best Album’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award in 2015).

The duo have appeared on Welsh talk show ‘Heno’ and have recorded a session live at BBC Maida Vale Studios. In 2023 they were finalists in the televised song competition Can i Gymru (Song for Wales), with Tangnefedd, a track from the album. Over the years they have released two popular tracks (Gaeafgwsg and Rhwng y Coed) which have garnered almost 100,000 streams and were playlisted on BBC Radio Cymru. Thanks to a Tŷ Cerdd Lottery grant and the BBC Horizons launchpad fund, the two were able to write and record Natur, their first album together.

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Natur yw albwm cydweithredo can Eve goodman & SERA, sydd yn emyn o gariad i elfen gylchol menywod a natur.

Yn amrywio o sianti môr chwareus am forforwyn Afon Menai i gân swyn acapela; o gân serch wedi'i hysbrydoli gan wyfyn, i awdl am emosiynau a'r tywydd, mae hwn yn llyfr caneuon gwerin ystyrlon a chreadigol. Mae'r albwm yn daith gyfoethog ac amrywiol o gan fywiog, bachog am fywyd modern (Anian), i fendith Celtaidd eang a chyffrous sy'n canu am barch at y tir (Bendith).

Dechreuodd Eve Goodman a SERA cyd-weithio ar ôl iddynt gael eu dewis fel Artistiaid Gorwelion y BBC yn 2019. Roedd y ddwy yn gantorion-gyfansoddwyr gwerin, gyda gyrfaoedd unigol ar gynnydd, ac roedd y ddwy wedi tyfu i fyny yng Nghaernarfon. Daeth Gorwelion â nhw at ei gilydd mewn ffordd, ac ar ôl dim ond un sesiwn ysgrifennu fe wnaethon nhw ddod o hyd i dir cyffredin yn eu cysylltiad â'u chwilfrydedd am natur. Wedi'u hamgylchynu gan dirwedd hardd Gogledd Cymru sy'n rhan mor bwysig o'u bywydau, dechreuon nhw archwilio'r enwau Cymraeg ar adar a choed, blodau a physgod. Tyfodd tendrilau'r caneuon yn fuan i gyffwrdd ag elfen gylchol natur a menywod, ac yn fuan iawn roedd corff o waith yn tyfu, pob cân yn emyn o gariad i'r ddwy. Ganwyd Natur.

“Roedden ni’n dau wrth ein bodd gyda phrosiect Spell Songs (gyda Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart ac eraill) a’r ffordd mae’r caneuon yn gwasanaethu fel galwad i ail-ddeffro ein cariad at y gwyllt. Aethom ati i gyfansoddi ein caneuon gyda’r alwad hon mewn golwg yn iaith ein tir, y Gymraeg. Fel mae un o’r llinellau yn ein cân Anian yn ei ddweud ‘I gofio ein natur, edrychwn ar natur’. Mae’n ymwneud â derbyn ein natur wyllt mewn tirwedd gynyddol gymhleth a digidol.”

Recordiwyd yr albwm yn Wild End Studio ger Llanrwst, Gogledd Cymru, wedi’i nythu yn y bryniau, gyda’r cyd-gynhyrchydd Colin Bass (aelod o fand Camel a hefyd gynhyrchydd yr albwm Tincian gan 9 Bach a enillodd ‘Yr Albwm Gorau’ yng Ngwobr Gwerin BBC Radio 2 yn 2015).

Mae’r ddwy wedi ymddangos ar ‘Heno’ ac wedi recordio sesiwn yn fyw yn Stiwdios Maida Vale y BBC. Yn 2023 roedden nhw wedi cyrraedd y rownd derfynol yn y gystadleuaeth Can i Gymru, gyda Tangnefedd, trac o'r albwm. Dros y blynyddoedd maen nhw wedi rhyddhau dau gân boblogaidd (Gaeafgwsg a Rhwng y Coed) sydd wedi denu bron i 100,000 o ffrydiau ac wedi'u rhoi ar restr chwarae ar BBC Radio Cymru. Diolch i grant Loteri Tŷ Cerdd a chronfa lansio Gorwelion y BBC, roedd y ddau yn gallu ysgrifennu a recordio Natur, eu halbwm cyntaf gyda'i gilydd.

Prosiect werin Gymraeg cydweithredol yr artistiaid SERA ac Eve Goodman.

Welsh folk collaboration between SERA and Eve Goodman.

evegoodman.co.uk
serasongs.com