Glan

Debut Album from Filkin's Drift

In 2023 Filkin's Drift walked all 870-miles of the Wales Coast Path, performing concerts almost every night along the way. Born from this epic journey, described by BBC 6 Music’s Cerys Matthews as “committed and fascinating,” is their debut album Glan.

The album combines tunes that were collected on the walk, new compositions inspired by the impressive landscapes, and music from their home traditions (Wales and Gloucestershire). The title loosely translates from Cymraeg as shore or being close to a body of water.

From the polyrhythmic interplay of “Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn” to the striking prepared guitar sounds of “Craig y Ddinas / The Miller’s Pond,” Glan pushes the boundaries of what these two instruments can achieve. The album was recorded live in Stiwdio Felin Fach, Abergavenny with one of the duo’s coast path collaborators, Dylan Fowler. You can find more information about each track below.

Filkin's Drift walking the Wales Coast Path

Track Information

  • 01. Adar Mân y Mynydd (The Little Birds of the Mountain)
    A poignant traditional Welsh song using the imagery of birds as messengers between two separated lovers. Collected in Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, by John Morris and first published by the Welsh Folk Song Society in 1925. We discovered this beautiful meditation on love and mortality in the Mabsant collection. The rich diversity of bird life was a constant source of inspiration to us during the walk.
    Welsh:

    Yr eos a’r glân hedydd,
    Ac adar mân y mynydd,
    A ewch chi’n gennad at liw’r haf,
    Sy’n glaf o glefyd newydd.

    ’Does gen i ddim anrhegion,
    Na jewels drud i’w danfon,
    I ddwyn i’ch cof yr hwn a’ch câr,
    Ond pâr o fenyg gwynion.

    Yr adar mân fe aethant,
    I’w siwrnai bell hedasant,
    Ac yno ar gyfer gwely Gwen,
    Hwy ar y pren ganasant.

    Dywedai Gwen, lliw’r ewyn,
    ‘Och fi, pa beth yw’r deryn
    Sydd yma’n tiwnio’n awr mor braf,
    A minau’n glaf ar derfyn?’

    ‘Cenhadon ŷm, gwenwch goelio,
    Oddi wrth y mwyn a’ch caro,
    Gael iddo wybod ffordd yr ydych,
    Ai mendio’n wych ai peidio’.

    ‘O dywedwch wrtho’n dawel
    Mai byr fydd hyd fy hoedl,
    Cyn diwedd hyn o haf, yn brudd,
    Â’n gymysg bridd a grafel’.

    English:

    The nightingale and the lark,
    And the little birds of the mountain,
    Will you go as messengers to the hue of summer,
    Who suffers from a new disease.

    I have no gifts to offer,
    Nor costly jewels to send,
    To help you remember the one who loves you,
    Only a pair of white gloves.

    The little birds they went,
    They flew to their distant journey,
    And there on the side of Gwen’s bed,
    They sang on the branch.

    Gwen, the wavecrest’s hue, said,
    ‘Oh, what bird is this
    That sings so beautifully now, so cheerfully,
    While I lie ill and near the end?’

    ‘We are ambassadors, believe us,
    From the one who loves you,
    Who wants to know how you are,
    Whether you are mending or not.’

    ‘Oh, tell him very softly
    That the length of my life is to be short,
    Before the end of this summer, sadly,
    It will be mixed with earth and gravel.’

  • 02. Gwêl yr Adeilad (See the Building)
    There are many versions of this tune. It appears in Playford’s A Booke of New Lessons for the Cithern and Gittern (1652), before it fell out of fashion in England and was taken up by Welsh poets who found inspiration in its complex metre. It became one of the most popular tunes for carolau (carol singing) throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Wales. Whilst on our walk, we learnt the version you hear on this album from Dylan Fowler and Gillian Stevens in Goodwick, Pembrokeshire.
  • 03. Hiraeth
    Hiraeth is one of the most popular Welsh folk songs in the repertoire. It explores the essence of this Welsh term often described as a deep, yearning longing for something lost or unreachable. The lyrics explore how hiraeth, unlike tangible things such as gold, velvet, and silk, doesn't fade or wear out over time, but remains constant, enduring, and intensifying.
    Welsh:

    Dwedwch fawrion o wybodaeth
    O ba beth y wnaethpwyd hiraeth,
    A pha ddefnydd a roed ynddo
    Na ddarfyddo wrth ei wisgo?

    Derfydd aur a derfydd arian,
    Derfydd melfed, derfydd sidan,
    Derfydd pob dilledyn helaeth -
    Eto er hyn, ni dderfydd hiraeth.

    Hiraeth mawr a hiraeth creulon,
    Hiraeth sydd yn torri 'nghalon;
    Pan fwyf dryma'r nos yn cysgu,
    Fe ddaw hiraeth ac a'm deffry.

    Derfydd aur a derfydd arian,
    Derfydd melfed, derfydd sidan,
    Derfydd pob dilledyn helaeth -
    Eto er hyn, ni dderfydd hiraeth.

    Hiraeth hiraeth cilia cilia
    Paid â phwyso mor drwm arna'
    Nesa' tipyn at yr erchwyn
    Gad i mi gael cysgu gronyn

    Derfydd aur a derfydd arian,
    Derfydd melfed, derfydd sidan,
    Derfydd pob dilledyn helaeth -
    Eto er hyn, ni dderfydd hiraeth.

    English:

    Tell, great people of knowledge,
    Of what was hiraeth made,
    And what material was put into it
    That it should not fade as it is worn?

    Gold wears out and silver wears out,
    Velvet wears out, silk wears out,
    Every ample garment wears out -
    Still, despite this, longing does not wear out.

    Great longing and cruel longing,
    Longing which is breaking my heart;
    When I most heavily by night do sleep,
    Then comes longing and awakens me.

    Gold wears out and silver wears out,
    Velvet wears out, silk wears out,
    Every ample garment wears out -
    Still, despite this, longing does not wear out.

    Hiraeth, Hiraeth, retreat, retreat
    Do not press so heavily upon me
    Come a little closer to the edge
    Let me sleep a little while.

    Gold wears out and silver wears out,
    Velvet wears out, silk wears out,
    Every ample garment wears out -
    Still, despite this, longing does not wear out.

  • 04. Craig y Ddinas / The Miller's Pond
    Craig y Ddinas draws its name and inspiration from the dramatic rocky outcrop in Banau Brycheiniog / Brecon Beacons, renowned for its Iron Age earthworks and rich natural beauty. Maria Jane Williams included the song in her 1844 collection, Ancient National Airs of Gwent and Morganwg, naming it after a striking feature of the landscape where she collected the melody. The Miller’s Pond is an original jig composed by Seth Bye for the Filkin’s Ensemble version of ‘The Wind and Rain’.
  • 05. Clay, Nature, and Us
    Influenced by the work of ceramicist Grant Sonnex, this piece explores the paradox of nature—an intricate and complex tapestry that ultimately reveals a foundation of elegant simplicity. Its title is drawn from Sonnex’s 2023 exhibition, where he described his work as “an intimacy with our own nature as well as external nature and that gets hard to put onto words – a lack of separation, a sense of unity. I think it’s best expressed through the wordlessness of what I do now in clay”.
  • 06. Bugeilio’r Gwenith Gwyn (Watching the White Wheat)
    A timeless tale of love and longing, generally associated with the tragic story of Wil Hopcyn and the Maid of Cefn Ydfa (located near Bridgend in Llangynwyd, Maesteg). First published by Maria Jane Williams in Ancient National Airs of Gwent and Morganwg (1844). During our walk, we performed this song at St Teilo’s Church, Merthyr Mawr to a descendant of Wil Hopcyn.
    Welsh:

    Mi sydd fachgen ieuanc ffôl,
    Yn byw yn ôl fy ffansi,
    Myfi’n bugeilio'r gwenith gwyn,
    Ac arall yn ei fedi.

    Pam na ddeu'i ar fy ôl,
    Rhyw ddydd ar ôl ei gilydd,
    Gwaith rwy'n dy weld y feinir fach,
    Yn lanach, lanach beunydd.

    Glanach, glanach wyt bob dydd,
    Neu fi sy' â’m ffydd yn ffolach;
    Er mwyn y gŵr a wnaeth dy wedd
    Gwna im drugaredd bellach.

    Cwyd dy ben, gwêl acw draw,
    Rho im’th law, Gwen dirion,
    Gwaith yn dy fywnes bert ei thro,
    Mae allwedd clo fy nghalon.

    Codais heddiw gyda’r wawr,
    Gan frysio’n fawr fy lludded,
    Fel cawn gusanu ôl dy droed
    Ar hyd y coed wrth gerdded.

    Cwyd fy mhen o’r galar maith
    A serchus iaith gwarineb;
    Gwaith mwy na’r byd ir mab a’th gâr
    Yw golwg ar dy wyneb.

    Tra bo dŵr y môr yn hallt,
    A thra bo ’ngwallt yn tyfu,
    A thra bo hiraeth dan fy mron,
    Mi fydda’ i’n ffyddlon iti:

    Dywed imi’r gwir dan gél
    A rho dan sêl d’atebion,
    P’un ai myfi neu arall, Gwen,
    Sy’d orau gen dy galon.

    English:

    I'm a young and carefree boy
    Who lives and follows his fancy.
    I guard the yellow wheat.
    Another reaps the harvest.

    Why not come and follow me
    One day, and then another?
    For I see thee, my little maid.
    Ever fairer and fairer!

    Fair and fairer art thou each day.
    Or I, myself more foolish?
    For His sake who fashioned thee
    Have now on me some mercy.

    Lift your head, Look on me.
    Give your gentle white hand.
    For in your bosom, winning one,
    Is the key to my heart also!

    I arose today at dawn,
    And hurried despite fatigue,
    So I could kiss your footprints
    Through the woods as you walked.

    Raise my head from long sorrow
    With the affectionate language of gentility.
    Because it’s more than the world for the boy who loves you,
    To glimpse your face.

    While the sea with salt doth run,
    And while my hair is growing.
    And while a heart beats in my breast.
    To thee I will be faithful.

    Tell me the truth with no concealing,
    And place under seal thine answer.
    If ’tis I, or another, Gwen
    Whom thy heart is claiming?

  • 07. My Pretty Little Highland Mary
    A traditional Cotswold Morris tune used for dancing in the village of Filkins, it was collected in 1912 by George Butterworth, a close associate of Cecil Sharp. According to T.W. Luker (1884), the Birmingham Post noted that in Filkins, "every lad at six years of age understood Morris dances."
  • 08. Touchpaper / The Gloucester Hornpipe
    Composed by Seth Bye, Touchpaper was inspired by a summer spent traveling between folk festivals. This waltz honors the new connections formed amongst strangers, celebrating the shared experiences and bonds that festivals can foster. The Gloucester Hornpipe, also known as the Swansea Hornpipe, has been collected in both the Cotswolds and South Wales; it is believed that the tune traveled between Gloucester Docks—once Britain’s furthest inland port—and South Wales, reflecting the region's historical trade routes and connecting the home counties of Seth and Chris.
  • 09. Tudno's
    After a frantic ascent of Y Gogarth (The Great Orme) in North Wales, Seth and Chris composed this tune in the 6th-century churchyard of St Tudno as the audience arrived for their evening concert. The composition developed over the course of fifty gigs during the duo’s 870-mile walk along the coast.
  • 10. The Water is Wide
    Our reharmonised version of The Water is Wide (also known as O Waly Waly), a traditional folk song with roots in the Scottish and English folk traditions, was arranged in collaboration with saxophonist Dan Newberry of the Filkin’s ensemble.

    The water is wide, I cannot get over
    And neither have I wings to fly
    Give me a boat that can carry two
    And both shall row, my love and I.

    There is a ship and she sails the sea
    She’s laden deep, as deep can be
    But not as deep as the love I'm in
    I know not if I sink or swim.

    When cockle shells turn silver bells
    Then will my love come back to me
    When roses bloom in winter's gloom
    Then will my love come back to me

Filkin's Drift walking the Wales Coast Path