Runes features both Celtic tinged original and traditional tunes alongside some unexpected cover versions. The range of musical styles demonstrates a band which frequently trespasses across both musical styles and borders. Instrumental music with a soul.
Whalebone introduced several new instruments to the Runes sessions including a Taylor 8-string baritone guitar, mandolin, cello and a range of percussion instruments that brought a new dimension to the music. Written and recorded in the Shropshire countryside, Runes features both Celtic tinged original and traditional tunes alongside some unexpected cover versions.
The range of musical styles – from the almost-classical ‘Christchurch Cathedral’ to the summery feelgood riffs of ‘Severn Sins’ and from the plaintive urgency of a version of Derek and The Dominos’ ‘Layla’ to the interweaved lines of ‘Entangled’ demonstrates a band which frequently trespasses across both musical styles and borders. 'The Birds Are Still Singing' deals with the loss of loved ones and a realisation that life continues and ‘Justify’ features the mystical sound of the 8-string baritone guitar – a tune that justifies the instrument.
The logo on the front of the album is based on a floor tile in an ancient Welsh Church, St. Aelahaiarn's in Guilsfield, Powys. The tile showed 3 interconnecting points in the centre of a circle, reminiscent of a Celtic knot and symbolises the band – 3 musicians weaving and intertwining musical lines to create Whalebone’s sound.