Ah, sorry for the medium long pause, again. This time it was because of – suprise! – the return of Covid, most likely courtesy of the EG.5 variant that wrecked 3,5 weeks of my life… I was actually working from home almost all that time but I was not at all well, far from it. This was way worse than my 1st covid over a year ago (working when sick is something working from home has made too normal, I think, being guilty as charged). So there were no reviews, and no music either, over those weeks, I just wasn’t up to it. But now here we go again…
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Isn’t it strange how cultures… echo?
I spotted a positive mention of The Consequences in an article, can’t remember where, saying that this is a fresh-sounding new force in Irish music, and that their debut album was released recently.
So there I go right away, intrigued, checking out When You Weren’t Looking, assuming that it’s an Irish band playing Irish folk music. Until a few tunes in, I get this growing uneasy feeling that says “the Irish don’t usually do grooves like that”, or “funny how this makes me feel like it’s music from a movie even when it’s very much Irish folk music”.
So there is something there I can’t quite pin down until close to the end of the album when I finally give in and search and find their website.
They’re American.
So there. I should have known, or guessed at least.
Point of the story: cultures echo. These four very talented and, as I have now learned, already recognized musicians are steeped in Irish music and have won prizes and awards in Ireland and they play music instantly identifiable as Irish folk (some tunes on the album are trad, others new but in the tradition, mostly) and yet, there’s some other color or vibe that’s not in the original package, so to say. Something extra, from the US of A.
In this case, for me as a drummer, the flags rose around certain beats and rhythmic patterns that, don’t really appear on Irish folk music; certain syncopations, or just this looser feel that swings just a tiny bit differently.
Also, there’s something in the arrangements and/or the production that gave me this movie-like feel that never happens with actual down-to-earth Irish trad and trad-based music. If that sounds weird, that’s ok; it’s just how I spontaneously felt. Go figure.
…but is the album any good?
Well, by God, you don’t think I’d have written this long if I thought it was crap, or even mediocre?
When You Weren’t Looking is an excellent, vibrant album, with production and playing that sound both disciplined and spontaneous, fresh and connected to roots. I enjoyed the tunes and the musicianship, and most of all I enjoyed a quality I can’t even put a name on.
It’s something that makes this music just a wee bit removed from trad but also keeps it from becoming a forced “update” or “re-imagining” of the source tradition. Or something like that (better to take Wittgenstein’s point here; if something is impossible to talk about, just keep your trap shut…)
To make this clear: I think this is a blast of a debut album by this band. If you are at all into Irish folk music (and its 21st century children), do check this out. It made me happy and cheered me up – a lot, actually 😊 and I am sure we will witness more brilliant Consequences in the future 👍☘️🇺🇸
https://theconsequencesband.bandcamp.com/album/when-you-werent-looking
FolkNotes 