Somerset folk singer-songwriter Kitty Macfarlane’s debut album came out in 2018 and I saw her brilliant solo gig supporting RURA in Celtic Connections 2020 but only now did I listen to the album, Namer of Clouds. And hear me: it’s a stunning achievement, especially as it was her first solo outing. Great tunes, wonderful lyrics … Continue reading “Namer of Clouds”: a belated discovery
Category: Reviews
Beinn Lee: Deò
The band full of still quite young Hebridean talent released their second album a year ago already but for reasons I cannot explain, I only listened to it now. This is weird because Osgarra, the debut album from 2018, was so ready and together for a young band’s opening salvo and I really liked it … Continue reading Beinn Lee: Deò
Ryan Molloy & Fergal Scahill: One Day – November Woods
Oh but this is a fun one! Pianist Ryan Molloy and fiddler Feargal Scahill recorded - and partly wrote! - this album during one November day in 2019! Ryan writes on Bandcamp: ”We sat in Fergal & Ruth’s living room and recorded the music on this album, pushing the boundaries of our friendly frolics amidst … Continue reading Ryan Molloy & Fergal Scahill: One Day – November Woods
FARA: Energy Islands
It's a very sunny and not too cold November’s day in Finland and I have just been for a walk outside in the sunshine, listening for the second time to the new FARA album, Energy Islands. Me and my wife have been lucky to have witnessed the band live at least a couple of times … Continue reading FARA: Energy Islands
Niamh Dunne: Tides
The name Niamh Dunne did not ring any bells with me before I discovered her new album Tides - but I will definitely remember her name from now on. And, as it turned out, I had heard her playing before, as I learned that she is a long-standing member of the Irish band Beoga, which … Continue reading Niamh Dunne: Tides
The Magpies: Undertow
So… Today is October 24 in the strange and scary year of 2022 and I have decided to begin writing this blog using a dictation app, a speech to text app, which probably makes it a lot more fun and easy for me to say something about the music that I listen to. The album … Continue reading The Magpies: Undertow
Pipes galore! Ross Ainslie & Brigdhe Chaimbeul, Fraser Fifield
There is no piper culture here in Finland. Some of our Middle Age stone churches have wall paintings that do feature pipers - I have seen them myself - but the instrument seems to have pretty much left our country during the 16th and 17th centuries. The reason is not known to me and it … Continue reading Pipes galore! Ross Ainslie & Brigdhe Chaimbeul, Fraser Fifield
What I listened to in the summer of ’22, part 2: Dave Sheridan, AVA
Two Irish 🇮🇪 artists that got my attention this summer are very different; one established and trad, the other fairly new and decidedly not trad.The master flautist Dave Sheridan’s two albums, Sheridan’s Guest House (2006) and Drivin’ Leitrim Timber (2010) were a great delight. As the Celtic scene is brim full of good trad music, … Continue reading What I listened to in the summer of ’22, part 2: Dave Sheridan, AVA
What I listened to in the summer of ’22, part 1: Shoona Mooney, Graham Rorie, Talisk
As middle-aged civil servants are entitled to their summer vacations and road trips, we spent most of my summer freedom travelling across Finland and relaxing in faraway corners and national parks of our country. Listening to music, the mandatory driving music notwithstanding, was really not a thing, except in a couple of Finnish folk music … Continue reading What I listened to in the summer of ’22, part 1: Shoona Mooney, Graham Rorie, Talisk
Listening Diary for June 6-12, 2022: Natalie MacMaster, Mishra, James Harper, the olllam, Eabhal
Master fiddlers are one of my favorite things in this world and Natalie MacMaster 🇨🇦 is one of the greatest. I love the energy in her playing; so much light and joy there. Her 2019 album Sketches was just the right soundtrack for a leisurly walk in the sunny and warm Finnish Saturday. I've never … Continue reading Listening Diary for June 6-12, 2022: Natalie MacMaster, Mishra, James Harper, the olllam, Eabhal
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