Featuring five top musicians in Scottish folk and trad scene, Staran call themselves a collective instead a band. In the olden days of arena rock, this would have been called a supergroup; fortunately we are in another time and another musical cosmos. The lineup of Carnie-Smedley-Lowrie-White-Lindsay leaves no doubts about musicianship - it is what … Continue reading Album Review / Staran: Staran
Tag: contemporary folk music
Album Review / Duncan Lyall: Milestone
As friends of contemporary Scottish music scene know, Duncan Lyall is one of the busiest people working in that field as a musician, composer, producer and whatnot. A multi-talent who, perhaps because of covid, has released only his second solo outing. His previous album, Infinite Reflections, was released in 2013 and it was essentially a … Continue reading Album Review / Duncan Lyall: Milestone
Album Review / Lau: Unplugged
Lau are not necessarily the easiest band to get into. The masterful trio of O’Rourke-Drever-Green have created their own sphere of slightly eccentric and experimental music that sometimes comes across as an acid trip mutation of Scottish folk. In a word, they are just brilliant. But it might take a few turns before you’re really … Continue reading Album Review / Lau: Unplugged
Album Review / Gráinne Holland: Ceol na Sióg
I initially discovered Gráinne Holland not through an album but a gig. Her live set at Celtic Connections 2019 was a total wow, and she came across as just a wonderful person as well. She was then promoting her third album, Corcra, her first with original material. It was as good as her gig, very … Continue reading Album Review / Gráinne Holland: Ceol na Sióg
Album Review / Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh: Neadú (Nesting)
Ah, Muireann… One of the most beautiful voices and presences in the Celtic scene has returned with this five-track EP. At 21 minutes, it’s just long enough to immerse yourself in her aural atmosphere. She openly states this is a lockdown creation and the album title reflects that as well. It’s a very intimate affair, … Continue reading Album Review / Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh: Neadú (Nesting)
Album Review / Bèolach: All Hands
As a non-professional music blogger, I sometimes simply miss a new release and notice it only after some time has passed. So it was with this one; All Hands was released in late 2019 but I got up to speed with it only a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully, my tardiness takes nothing away from … Continue reading Album Review / Bèolach: All Hands
Album Review / TEYR: Estren
Ah but here's a nice one! And it's from a band about to really break in the Celtic scene: some of you may already know them but others may not have heard about them too much yet. I'm betting you will, in no time. TEYR's sites tell us the band comes from the London folk … Continue reading Album Review / TEYR: Estren
Album Review / Gnoss: The Light Of The Moon
It's almost two years since I wrote some very positive things about Drawn From Deep Water, the album that skyrocketed Gnoss to the attention of fans of Celtic music all over the world. It was an intense and sometimes very busy collection of music, as supercharged and full of "yes we can" as music from … Continue reading Album Review / Gnoss: The Light Of The Moon
Album Review / Ninebarrow: A Pocket Full of Acorns
”Let’s go back there, you and I, where the hills stretch high towards the sun / we’ll go walking in the rain, when the days don’t end the same” That’s from Come January, a beautiful song and the first track of A Pocket Full of Acorns. I may by now be slightly obsessed by the … Continue reading Album Review / Ninebarrow: A Pocket Full of Acorns
Album Review / Brian Finnegan: Hunger of the Skin
Drums!!! That was my first reaction to Brian Finnegan’s new solo outing, as the drums exploded at approx. 0,8 seconds into the first track, Dust, right after the first guitar chord comes out. Drums, or a funky guitar riff for that matter, was not the thing I was expecting to hear on a Brian Finnegan … Continue reading Album Review / Brian Finnegan: Hunger of the Skin
FolkNotes 