The Unbearable Lightness of Brian

So as mentioned in the last post, I am reviewing two of the latest albums that I've bought; two that I've been waiting for a long time to hear and two that are at opposites in terms of style but equally brilliant.

Let me start by saying that ' The Ravishing Genius of Bones' is a terrific album, pushing boundaries whilst staying within a defined feel of Irish trad. Brian Finnegan shows his capability as a modern tune writer and arranger bringing a definite feel to the proceedings that is unmistakably his.

When I look at the modern day composers to whom he might be compared, I instantly think of Michael McGoldrick and Aiden O'Rourke: heavyweight company indeed. There are, of course, clear differences, McGoldrick's style routes itself in the trad style but, especially on his latest album 'Aurora', arranges larger group work with strong funk overtones with mixed results; the main drawback being how the rhythm was recorded which, although making the sound bigger doesn't fill the space like it should. On the other hand, O'Rourke's arrangements on 'Sirius' are a masterclass on how to work the space for maximum results though his tune writing is less conventional than those that McGoldrick pens.

So where does this album fit in? To start off with, from just looking at the artwork, the album starts to set itself apart by creating a fantasy, dreamlike world with a melancholic/ contemplative figure sat cradling a ball of light whilst large dandelion fairies float past, a fish swims through the air past a distant mountain backdrop and tall tree stems stretching up beyond the inlay's edge. If ever the cover art represented an album's intention and setting, this is it! The music ranges from the fast and furious (night ride to Armagh) to the delicate (Marga's moment) and on to the sublime (last of the stars) and shows BF as a tune writer who wants to present you with his visions and experiences though they are not necessarily of this world.

The list of musicians playing on this album is essentially a role call of who is hot on the circuit right now, notable mentions being Rex Preston, Ed Boyd, Aiden O'Rourke and Ian Stephenson (with whom BF formed KAN who are on tour this spring and summer and well worth catching), all of which present the music in perfect fashion.

In my last post I referred to June Tabor's album 'Ashore' as being real in every sense of the word, this, however, is the reverse. It is a flight, a journey through BF's imagination and memories that stays with you as if they were your own.

Listening to right now:

Various artists: 'Come let us buy the licence: songs of courtship and marriage'. topic records

Jim Causley: 'Dumnonia'. wild goose records

Martin Green: 'The Martin Green machine'. navigator records

New reviews

I got hold of two new releases over the last week, June Tabor's 'Ashore' and Brian Finnegan's 'The Ravishing Genius of Bones' distributed on Topic and The Singing Tree respectively and will be reviewing them over the next couple of posts.

June Tabor: Ashore

Topic has a high reputation within the folk community for providing top quality releases from within the folk genre, indeed it is now rare that they take on another artist the most notable exception being Fay Hield (The Looking Glass) and that same reputation precedes any release by JT, her albums carrying a sense of poise and dignity to each song that she delivers with care and this album does not disappoint the expectations of either party with each song arriving as a masterclass on how to tell a story, emote each character and draw the listener into the world that surrounds the sea: for the sea is at the heart of this album. When introducing the CD in he sleevenotes, she writes how she was born and brought up about as far from salt water as it is possible in these isles and this is reflected by both the album title and the delivery of the songs; a sense of wistfulness, of wonderment at the tales told and the ever present mystery that the sea has held for so many over the history of man. This is someone looking out at the sea from land, not the other way around.

As for the tracks, there are eleven songs and two tunes, some of which JT has recorded before but reworks to dramatic effect. I don't think I've ever heard her voice as clear, soft and full as on this album and used so well, in addition her beautiful deep tones she adds in passages of speech to accentuate two of the tracks, giving them extra lift and presence to the listening ear but it is her treatment of Les Barker's brilliant 'Across the wide ocean', a song written for the folk opera 'The stones of callanish' and one that I have been waiting to appear on record since I heard her perform it live seven years ago where she excels; it becomes more than a song, it is an experience. Let it not be said however that this album is just about June Tabor; her musicians, whom she has worked with over many years, show their knowledge of her style and each other's parts, flowing seamlessly in harmony with each other to the rising highs and the diminutive shallows; this becomes not just about a singer with her musicians but a group playing as one and bringing a collective feeling that swirls around your ears, pulling you ever further down into the music. Trying to find words for this album, this experience, is so hard as superlatives seem to only stretch so far or do not demonstrate the fullness that it exhibits... it's just real. The playing, the stories, the tunes, the world in which they inhabit and the worlds that they extend into are so real that you want to be a part of them, and I think the feeling is mutual.

This is a must have.