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Een juweeltje van Schotse folk. 

Energy Islands is a brave, wildly original almost-concept album from one of the finest folk bands in Scotland. Fara are from the Orkney’s, where they developed their distinctive, increasingly versatile and sophisticated style, matching the three fiddles and vocals of  Jeana Leslie, Catriona Price and Kristan Harvey against piano (with occasional added harmonium from Leslie). The line-up now features a new pianist Rory Matheson, who is from the Highlands and plays a key role in this intriguing set. His keyboard work interacts perfectly with the fiddles, often providing a solid rhythmic anchor against which the three ladies can launch their inter-twining solos while also adding thoughtful backing for the vocals.

The music is gloriously varied, with the quartet moving constantly between sets of tunes, with every band member involved in the composition, and songs that, as in the past, include settings for writings by islanders whom the band admire. So why is it an almost-concept album? The music is inspired not just by the beauty of the islands and its wind, waters and weather but by the extraordinary way in which the environment has been used to create green energy. By using water and wind power, in an energy revolution supported by the local people, Orkney now produces more than 100% of its energy needs and is now faced with something of a unique dilemma – what to do with that surplus energy? It’s a triumph that deserves a celebration, and much of the album sets out to do just that, with tracks titled Excess Energy, White Horse Power or (and they must have enjoyed naming this one) West Tide Story.

There are twelve tracks here, with eight sets of tunes or instrumental pieces and four songs, and they kick off, of course, by demonstrating that remarkable interplay of fiddle skills and piano. The opening Solar consists of three tunes, written by Rory, Jeana and Harvey,  with Catriona providing the string arrangements, as often in the set. It’s a lively confident piece featuring both plucked and bowed fiddles and sturdy piano lines and is followed by Wind Dancers, which starts as a fine, gentle melody before exploding into a rousing inter-play of keyboards and fiddles. While many of the tracks celebrate the way that the power of the sea can be harnessed for the good, there are also reminders that the sea can also bring danger and death. The Hampshire was written by Kristan to mark the sinking of HMS Hampshire, which struck a mine after leaving Orkney’s naval base at Scapa Flow in 1916, and it’s a poignant lament with fine interplay between piano and fiddle.


Tracks:
01. Solar
02. Wind Dancers
03. Fair Winds
04. BroomPower
05. Merry Dancers
06. The Hampshire
07. West Tide Story
08. Song in the Night
09. White Horse Power
10. Northerner
11. Excess Electric
12. Energy Islands

Staat er compleet op, 10% pars mee gepost. Met zeer veel dank aan de originele poster. Laat af en toe eens weten wat je van het album vindt. Altijd leuk, de mening van anderen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd3n962-IMA