Arc Light

I have just bought and had my first listen to this one (new folk / trad CDs are not that frequent in the local HMV…)

To me it sounds as if Capercaillie, or a similar outfit, have gone down memory lane purposely to do something like Jethro Tull and maybe other early 70s prog rock. The last track is a conscientious reworking of the Beatles’ “Dear Prudence”.

It struck me as amiable background music. If anything on the album engages me more closely, I may comment again.

I can’t wait to get my hands on this. The last two albums were amazing.

Track 9 is “Temple of Fiddes” (Not fiddles, I had to look twice the first time!) as in the place in Aberdeenshire.

I thought this album was rather disappointing after they put the majority of it on Myspace a few weeks before the Pre-Orders were sent out but oh well, I’ve learnt my lesson!

creathana - Thanks, I’ve changed it.

Actually I only just noticed it just now but it’s “Banks of Marble” rather than “with”.

That’s the last one I promise! 🙂

Done!

I’m afraid I have to disagree with the first comment quite strongly. I’d rate this album as one of the most innovative albums to come out in the last ten years (at least). Aidan O’Rourke’s fiddle playing is astonishing on here, as are the tunes, as are the arrangements, and really there’s no way anyone could play this kind of music without a really deep understanding of traditional techniques. Background it can easily be, but if you listen closely to what’s going on it’s a remarkable piece of work. I’d encourage a further listen. I liked it at first, but it was a while before the enormity of what was going on really began to strike me. Listen to that fiddle playing at the end of the Burian - who could put down such a striking bit of playing and leave it so far back in the mix???

Nah, Nicolas had it right to begin with.

No, he didn’t.

I think Nicholas’ opinion and mine are every bit as valid as yours, so we’ll just have to disagree about that.

Opinions are valid, yes, but only when based on concrete verifiable evidence. For a start I’m not sure what stage of Jethro Tull’s evolution Lau might be said to be attempting to revisit. I’m unable to find any direct correlation. Thick as a Brick perhaps? Certainly they seem to be drawing on something that might have come out of prog rock - extended arrangements maybe? Creating soundscapes perhaps? Though I don’t think these attributes are confined specifically to prog rock. So that opinion is, as far as I can tell, wrong.

On the other hand, Capercaillie, yes I can accept that, there are surely some comparisons to be drawn there, particularly in that they were on of the more prominent bands in Scottish music in the 80s and 90s. Who isn’t influenced by the music they grew up with?

Secondly, going down memory lane: well, isn’t that what most music, and indeed specifically trad music, is all about? All music has a history, and anyone that claims otherwise is a fool. Probably the central objection that might be posed to this band and all their albums including and following Arc Light is that they aren’t going far enough down memory lane. Rather than playing traditional tunes they seem to be writing tunes that draw strongly on a range of European traditions, though primarily, to my ears, the Scottish tradition.

This isn’t a traditional album by any means, but it does show the incredible range and diversity of music that can be made in this globalised era, where all music is accessible and where we have a growing repository of recorded musical history. It wouldn’t have been possible to revisit, say Jethro Tull, one hundred years ago. All that would remain would be some annotations and perhaps some paintings. I only learnt to play thanks to technology. Who knows where I might be if I hadn’t had a cassette player. I once heard Martin Hayes speaking fondly of the usefulness of the tape when he was learning.

I could go on, but I’m only saying this because I don’t think the original poster made any valid points. Arc Light is a great album. It captures something of our age that many other pieces of music simply don’t. It wouldn’t have been possible to make music like this in the 19th century. Plus, I don’t think this album subtracts from existing traditions in the way many ‘fusion’ type albums do. It shows what is possible when people understand where they are coming from and know what they are doing. It also shows what can be done with the wealth of musical history freely available to us all.