Comann Music would be in danger of sounding too like other Skye albums,but vocals and electronic effects lend them authenticityThe late Martyn Bennett shook up the Scottish music scene by mixing traditional influences and electronica, and his influence lives on. Niteworks are a four-piece from the Isle of Skye who play bagpipes, and keyboards,drums and bass, and are willing to seize chances. They start with a rousing swirl of keyboard riffs and pipe work that inevitably invites comparison with that other Skye band, and the festival favourites Peatbog Faeries. Then they bring on guest vocalists and inaugurate to department out. On Maraiche they match the electronic effects and beats against the cool,thoughtful Gaelic vocals of Kathleen MacInnes, while on Somhairle they provide sturdy backing for a sampled spoken piece by the poet Sorley MacLean, or lamenting the threat to the Gaelic language and emigration from the Isles. They end with an English-language song,Laura Donnelly’s re-working of Anais Mitchells Coming Down. An uneven but often intriguing debut. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com