Earlier this week I was lucky enough to receive a new CD in the post, Clanadonia, by Clanadonia. The CD was sent to my by Robbie MacFarlane, of the band, as a “review copy” - his words, not mine! Well, I’m not too good at album reviews but I will say that this is one cracking recording.
From the opening track, Tu-Bardh - obviously named after the man himself, Tu-Bardh Wilson - right the way through to the final track, Dark Island, this is tribal pipes and drums at their best. Many of you reading this will be familiar with Tu-Bardh, and possibly one or two of the other band members, so you will know of the high quality that can be expected from Clanadonia.
What you may be surprised by is the different styles of “tribal” that have been used on this, their first, album. Titles such as Egyptian, Spanish Eyes and The Cossack all give hints as to what can be found in the 10 tracks on Clanadonia. A couple of other tracks - Hamsterheid and Samba Ya Bassa - were given their names for reasons that have NOTHING to do with tribal culture. If you want to know just how they got their names… ask the band! It was great to hear Tu-Bardh tell the story why though when we saw the band play up in Scotland!
After hearing the album three or four times so far the track that really stands out for me has to be Shadow Dancer, four minutes of pure class. It’s not the typical sort of high energy drumming that I tend to go for but a track that quite simply lifts you up off your feet and transports you to a remote Scottish mountainside.
There you have it then, my attempt at an album review! Told you that I’m not too good at it didn’t I? I think it would have been easier to just say… “got a new album this week. Clanadonia - go and buy it!”
You can find out more about Clanadonia, hear a sample of Shadow Dancer and purchase the album at http://www.clanadonia.co.uk/ .
From the opening track, Tu-Bardh - obviously named after the man himself, Tu-Bardh Wilson - right the way through to the final track, Dark Island, this is tribal pipes and drums at their best. Many of you reading this will be familiar with Tu-Bardh, and possibly one or two of the other band members, so you will know of the high quality that can be expected from Clanadonia.
What you may be surprised by is the different styles of “tribal” that have been used on this, their first, album. Titles such as Egyptian, Spanish Eyes and The Cossack all give hints as to what can be found in the 10 tracks on Clanadonia. A couple of other tracks - Hamsterheid and Samba Ya Bassa - were given their names for reasons that have NOTHING to do with tribal culture. If you want to know just how they got their names… ask the band! It was great to hear Tu-Bardh tell the story why though when we saw the band play up in Scotland!
After hearing the album three or four times so far the track that really stands out for me has to be Shadow Dancer, four minutes of pure class. It’s not the typical sort of high energy drumming that I tend to go for but a track that quite simply lifts you up off your feet and transports you to a remote Scottish mountainside.
There you have it then, my attempt at an album review! Told you that I’m not too good at it didn’t I? I think it would have been easier to just say… “got a new album this week. Clanadonia - go and buy it!”
You can find out more about Clanadonia, hear a sample of Shadow Dancer and purchase the album at http://www.clanadonia.co.uk/ .
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