For reasons too complex and often too distressing to fit into a short music review, the people of the Celtic fringes of Western Europe have taken their culture around the globe and established new homes for it. And where their culture lands, it begins a new chapter, mixing and matching with local traditions and existing sounds, as well as those of fellow travellers, to create something new. Echoes of Our Past is the sound of that process happening in Sydney, Australia.
This is the sound of the old world taking root in the new, and Medusa’s Wake (perhaps a reference to the iconic painting by Géricault that adorned The Pogues breakthrough album, Rum, Sodomy and the Lash) has delivered an EP that is the perfect culmination of the meeting of such worlds.
“Creeper” kicks things off with a great blend of fiddle-fronted folk finesse and foot-on-the-monitor, Levellers-esque rock, setting the scene for an EP that blends groove and grace. “O’Keefe’s Slide/Bones of Our Dead” echoes the keening sounds of the old country, beguiling ambience giving way to those corner of the pub session songs of brilliance that Eire does so well.
“Your Ghost” is a modern folk piece that stands on the shoulders of many musical giants, a song full of dynamic and energy, whistle-blown and wonderful, “Summer Rain” is infectious and innovative, fiddle and accordian playing off against each other in a call and response melody and “War of Independence” turns a dark episode from Irish history into a rebel reel and joyous jig. (I know people are going to point out that those are two different time signatures, but I’m just being poetically alliterative…hopefully.)
What a cracking EP… and indeed one full of the craic… one for fans of music that runs on energy and eloquence, music that makes you dance, but also makes you think.
Discover more from Dancing About Architecture
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
