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Fiddlers’ Bid: Da Farder Ben Da Welcomer |
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(Greentrax , Cockenzie Business center, Edinburgh Road, Cockenzie, East Lothian, EH32 0HL; Tel: 01875.814155 The first track of Fiddlers’ Bid new album (Well, discounting the first, seventeen second track of sheep bleating – a joke that’s funny enough the first time, but may not bear up under repeated listenings. At least it’s not track 8 and you can skip over it first thing.) sounds for all the world like the end of an evening at a contra dance in a New England grange hall. The band, smooth players all, is in a solid groove; the dancers are a little bit tired and floating on that mix of bliss and dried sweat that we all love; the dust from the floor hangs lightly in the air; outside the night is cool and the moon full. The funny thing is that Fiddlers’ Bid is a group of musicians from the Shetland Islands; four fiddlers, harp, guitar, and bass guitar. I suppose this begs the question of influence; contra dance music has undoubtedly been influenced by the Shetland tradition, but I’d wager some influence has flowed the other way. Regardless, Yanks will recognize the smoothness of the fiddling and a certain accent to the backup. The four fiddles gives the band a big sound, and the ability to add harmonies, though my favorite moments on the reels are when all the fiddles are tightly in unison. There are a lot of solid dance tunes, some slow pieces, and a wonderful version of Da Full Rigged Ship, a listening piece played with the fiddles tuned AEAE, where the harmonies evoke the sound of the pipes. On Leaving Lerwick Harbour, an air, I found myself wishing for a sense of darkness to balance the sweetness and light, but the other slow pieces, a waltz and two harp numbers, provide a nice texture to the album. As a final curiosity, the number of seconds between tracks is shorter than usual, and in a few cases nonexistent, giving the whole album a sense of cohesion. |
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© Brendan Taaffe, 2005. All Rights Reserved. |
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