SYMPHONIE CELTIQUE - TÍR NA NÓG

I always get very weak knees when I hear the word celtic associated with music. THIN LIZZY and RUNRIG is some of my favorite bands and I also like to explore other Celtic and Keltic bands from both Ireland and my home in the West Of Scotland. So I dipped my grubby fingers into my pockets when this album came up for sale.

This is an album in three parts and full orchestra of vocals, harps, scottish bagpipes, whistle, bombard, flute, percussion, keyboards, guitars, bass guitar, drums, fiddle, mandolin, bodhran, uilleann pipes, spoken word, kena, sitar, tampura and a choir. Yes, this is not the staple prog rock diet. The result is a symphony, no less. This is not a prog folk album.

The first thirty minutes is difficult to sum up without using language not suitable for a gentleman. Or in my case; a fat looser. But even a fat looser has standards.... The plonking of these instruments in an aimless manner is mindnumbing. I have seen films with his holyness Dalai Lama with Buddhist one-tone only chants and music from long horns. This album sends me some associations in that direction. Maybe I am stupid and uneducated, but the first part of this symphony is as pointless as watching paint dry. A symphony is meant to have movements and some developments. This is just pointless monotone drivel with no developments.

The last half picks up a bit. Some interesting electric guitars are added without enhancing the quality of this album. But too little, too late. This album has one tone and one tone alone. It is mindnumbing boring. It has been described as challenging and ambitious by the one who sold me this. Maybe I am too ill educated and earthly for this type of music. But with a small degree in philosophy and a love for mountains, Ikea furniture and chicken dinners; this album is not for me. This is the first review of this album and I would urge anyone else to give it a try though and review it here.

1 star