Barluath
Album: At Dawn Of Day
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 11
Website: http://barluath.com/

In many ways albums are like people. Some make little impression when you first hear them but, as you get to know them better, you start to appreciate qualities you may have overlooked initially. Others, you know you will never get on with no matter how worthy they may be or how hard you try to like them. Then occasionally, you come across an album like Barluath's second album, At Dawn of Day, that you feel an affinity with from the first introduction; an affinity which develops into a deep liking and admiration the more you get to know them.

Barluath (pronounced Bar-lhu-ah) is a Glasgow based band that first came together in 2010. The original five piece band met at the Royal Scottish Conservatoire, where they made their first album, Source, in 2012. Since then, they have toured extensively and added guitarist Luc McNally to the line up for their latest CD.

At Dawn of Day opens with Am Bròn Binn, a traditional waulking song from the Western Isles. Waulking was the process of beating newly woven tweed against a table to soften it and was usually performed by groups of women sat round a table. The song has a distinct and infections rhythm that traditionally gets faster as the tweed begins to soften.

Barluath move effortlessly between the traditional and contemporary music. 'Away from the Pits' was written around 1990 by Chris Algar and is a slightly tongue in cheek description of the effects of mining subsidence on mining towns where doors no longer fit and walls are kept up by wooden buttresses.

Another example of Barluath's merging of contemporary and traditional comes in 'Big Chief', the third track on the album. This is a set of three tunes, the first, Big Chief, written by the band's fiddle player, Eilidh Firth. This is followed by two reels; one traditional and the other by Capercaillie's accordion player, Donald Shaw.

The whole album is one of contrast; songs in Gaelic and in English, new compositions and traditional tunes, foot tapping reels and slow, beautiful laments. It's as though a whole evening's gig has been condensed into a single CD. The musicianship throughout is exemplary; not just at the technical level but also in the sensitivity of the playing and the balance between the instruments.

It seems unfair to single out one individual amongst such a fine group of musicians but Ainsley Hamill's vocals deserve a particular mention. Strong and gutsy in the album's title track, At Dawn of Day, yet sympathetic and sustained in slower songs like 'The Scarborough Settler's Lament', a touching song about the crofters who left Scotland for Canada at the time of the Highland clearances. Her voice also handles the vocal gymnastics of songs like 'Dromhnuill, a Dromhnuill' and 'A Chuir nan Gobhar às a Chreig' with breathtaking lightness and ease. The latter song, incidentally, being about the delights of chasing goats whilst wearing a kilt. Ah well, everyone needs a hobby!

My first introduction to Barluath has been a wonderful experience. It's a young band with a wealth of talent who perform with conviction and enthusiasm. I very much look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

Tim Goodwin