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The Living Tradition _________________ SOURCE Scottish CONTENT INSTRUMENTS
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THE GLOWORMS - Running Joak |
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The Gloworms are a young trio who have rapidly made a name for themselves on the English dance scene, and are sought after as being an eminently danceable outfit. This is their first album, and EFDSS should be congratulated for publishing it. The line up is limited, with Laurel Swift (fiddle, clogs), John Brenner (accordion) and Colin Cotter (tenor banjo, stompbox), each of whom provide some of the material, whilst the remainder is traditional. They are all excellent musicians, and are not content with just playing the tune, but they explore it with harmonies, improvisations around it and musical adventures where the tune is not to be heard, but its influence lingers. Their main weapon is great use of rhythm and rhythmic variation, which really brings the music alive. The album is only 52 minutes long – (why?) – but the band stamp their identity on it with great aplomb. The recording is a trifle harsh, with the fiddle tone sounding rather attenuated – she deserves better! I also find that the continuous off-beat chord chops from the banjo become a little wearing, but elsewhere there is considerable ingenuity and rhythmic invention. This would make a good record for dancing to and is a great advertisement as to how excellent they are to dance to – as a CD it’s impressive, but not for listening to all at once. Paul Burgess |
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