Published on Sep 8, 1999
Do bagpipes frighten you? Well, we here at the Daily Vault in
our continued mission to widen your musical horizons want to
-help-, really we do. Bagpipes don’t have to be scary. Bagpipes can
be a heck of a lot of fun, especially when they’re used by the
Scottish rock band Wolfstone. Wolfstone is neither a rock band
tinged with Celtic rhythms or a Celtic new age mishmosh with a
slight rock beat; they’re a straight-ahead rock band, unabashed,
proud, and loud, who just happen to use bagpipes, fiddle, and tin
whistle, and they’re more fun than a Rangers-Celtic match after
four shots of Cardhu. With a remarkably permanent lineup (from 1991
to 1997, they never lost a core member) centered on fiddler Duncan
Chisholm and guitarist Stuart Eaglesham, Wolfstone is astonishingly
consistent in sound, feel, and quality.
Pick of the Litter is their 1997 greatest hits CD, available
from Green Linnet Records. Green Linnet has done a good deal for
Celtic music in this country, and should be commended; most of
their acts, however, are more traditional than Wolfstone, so when I
picked this up, I was surprised that this album does have that much
of a kick. From the openings chords of “Battle”, a rock
instrumental laced with the stinging bite of bagpipes, the sense of
power and depth never leaves you. The mating of pipes, fiddle, and
electric guitar can occasionally sound forced (say, on the Corrs’
Talk On Corners, one of the worst sophomore slumps in music
history) but to Wolfstone it comes naturally and easily. A good
deal of the reason behind it is the powerful drum lines lacing the
recordings, for which both John Henderson and Mop Youngson should
get considerable credit. Wolfstone also knows when not to overdo
it; the instrumental “The Howl” is only drums and keyboards for a
minute and a half of intro, so when Chisholm’s nimble fiddle cuts
in you
notice it.
Wolfstone may, on the whole, be the single best balanced band
I’ve ever heard. Standout tracks include “Tall Ships”, the band’s
tribute to the vanished Glasgow shipbuilding industry; “Heart And
Soul”; “Brave Foot Soldiers”; “Sleepy Toon”, one of the most
demonically catchy melodies I’ve ever heard; and “Holy Ground”, an
oddly bitter look at religion in Scotland. “Glenglass” is one of
the sweetest instrumental fiddle and guitar duets I’ve ever heard,
and the almost flamenco opening to “The L10 Float” raises that same
instrumental combination into the transcendant for a moment or
two.
If Wolfstone has a weakness, it’s that in some ways they’re
-too- smooth; I’ve owned this CD for a year now, and I still had to
check the track names. The songs have a tendency to blend together.
Adding some punch may be the final ingredient this musical haggis
needs for true genius; unfortunately, 1998’s “This Strange Place”
lacked both punch and fire, and it remains to be seen what the
upcoming “Seven” release will be like.
A minor complaint, though.
Pick Of The Litter is a fine overview of Wolfstone’s sound
and career, and worth checking into if the heady blend of rock and
Scottish traditional sound appeals to you. Join the fight against
wimpy neo-Celtic music, and get yourself the
Pick Of The Litter.