The Livelong Day

Bon Iverに対するアイルランドからの回答!?
BBCフォーク賞受賞の実力を持つ技巧派バンド Lankumが最新作をリリース!

英BBCRadio2のFolkAwards(フォークミュージックの知名度を広めその業績を祝うために2000年からスタートした音楽賞)において、2018年に「ベスト・グループ賞」を受賞しているアイルランド・ダブリン出身の実力派4人組フォーク・バンドLankum。

Fairport ConventionやPentangleに代表される古き良きブリティッシュ・トラッド/アイリッシュ・フォークに、現行のオルタナティヴ・フォークからクラウトロック、アンビエント、サイケデリックまで幅広いジャンルからの影響を取り入れたスタイルは、「ここ数十年でアイルランドが輩出したグループの中で、最もユニークかつ斬新」と話題を集めている。

〈Rough Trade〉移籍第1弾となった前作『Between The Earth And Sky』(2017年作)から2年ぶりとなる本作は、前作同様にイリアン・パイプス(バグパイプの一種)やイングリッシュ・コンサーティーナ、ティン・ホイッスルといった伝統的な民族楽器を駆使しながら、パーカッション要素やリズム、そしてサウンド全体がより活発に進化したアルバムとなっている。

With a sizzling intensity that feels almost menacing, Lankum draw deeply from the well of Irelands ancient music, transporting both familiar and long-forgotten tunes to surreal new heights while adding a handful of worthy originals to the canon. The Dublin folk band who previously operated as Lynched stepped out in a big way on 2017s Between the Earth and the Sky, their first outing for Rough Trade. Their use of Uilleann pipe and harmonium drones, creaking fiddle, and stark four-part vocal harmonies felt more anarchic and punk than anything that could come out of an amplifier. Using much the same approach, they somehow manage to muscle their way to another level on their exhilarating follow-up release. Neither for the faint of heart nor short of attention, The Livelong Day is a vigorously played, smartly arranged long game that sees classics like The Wild Rover and Katie Cruel stretched and driven into unpredictable minor epics using little more than the groups voices and a handful of acoustic instruments. The nostalgic, edgeless world of contemporary Celtic music may as well not exist for Lankum, who seem to borrow more from the earthy folk-rock lineage of the Watersons, Planxty, or even Comus mossy aberrance. Eschewing the loose psychedelia of the acid folk revival and the cloying earnestness of indie folk, Lankum are quite deliberate in their manipulation of the traditional folk idiom. The gradual eight-minute build-up on their anxious rendition of The Wild Rover is a work of art, and the massive instrumental payoff it finally begets feels like a punch to the gut. As the bands lone female voice, Radie Peat lends a strong but plaintive tone to Katie Cruel and The Hunting of the Wren, her reedy delivery echoing the rural timbre of Lal Waterson. Of the albums original fare, The Young People is the highlight. Sung in tandem by brothers Daragh and Ian Lynch, the mournful ballad with its gorgeous refrain could easily pass for something written centuries earlier. On the other end of the spectrum, the guttural march of The Pride of Petravore, another Lankum original, is downright frightening. The Livelong Day is a challenging album made up of long, droning songs with numerous verses and arcane sounds. It will not be for everyone, but to the discerning listener, its dark majesty is well worth the engagement. ~ Timothy Monger