Here’s the truth. The description Lothlorien uses, “Contemporary Celtic World Fusion’, doesn’t do it for me. To me, it doesn’t do justice to the fantastic music made by this band. Maybe that’s why I’ve managed to miss seeing them perform live in the last 12 years. They’ve done hugely well-received gigs at lots of festivals I’ve been at, including a by-all-accounts legendary sunset gig on the hilltop at Woodford on NY Eve 2004. On their website www.lothlorienmusic.com you can see photos (and buy CDs).
Anyhow – by sheer fortuitous happenstance, I ended up seeing them play 4 gigs in two days last weekend. By the end of that marathon, I was absolutely ready for more. I came home with 3 CDs – including their just released ‘best of’ compilation “Relics” -and it’s been on high rotation ever since.
The CD is a gathering of their favourite tracks from 3 previous studio recordings between 1993-97. In the meantime, the line-up has changed a lot. At last count they’ve had 25 members of a 6-8 piece band. I suspect more due to their free spirited wanderings than any ill-will.
So this album is not exactly as Lothlorien manifests now – but the ‘vibe’ is the same.
It’s joyous and gentle – a great combination for delightful listening. There’s lots of intricate rhythms from drums, electric bass & percussion, a lush wash of voices, 12 string guitar, violin, flutes, whistles, you name it, they play it.
Most of the songs are penned by Nic Morrey – the founder & lineage holder of the Lothlorien tradition, but they’re so embedded in diverse cultural influences that I personally would happily have believed many of them were ‘traditional’- and that’s a compliment.
The lyrics are more free-form than I am used to – but that’s growing on me too.
The more I listen to this CD, the more I wonder if I’ve grown to be more like them over the years - a bit less tough, and more tender. The folk scene is like that – you can spend years off in one sub-genre, and suddenly find you are changing what you choose to listen to. In these days, it is important to maximise joy and hopefulness. Getting this CD is a short-cut on this path. I recommend it. - Maree Robertson
