Migration is rarely out of the news these days, and one might be forgiven for thinking that mass population movements are unique to our own age. Of course, that’s not true and the message of Uist, the new album by harp and electronic duo FitkinWall, is that such movements have occurred for as long as humans have inhabited the Earth. One thing that leapt out at me when I began looking at Uist, is that it’s listed as a classical album. That might make it seem an unusual choice for Folking, but I’ve no doubt that it belongs here. Inspired by Ruth’s Highland background, Uist illustrates the long history of migration through the story of the Highland clearances and subsequent migrations. To do this, they use traditional Gaelic music, reworking it in their own style, but always staying faithful to the source material, And if it’s not a regular folk album, it’s not a regular classical album either. Gender defying seems an apt description, which doesn’t always work, but I’d say it does work here.
FitkinWall consists of harpist Ruth Wall and composer Graham Fitkin. Ruth performs on a range of harps – the Renaissance bray harp, the Medieval clarsach (Celtic wire harp), and a modern electro harp. Graham creates electronic soundscapes using a Moog Voyager, Ableton and various FX modules. The result is a striking combination of the ancient and very modern.
The title track comes first. This opens with a drone like electronic sound, the steadiness of which becomes disjointed not unlike a distant alarm that defies efforts to pinpoint its location. The harp arrives with a beautiful and haunting Celtic melody, its haunting feel enhanced by discordant electronic effects. For the first, but not the last time, I felt that the harp represented calmness, amid the mayhem of the World, represented by the electronic soundscapes.
Changes in tempo between tracks is a feature of this album, and on ‘I Ho Ro’ the harp plays a livelier tune, with electronic effects that are more rhythmic. This contrasts with the slightly menacing ambient effects at the start of ‘Geal Og.’ The harp joins in with a melancholy tune, while in the background, ambient effects become more discordant, almost overpowering the harp on occasions. Appropriately, given the album’s subject matter, this draws on a lament for a Jacobite killed at Culloden.
‘Ale Is Dear’ is a lively reel, so it’s not surprising that the opening has a faster, almost urgent feel. When the harp arrives, a lively dance tune proceeds, while strong electronic effects create a sort of frenetic discordance. Again, the next track is a complete contrast. ‘Red, Red Rose,’ has a gentle. if haunting opening and this familiar tune sounds more sombre than usual in this version. Not that this is a criticism, because it’s a beautiful track.
The dramatic beauty of the Highland landscape is evoked in ‘Beinn Dorain.’ The title refers to a pyramid shaped mountain in Argyle (the name curiously translates from Gaelic as ‘Hill of the Otter’). It opens with a hard, driving, and repetitive soundscape, with the Moog in evidence. As always, the harp brings a gentle contrast, but the dramatic mood from the opening is never fully calmed. After this epic track, the gently ethereal opening of ‘Gaol Nam Ban’ is another complete contrast. This is a slow, stately tune, and the arrangement differs from others here in that the harp leads off, with ambient electronic effects seeming to work their way in later.
I was surprised to see ‘Seventeen Come Sunday’ included here, having always regarded this as an English, more particularly Somerset, song. But a bit of background reading confirmed that it’s popular elsewhere, including in Scotland and Ireland, which illustrates further the message of the album, that people have always moved about. It’s another great track, with a quick tempo tune played by Ruth with beautiful clarity, while Graham’s soundscape provides a rhythmic, percussive accompaniment.
Two tracks with simple, paired back arrangements bring Uist to an end. ‘Harris Gregor’ starts with a sparsely ethereal, ambient passage before the harp arrives with another beautifully haunting melody. The haunting quality is emphasised by some discordant passages and the minimal feel of the arrangement.
Ruth’s playing style is influenced by her interest in the ornamented Scottish pibroch piping technique. This link to piping is very apparent on ‘Athol,’ where the harp gets closer to sounding like a set of pipes that I’d have thought possible! It’s another simple arrangement for a fine tune that provides a stirring finale to the album.
I like this album, which surprises me a bit because my first listening left me underwhelmed and unsure of what I was going to say about it. This though, is an album that rewards repeated listening, and careful listening to fully appreciate its complexity and beauty. In reality, it won’t be for everyone. Use of electronic effects tends to divide opinion and, as I said above, this isn’t a straightforward folk album. Graham’s arrangements are rooted in contemporary classical music.
That said, this is an album of traditional Scottish music, beautifully performed and thoughtfully arranged. For me, Ruth’s harp playing – superb throughout – is the highlight, but this is enhanced by Graham’s soundscapes and arrangements. On some albums that use electronics, samples and loops, the techno wizardry becomes too dominant. Here though, they provide a soundscape in which the melodies can flourish. This is an album best appreciated by careful listening, rather than as a background, although it might work at a quiet gathering where a chilled vibe is wanted. Either way, I think that although Uist is an unusual album to feature on Folking, it’s one that many readers would enjoy.
Graham Brown
Artists’ website: FitkinWall Harpland – Graham Fitkin
‘I Ho To’ – live:
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