Barrule announce second album

Barrule

Two years ago, exciting new trio Barrule were men on a mission – to bring Manx music to the wider world. Their refreshingly different, self-titled debut album won instant acclaim and resonated through the Celtic music world, culminating in a Best Debut win at the 2014 Spiral Awards run by popular music website Spiral Earth.

Named after the famous Manx summit, where legend says the ancient Celtic God Manannan Mac Lir stalked his mighty fortress, Barrule fuses three distinct musical forces – Mabon frontman and accordion wizard Jamie Smith, gifted young fiddler Tomás Callister and bouzouki master Adam Rhodes. Together this compact but versatile acoustic unit pull off a powerful and wholly distinctive sound putting the small island in the Irish Sea firmly on the map.

Since the band’s formation, Barrule’s “three legs” have hit the ground running with major festival appearances including Celtic Connections, WOMAD, Sidmouth, Festival Interceltique de Lorient and Melbourne’s National Celtic Festival, to name just a few.

ManannanNow they return with the arresting, atmospheric and mysterious Manannan’s Cloak released May 11.This is a rich collection of traditional and contemporary Manx material from rousing marches, jigs and reels, to sorrowful slow airs and beautiful songs sung in both English and the Manx Gaelic language and executed with class musicianship from Smith and his cohorts.

Says Jamie: “With this new material we’ve explored the links between some of the basic Manx melodies and the music of our Celtic cousins either side of us across the Irish Sea, whilst retaining the inherent Manxness of the music. These songs and tunes reflect the unique culture of the island, steeped in the history and mythology of its Celtic and Viking ancestry and self-governed for over a thousand years. They embrace a language and music so nearly lost and so important to nurture.”

With bold but sensitive arrangements, Barrule’s music is a breath of fresh air elevating the Isle of Man’s largely untapped native music to a new level of performance and musicianship.

Artists’ website: http://www.barruletrio.com/

‘Mylecharaine’s March’: