Prydein "Heads Up" Kynsfolk Records KRAD004
Release date: 2010
Running Time: 41:58, 12 tracks
Which is the best Bagpipes rock band in the USA? Maybe Prydein, the band from Vermont which has released their third album in 2010, “Heads Up”. After “Loud Pipes Saves Lives”, this is an excellent come back. Prydein consists of four great musicians, Aron Garceau (vocals, guitar, mandolin and keyboards), Iain MacHarg (bagpipes, pennywhistle), Andy Smith (bass) and Caleb Bronz (drums). The band is really tight and all of them shine, because all the instruments are integrated in the best possible way. The selection of the tunes, the arrangements and the structure of the set of tunes are perfect, at least I am not able to say that a tune in the middle sounds out of place.
Most of the tracks are still instrumentals, but there are several songs, a couple of standards, Loch Lomond and Whiskey You’re the Devil, a J.Geils Band Centerfold cover and an original whose lyrics were found in the February 1913 edition of “The Vermonteer”. OK, there are some short lines on tracks such as Devil’s in the Kitchen and Feelin’ Alright, but they are mainly set of tunes.
The track that opens the album is Devil’s in the Kitchen and after having heard it, you want more.
The next number is Loch Lomond. A good version.
Track no. 3 is Thymes Changes, a set of tunes that features a Jig from Galicia (Spain).
Centerfold, the J.Geils Band cover gets the Prydein treatment.
The Drunken Piper is another set of tunes that shows you why Prydein are at the top of the Bagpipes Rock bands.
The music from track no. 6, Longing for the Homeland, has been written by Aron Garceau, who is a Led Zeppelin fan. However, IMHO, it is not as interesting as other tracks.
The following track is ¼ Short. Three tunes from different pipers, PM J.MacLeod, PM William Robb and Prydein’s own piper Iain MacHarg. As I have said previously these guys know how to choose the best tunes and how to arrange them.
The standard Whiskey You’re the Devil is always a sure bet. In this song Iain plays the tin whistle instead of the pipes.
Track no. 9 follows the path opened by track 7, another excellent selection of tunes written by different pipers and Iain. It is followed by a Set of Breton Tunes. If Thymes Changes featured a Galician Jig, Breton Tunes is a set of tunes from Brittany (France), another Celtic land.
Feelin’ Alright, a funky number, features the tunes Green Wood Side and Drowsy Maggie. A versatile band who plays music from different origins and from different genres.
And the last track is The Big Apple Heist. Who is the best Bagpipes Rock band in the USA? Just listen to this track and you will need no answer.
“Heads Up” is an album that should be in your collection. The digipack packaging contains all the information you need, liner notes, credits, thanks and to whom the album is dedicated. Apart from that, the band keeps on joking about where the album was made and where you should file the album. Those who bought “Loud Pipes Saves Lives” know what I mean.
I expect that Prydein are able to write some catchy songs in the Wolfstone (Ivan Drever’s Years) or MacKeel vein. A better balance between excellent tunes and self-penned songs will help them to get the massive recognition they deserve.
Tracklist:
01 - Devil's in the Kitchen 3:19
02 - Loch Lomond 4:12
03 - Thyme Changes 2:58
04 - Centerfold 3:41
05 - The Drunken Piper 3:59
06 - Longing for the Homeland 3:36
07 - 1/4 Short 3:01
08 - Whisky You're the Devil 3:00
09 - Horny-Pipes 4:24
10 - Breton Tunes 3:22
11 - Feelin' Alright 3:23
12 - The Big Apple Heist 2:58
www.prydein.com
www.myspace.com/prydein1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prydein_%28band%29
www.cdbaby.com/cd/prydein3 (click to buy the CD)
Review by Kinksmarkham
.
Release date: 2010
Running Time: 41:58, 12 tracks
Which is the best Bagpipes rock band in the USA? Maybe Prydein, the band from Vermont which has released their third album in 2010, “Heads Up”. After “Loud Pipes Saves Lives”, this is an excellent come back. Prydein consists of four great musicians, Aron Garceau (vocals, guitar, mandolin and keyboards), Iain MacHarg (bagpipes, pennywhistle), Andy Smith (bass) and Caleb Bronz (drums). The band is really tight and all of them shine, because all the instruments are integrated in the best possible way. The selection of the tunes, the arrangements and the structure of the set of tunes are perfect, at least I am not able to say that a tune in the middle sounds out of place.
Most of the tracks are still instrumentals, but there are several songs, a couple of standards, Loch Lomond and Whiskey You’re the Devil, a J.Geils Band Centerfold cover and an original whose lyrics were found in the February 1913 edition of “The Vermonteer”. OK, there are some short lines on tracks such as Devil’s in the Kitchen and Feelin’ Alright, but they are mainly set of tunes.
The track that opens the album is Devil’s in the Kitchen and after having heard it, you want more.
The next number is Loch Lomond. A good version.
Track no. 3 is Thymes Changes, a set of tunes that features a Jig from Galicia (Spain).
Centerfold, the J.Geils Band cover gets the Prydein treatment.
The Drunken Piper is another set of tunes that shows you why Prydein are at the top of the Bagpipes Rock bands.
The music from track no. 6, Longing for the Homeland, has been written by Aron Garceau, who is a Led Zeppelin fan. However, IMHO, it is not as interesting as other tracks.
The following track is ¼ Short. Three tunes from different pipers, PM J.MacLeod, PM William Robb and Prydein’s own piper Iain MacHarg. As I have said previously these guys know how to choose the best tunes and how to arrange them.
The standard Whiskey You’re the Devil is always a sure bet. In this song Iain plays the tin whistle instead of the pipes.
Track no. 9 follows the path opened by track 7, another excellent selection of tunes written by different pipers and Iain. It is followed by a Set of Breton Tunes. If Thymes Changes featured a Galician Jig, Breton Tunes is a set of tunes from Brittany (France), another Celtic land.
Feelin’ Alright, a funky number, features the tunes Green Wood Side and Drowsy Maggie. A versatile band who plays music from different origins and from different genres.
And the last track is The Big Apple Heist. Who is the best Bagpipes Rock band in the USA? Just listen to this track and you will need no answer.
“Heads Up” is an album that should be in your collection. The digipack packaging contains all the information you need, liner notes, credits, thanks and to whom the album is dedicated. Apart from that, the band keeps on joking about where the album was made and where you should file the album. Those who bought “Loud Pipes Saves Lives” know what I mean.
I expect that Prydein are able to write some catchy songs in the Wolfstone (Ivan Drever’s Years) or MacKeel vein. A better balance between excellent tunes and self-penned songs will help them to get the massive recognition they deserve.
Tracklist:
01 - Devil's in the Kitchen 3:19
02 - Loch Lomond 4:12
03 - Thyme Changes 2:58
04 - Centerfold 3:41
05 - The Drunken Piper 3:59
06 - Longing for the Homeland 3:36
07 - 1/4 Short 3:01
08 - Whisky You're the Devil 3:00
09 - Horny-Pipes 4:24
10 - Breton Tunes 3:22
11 - Feelin' Alright 3:23
12 - The Big Apple Heist 2:58
www.prydein.com
www.myspace.com/prydein1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prydein_%28band%29
www.cdbaby.com/cd/prydein3 (click to buy the CD)
Review by Kinksmarkham
.
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