2017-07-04 ALBUM REVIEW - BANG ON THE EAR "1948" (2017)

Bang On the Ear "1948" 2914 Records
Release date: June 10th, 2017
Running time: 42:41 10 tracks

Glengarry County is an area in Ontario whose population is based on Scottish emigration. Several amazing Celtic rock bands hail from Glengarry: The Glengarry Bhoys, Hadrian’s Wall, The Crofters, The Peelers or Bang on the Ear.

Bang on the Ear are Bradley McMillan (lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitar), Michelle McMillan (tin whistle, vocals, bodhrán, trumpet), Ian Robertson (banjo, bagpipes, acoustic guitar, vocals), Johnny Kluver (bass), Matty Cormier (drums) and Danny Bissonnette (fiddle). Previosuly, they released three albums, “Green Grass and Gravel Roads" (2007), “Tales from the Glen” (2011) and “Pubs, Pints and Pints” (2014). “1948” is their fourth studio album and consists of 10 self-penned songs.

The lyrics for the songs deal mainly with Glengarry and the Glengarry Highland Games. The music is basically Celtic rock with a pop twist.

“1948” is the title track (the Glengarry Games were first staged in 1948). It’s a catchy track with an awesome fiddle and pipes tune. The following track is the other highlight on the album, “Here We are Tonight” “Here we go again / we’ll be dancing around the kitchen hand in hand / Here we go again/we’ll be dancing in Glengarry once again”. This song features female backing vocals, and the theme is led by the tin whistle and the fiddle.

Bang on the Ear keeps up the level with “Nothing at all”, another song with the Canadian DNA. “Up to Here” is an addictive number with more female backing vocals and a good work on fiddle and tin whistle.

“Devil’s Gone Mad” is a badass Celtic rock instrumental with bagpipes and a tight rhythm section. I love when bands write their own tunes.

“Spirit in the West” deals with “Canadian pride” and “Full Circle” is a different number. Michelle sings lead vocals and guitar, banjo and rhythm section are showcased.

The small pipes are played on “In the end”. Unfortunately, they have been mixed at a low volume and can hardly be noticed. Anyway, this cut is a great ballad.

“1948” ends up with “County Glen”, a song that follows the air of “All for Me Grog”. It’s sung a cappella “We’re all from the glen, the mighty, mighty glen/ Glengarry is the name and music is the game/We’re all from the Glen, the mighty, mighty glen/Ontario’s Celtic heartland, Glengarry is the name”

If you enjoy bands such as Dust Rhinos or The Elders, check out Bang on The Ear. Their full discography is available at Bandcamp. Go there and grab a copy of their latest album, “1948”.

Track listing:

01. 1948 03:00   
02. Here We Are Tonight 04:21   
03. Nothing At All 03:13   
04. Up To Here 04:57   
05. Devils Gone Mad 03:10   
06. Fading Light 03:28   
07. Spirit In The West 04:37   
08. Full Circle 06:07
09. In The End 07:00
10. County Glen 02:27

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Review by Kinksmarkham