Transatlantic folk experimentalist Ewan MacIntyre makes a triumphant return. Back on the Island of Skye after an 8-year Canadian sojourn, On these Islands We Sing reunites him with the Gaelic language, Gaelic culture and a bunch of old friends.
A WELCOME RETURN
It’s been quite some while since we last heard from Transatlantic folk experimentalist Ewan MacIntyre – and we’ve missed him, that’s for sure. Ewan’s 2023 album, Twenty First Century Fool, blew our socks clean off… It featured in our end-of-year ‘Best Albums’ roundup and it’s seldom been far away from this writer’s turntable ever since. And – Twenty First Century Fool was no flukey one-off, either. Back in 2020, we were effusive in our praise for Ewan’s Dream On Sally; “…an absolute aural delight,” we called it.
So, the news that, after a three-year gap, Ewan MacIntyre is back with a new album – On These Islands We Sing (his fifth) – was greeted with unrestrained joy around these parts.
A lot has happened since we last heard from Ewan. For a start, he’s back on the Isle of Skye after his 8-year sojourn in Canada. His move has enabled him to re-establish his connection with the Gaelic language and culture and he’s reunited with a bunch of his old musical chums. Dubbed Herding Cats, at least for the purpose of this album, those chums are: Bado Réti (double bass), Tam Whiltshire (drums and pandero), Dirk Ronnenburg (fiddle) and backing vocalists Lucie Yavruturk, Sally Jaquet and Emily Domhnallach. When Ewan’s lead vocals, guitars, banjo, mandolin and harmonica are added to that lot, the brew is a potent one indeed.
AN AURA OF GENTLE JOY
On these Islands We Sing takes its name from a 2011 anthology of Scottish Islands Poetry. The songs (with one exception, all Ewan’s) provide a commentary on the failings of a bureaucratic society that continues to move away from people’s needs, leaving them faceless and isolated. The album features seven new songs – three sung in English, three in Gaelic, plus one instrumental and a reimagined first world war poem.
Anti-war sentiment is an ongoing theme of On These Islands We Sing and that theme is established by opening track, An Saighdear Nack Till, a WW1 poem written by Dòmhnall MacAoidh. Ewan’s banjo and Bado’s bass provide the backing and Ewan brings a flavour of Dylan into his delivery of the Gaelic lyrics. Dirk’s fiddle is beautifully atmospheric and the band create an aura of gentle joy that is destined to last for the entire album.
Soft birdsong accompanies Ewan’s light-touch guitar for the intro to the album’s title track. Written whilst backing vocalist Lucie was suffering the back pain that eventually led to spinal surgery, the song is an early album highlight. Ewan’s Caledonian accent comes over clearly within his John Martyn-like delivery. The sound – and the mood – build slowly until the whole band are playing their part; Tom’s drums swish and crash like waves breaking on a remote shore and Dirk’s fiddle adds the finishing touches.
MEDICAL ORDEALS AND FUNKY JAZZ
The anti-war theme is revisited for Gabh do Thàmh (it translates as ‘Take Your Rest.’) Ewan’s lyrics imagine a man losing his loved ones during the bombing of Gaza and ponders on how we take responsibility for our guilt and use our power to heal to bring lasting change. Guitar and mandolin dominate, whilst Ewan’s harmonica howls. It’s stark and dreamy, especially when Dirk’s fiddle surges forth, and the subtle backing vocals are a delight.
Lucie’s medical ordeals provide the inspiration for the jazzy, funky instrumental, Oramorph. Electric guitar and fiddle meld tightly together as bass and drums keep up an infectious rhythm. I’m reminded immediately of Frank Zappa as Ewan delivers his mesmerizing guitar solo. Dirk’s fiddle solo is equally enthralling and Bado’s bass cameo is jaw-dropping. Amazingly, when a Scottish dance tune breaks through the jazzy complexity, it seems an entirely natural thing to have happened.
SOFT AS VELVET
Described as: “…playful jabs at Gaelic language development,” Beir Air (‘Grab Hold’) and Èigh Ri Èiginn (‘Shout in Need’) are intriguing mixtures of straight-ahead rock, heavy riffs, jazzy rhythms, with side-servings of pure psych. And the rocky mood continues with Brother Stephen, a song in which Ewan considers how the pressures of modern-day society impact the mental health of many. Bass and guitar provide the riff that defines the song, as Ewan sprays out the devastating, unsettling lyrics. The guitar solo, when it arrives, is another soaring, Zappa-esque affair and, once again, Bado and Dirk takes their turns in the spotlight for more dazzling solo wizardry.
Faint owl hoots introduce Light a Candle of Love, the album’s gentle, anthemic closing track. It’s folky, slow and pensive, with some lovely fiddle fills from Dirk. Ewan’s vocals are as soft as velvet – and they’re softened even further by the delightful, discrete backing harmonies. On these Islands We Sing is another breathtaking collection from Ewan MacIntyre – everything we could have wished for during our long wait. Perhaps he won’t leave waiting too long for the next episode??
Listen to Seòladair Na H-Inntinn – a standout track from Ewan’s 2023 album, Twenty First Century Fool – below:
Ewan MacIntyre: Website