Self Titled
Brown Ale
Independent
2003
18 tracks
The publicity material calls this "traditional celtic and east coast folk music." Well, maybe. While they were going down the road from Canada's Maritimes to Brampton, in Ontario's industrial heart, Glenn McFarlane and Les Smith seem to have gathered more than a few outside influences. Far from hard-core traditional, the music of Brown Ale is a joyful, eclectic Mulligan stew that blends a hodgepodge of mixed genres with a grab-bag of traditional roots. As in a stew, the flavours flow together, the ingredients complement each other, and the result becomes indeed a tasty dish.
From the outset, this duo's skewed perception of the world is revealed. With most artists, a "self-titled" release is one which bears the same name as the individual performer or the group. Not so with Brown Ale, who have given the name "Self Titled" to their release. It's a conundrum: a "self-titled" release which is not in fact self-titled.
Although the performance on this release shows more polish than Brown Ale's earlier recordings, Glenn McFarlane and Les Smith remain true to their roots. This is still pub music, the sort of Scots-Irish Maritime music that will get a room full of students and workers rocking. The set is programmed with the sort of variety that will hold the attention of even the most rowdy pub crowd and will sell a lot of brew to boot. With its more accomplished performance and incorporation of some interesting eclectic elements, this set should also come off well in a concert setting.
While most people will be captured by the joy and energy in this music, much of it may set the teeth of folk tradition purists to grinding. There is not a song in the set that doesn't at some point wander away from its folk origins. Some songs wander quite far indeed, crossing the horizon into another musical realm. It's all part of what makes this musical approach so fresh and interesting.
"The Kelligrew's Souree" came to me as a bit of a surprise. It's a song that I've not heard for decades, and one of my favourites too. Written by Maritimer Johnny Burke, this modern composition has a very tradional feel to it and yet there's also a sense of the Tin Pan Alley Irish in its story and rollicking melody. Focussed on Les Smith's lively vocal, the arrangement here brings out all the good fun of this chaotic tale of a party gone out of control.
Even more of a surprise was McFarlane's eccentric rendering of "Ode to Joy" in a tortured, emotion-filled vocal. Unlike the sweet exultation expressed by Miguel Rios in his 1970 version of this song, this version is agonizing, like a cry in the night Listening to it, one can almost feel the pain in McFarlane's voice. Raw in emotion, voice, and instrumentation, this is a powerful and original interpretation of a song that has been interpreted many times before. McFarlane's version exposes Schiller's lyric in a whole new light and brings Beethoven's lovely melody down to the common man.
Brown Ale's arrangement of the traditional Irish patter song "Lannigan's Ball" rips it out by the roots and plunks it dead centre on some hiphop stage. Heavy on the drums and rapping out the words, this recording may someday be heard booming from a customized Honda on some city street. This is a fun version of "Lannigan's Ball" that's anything but traditional. In fact, this song really rocks.
The oral recitation "Stealin' the Holes" is about as traditional as you can get. A retelling of a humourous Newfoundland tale told some sixty years ago in a radio broadcast by Ted Russell, this version is told in authentic style. The closest comparison to this style I can think of is Frank Crumit's "Why the Dog Died" which was later revisited by Flip Wilson. Ending a set with what we nowadays call a spoken word performance is risky. For Brown Ale, the risk was worth taking. It's a lovely, quirky close for an eccentric set.
"The Steggie" introduces folk to rock and roll. This is a hard rocker that should get the pub rocking. "Iko Iko" meets "Not Fade Away" and there's no stopping the rock and roll. Definitely not a traditional treatment of this song, Brown Ale's arrangement is just plain fun and just the thing to wake up a barroom audience or liven up a house party.
"The Gathering of the Clan Set" takes a more restrained approach but still has a rock and roll feel. Here the steely rock guitar riffs and airy rock flute laid over pounding traditional drumming are reminiscent of some of the British Celtic-flavoured rock recorded some thirty years ago. The sound rocks but also has a rich spiritual tone running through it, almost like Clannad on acid.
Stirred into this eclectic stew are a varied selection of more traditional numbers, including some lovely instrumental and a capella performances that take the listener back to another time and place. These provide the perfect balance to make this set work in spite of its diverse composition.
I've never seen Brown Ale perform live, but I imagine it must be quite the experience. The music on this release is enough to inspire the listener to seek out the nearest Irish pub and a tumbler of tasty brown ale. I'll be watching for this duo to come to my town. You should too.
Read my review of Brown Ale's previous release Heads Up! at Sound Bytes.
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Review written: March 19, 2005
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