Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

You might not think that you are where you want to be but you are always it seems where you need to be, that moment in life, the chance meeting which leads to something extraordinary, the silent reproach, the argument in the storm or the sound of bagpipes playing out the Time on stage, the herald always understands and blows the Tirade in honour.

It is the Tirade of the brought together, of the possible unity that we can each bring into the lives of others that makes Eddie and Luc an enjoyable musical prospect, armed with nature’s own impossible beauty, the bagpipes, and an array of other instruments, the duo, along with Gus Stirrat, Iain Copeland and Madeleine Stewart on various tracks, make this entrancing emblem of Scottish independence, of the ghosts that lay between the centuries, such a magnificent piece of art in which to become embroiled within.

The bagpipes are arguably a divisive instrument, to some it the call of the wild and the untamed, it puts a shiver up their spine that they cannot understand, that they do not want to investigate perhaps out of fear of what the mysterious sound once represented; to others though, it is wholesome, the mournful, soul enlightening cry of rebellion, of the chance to dance, to be lost in the arms of Brigadoon and be swept away by those with ability to play such an intriguing instrument.

Whatever the reason, the bagpipes are piece of history, of modern cool and Eddie and Luc bring that sense of nostalgia and unhindered drama completely to the fore in their album and it is one that will capture the essence of the songs, their robustness, perfectly.

In tracks such as Angry Piper’s Tirade, Harry Brewer, Here’s The Tender Coming, Johnny MacDonald’s and Infinite Space, the bagpipes take on more than centre stage, they become the whole point of existence, the sharp focus and realisation that music would be undesirable as a force if the Tirade of mourning was not allowed to exist, a gentleness, a fondness for the loud exclamation, the Tirade has never been better put.

A wonderful album, one of thoughtfulness and grace, Tirade is not angry, it is an outburst of drama and humanity.

Ian D. Hall