Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Some meeting are meant to be and yet they dissolve into thin air as, others come together with the seismic force of nature that can only be explained away as a comet slamming forth into the ocean and causing a tidal wave that is several miles high, and yet leaves the watcher with a sense of serenity that cannot be easily explained away.
The compelling nature of human energy is always one that comes to the fore when you have several people band together to produce something from the unexpected left field, of the memory of our ancestors dancing to music that may seem alien to us in the 21st Century, but which caused sensations and parental panic in its own time.
The Maniacs, Paul Hutchinson, Karen Wimhurst, Seona Pritchard and Gill Redmond bring their own traditional flavours to the fore and see the comet of unison break down its own walls of indestructability and feel the force of beautifully arranged melody and timing; like the trumpet that bought down Jericho’s own fortification, somethings cannot withstand the sound of engaging experience and the power of the cosmic jive.
The Maniacs is an album of movement and colourful procession, a leading light in a darkness that surrounds the comfortable and the forever constant, and in ambitious take on the 18th Century dance music, the quartet hammer at the doors of memory and come marching, instruments in hand, their positivity infectious, and whilst we as an audience might feel the distance of time as a barricade to enjoying the music on offer, once we delve intricately through dances such as Admiral Mitchel’s Reel, Sally Kelly, General Suwarrow’s Strathspey, Lovers’ Vows and Whiskers, the sound of the traditional becomes enlightening, entrancing and unavoidably detailed in its appreciation.
Bespoke, personalised and free, The Maniacs and their self-titled album is an embrace of the past from the modern-day perspective. Fulfilling in its originality, novel in its outlook, and yet enthusiastic in its pursuit of excellence, a pursuit that does not fail to charm and benefit the listener completely.
The Maniacs self-titled debut album is out now and available from Birnam CD and distributed by NorthStar Music.
Ian D. Hall T