Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Integrity is arguably the pinnacle of human interaction we seek, to be taken at one’s word, and to know that the person you are speaking to doesn’t don’t your word, your intention, or your meaning; it is the reliability of consistent truth, the honour of not mincing words…never mind success, never mind riches and pride, to be virtuous in both praise and criticism is the height of being human.
This sense of integrity must reach every part of life, even unto art, and when you can be as enduring and endearing as Flook as they add to their catalogue of music, then you have maintained a standard which adds passion to the formidable and the constructive ability they have strived for since forming in 1995.
Sarah Allen, Brian Finnegan, Ed Boyd, and John Joe Kelly have returned to the studio after a six-year absence and after the dramatic cool of Ancora, have once again shown their value and worth in the visions that their incredible music and story-telling ability have progressed along and in the five reels and jigs that the flutes, whistles, accordion, the bodhrán, and the guitar deliver what enlightens the soul is that absolute vigour of the interplay between each member, the trust in the direction, and the integrity of the feelings developed.
Across The Farther Shore/Winter Flower, Jig For The Sham/The Dawn Wall/Johnny D’s/Timewaver, Koady/The Burning Lion/ Tie The Knot In Georgia/Ed’s Big Five-O/Faqqua, and Where There Is Light/The May Waterway/ Ninety Years Young, this reflection of musical colour and intrigue is one bestowed and bulging with creativity and craft; and as the overall effect finds its place in the listener’s heart, so the honour of the piece is complimented, it is a tribute to consistency and the mystery of tender arrangements.
The solidarity of the pieces showcases the effect of war, friendships, loss, and the damnation of cruelty, and Sanju is a place where these structured grooves and dramas live with the reliability of the idea framed and musically adored. A wonderful sense of continuality, Sanju is a pleasure of its genre foretold.
Flook release Sanju via Flatfish Records on March 21st.
Ian D. Hall