From: daniel@rahul.net Thu Feb 8 17:11:22 1996 Date: Thu, 8 Feb 96 17:11:33 PST Subject: Annwn rises to the top with this one. To: Concert and Movie Reviews ... X-Lines: 138 Content-Length: 7734 Status: RO I hate writing reviews for absolutely excellent things. It is difficult to constantly say good things without getting repetitious. Annwn's _Come_Away_to_the_Hills_. Coming, March 1996. I cannot deny that this album is absolutely great. I've been digging for any negative aspects I could find, but twenty plus listenings and five days later leaves me with nothing to complain about. I haven't even gotten tired of it in all these listenings. Did I forget to tell you that I am speaking of Annwn's new album? _Come_Away_To_The_Hills_ is a gorgeous and kinetic blend of several musical styles. To call it "Celtic Rock" would be both an insult and a compliment. It is the best Celtic rock album I have heard to date, but it incorporates so many other styles that it is difficult to tie it down to one category. The traditional pieces that appear on this album do resemble the tunes that they claim to be. Annwn, as a whole, then played with alternative musical theories and created vivacious new tunes from the original ones. With sultry blues sounds, captivating jazz counterpoint, and even the occasional bit of funk from the guitars, they are able to make even the most depressing of traditional tunes something you can tap your feet to. That is a large part of the story behind this album. Annwn is "pretty good at coming up with bizarre things to do, given the right inspiration," according to guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin player and male vocalist Elton Wildermuth. Elton, Leigh Ann Hussey (fiddle, pennywhistle, female vocalist), Billie Mandel (flute and backing vocal), and Greg Hines (guitar) work well together on this album because they are all musicians "that have the outrageous insights." New addition Russell Pickett is no exception to this either. Supposedly the middle section of "Morrison's Jig" was "perfectly boring until Russell started goofing around...playing Led Zeppelin ``Swamp Boogie''." Elton said,"Sure, do it like that," and through inspiration tore up what had been recorded before. Between Leigh Ann's formidable fiddling, Elton and Greg's stylish string-work, Billie's frequently capriccio flute playing, and everybody's efforts on percussion, this album was destined to be their best yet. Of course there was Russell on the first track and incidental aid from Aditya Gurajada (tabla), Peter Gascoyne (drums), Jennifer Tifft (backing vocal), Patti Wildermuth (backing vocal), and Tinker. All of them helped make this album what it is. The traditional tunes featured on this album include "Johnny O'Braid's Lee", "The Blacksmith", "Cam' Ye O'er Frae France?", "Byker Hill", "Tam Lin", "Down Among the Dead Men", "Matty Groves", "The Trees they do Grow High", and the ever so known "Morrison's Jig." Leigh Ann Hussey contributes "The Red Queen", "The Bard's Exhortation to the Salaryman", and "Gilbert's Greatsword", while Elton Wildermuth adds "Welcome in the May" and "Sunday Afternoon in Upper Wallop" to this project. "Morrison's Jig" leads off a medley that includes "Up Sligo" and "Banks of Lough Gowna." In this medley we get to see many of the aspects that make up the evolved Annwn sound. Russell picks out a good and funky foundation on his bass while Greg and Elton toy with other various string instruments to get a soft but funky-to-surf sound going. In the foreground, Leigh Ann plays her fiddle with just a bit of a sultry slur to it while Billie Mandel complements and sometimes doubles the melody. Not to allow the listener to fall into the assumption that this album will only feature traditionals, "Welcome in the May" appears second in line. Filled with wonderfully quippy lyrics, this cheery song is performed with fast, staccato vocals. To keep people off guard, the bloody and delightfully violent "Red Queen" falls in right behind "Johnny O'braid's Lee." "Red Queen" features lyrics and rhythms that will encourage you to bang your beer mug or coffee cup on the nearest wooden surface. Peter Gascoyne adds his drums on this one track. Though mostly snare drum, it gives this song that sort of 16th to 18th century feel of authenticity. "Johnny..." and "The Trees they do Grow High," best display Billie's talent and love for improvisational music. Rich with counterpoint and free-form, the flute adds an unfamiliar and unique aspect to these traditional tunes. It is true that the guitars are sometimes showing a degree of jazz influence, but they do not stand out as much as the wind instrument does on these tracks. Funky bass and light but fast guitar work lead off "Matty Groves." The star of this piece soon becomes the subtle bantering spoken below the lyrics, a tactic that brings some of the fun of their live shows to the album. The fluttering sounds of the flute in the background offset the morbid and violent mood of the latter versus, keeping the song from becoming too powerful. The vocal dynamics do mimic the mood of the lyrics as the story evolves from flirtation to a jealous rage. "Morrison's Jig" and "Cam' Ye O'er Frae France?" show off some good and fast work on the violin. The bridges in "The Blacksmith" and most of "Gilbert's Greatsword" feature double-string work that is most impressive. All of the slower movements echo deep, beautiful and rich tones from Leigh Ann's violin. Since I would hate to remove all of the mystery from the album, I will quit talking about the individual tracks and tell you a little about the recording itself. Elton recorded everything at Elf Hill Music and Mayhem (4309 Essex St. Emeryville, CA 94608), except for Leigh Ann's pennywhistle and Peter's drums. Those were recorded by Kristoph Klover at Flowinglass Music (2821 Truman Av. Oakland, CA 94605). The mix was perfectly balanced. Instruments that were not intended to be placed in the background did not get overwhelmed by the lead instrument for that piece. The dynamics were the most dead on accurate that I have heard since the Indigo Girls 1992 album, _Rites_of_Passage_. The harmonies were nearly comparable to Miranda Sex Garden's 1991 a capella album, _Madra_. Even the more difficult harmonies (such as those on "The Red Queen") turned out perfect. This was achieved by the gift of Leigh Ann's tone sensitive ears and the old-tech school of re-takes. "I produced and Leigh Ann (plus occasionally Billie) checked the mix," says Elton,"we did them over until everyone liked what they heard." And regarding the vocals,"Leigh Ann was our arbiter of in-tuneness. We did them until she said they were right." It all worked out in the end. _Come_Away_to_the_Hills_ is good enough and powerful enough to be the biggest thing to hit the Celtic scene since Phoenyx's _Keepers_of_the_Flame_. This album has beautiful harmonies, great balance, and with songs like "Matty Groves" and "The Red Queen" it is just plain fun. With the added bonus of a ten dollar price tag, it would be a mistake not to buy yourself this CD. If all works out well, the CD will be available during the first week of March. It should be ready no later than St. Patrick's day, which is their first CD release party. To get a listing of show dates, and potentially more information than you ever wanted to know about them, e-mail , or visit Elf Hill's web-page at . The U.Snail mail address is listed in the review. See you at the shows, Daniel Sanford free-lance reviewer