Aerialists, Dear Sienna - album review
Canadians Aerialists are back with their sophomore record Dear Sienna - chock-full of folk roots with added dollops of experimentation.
Guitarist Adam Iredale-Gray, Elise Boeur on fiddle and Mairi Chaimbeul with the Scottish harp again form the basis of the material with drummer Steven Foster and Alan MacKie on bass rounding off the quintet.
Their sound delves deeply into the realms of folk, but their individual backgrounds and influences poke their heads through to mix things up from track to track.
But sometimes the experimentation seems at odds with what comes before it and the resulting record is a bit of a mish mash and hotch potch of genres and vibes.
They go all-out Sigur Ros on tracks like An Gille Dubh Ciar Dubh. The Gaelic traditions flowing through the Scottish harp of Chaimbeul pore forth from this number, but the off-kilter drumming of Foster can often seem disruptive, particularly in the song's big instrumental moments when everyone is bouncing off one another in folk's equivalent of a circle pit.
They can also slow things right down to the point of tedium with instrumental numbers like Raklekjølkin. While pleasant enough they meander a tad from start to finish and one finds themselves checking the timer for how much of the track is left before you are able to escape to the next one.
Orchard follows a similar path, and not even the vocal elements here can save the slightly jazz-infused track from falling into the same traps.
But it's not all downbeat and dull. There's some fun to be had from time to time - even if it is too few and far between. The upbeat, The Corrs-esque Jigs sees Boeur really enjoying herself with her instrument and it feels more of a frolic than elsewhere. And Jag Vill is an accomplished folk-pop number too with that softly building melody throughout the verses.
It's probably fair to say this is one for the technically gifted musicians - those who will appreciate the craftsmanship straight off and the technical intricacies that go into each song. For the more fair-weather listeners, it's all just a bit bland.
Rating: 4/10
Aerialists will play Birmingham's Kitchen Garden Café on January 28
