Flatfish

On the face of it, the Anglo-Irish foursome Flook could be just one more band queueing up for recognition on the Celtic market. However their use of woodwind introduces a subtlety that sets them yards apart in what is becoming a dangerously overcrowded scene.

This is Flook's first studio album. Their inventive weaving of the flutes and whistles of Sarah Allen (ex-Barley Works) and Brian Finnegan, underpinned by the gutsy bodhran and guitar of John Joe Kelly and Ed Boyd respectively, plus the total absence of vocals, gives them a clearer focus than many of their rivals who often spread a limited range of musical colours across a too-broad canvas.

Flook can also do slow and pensive, especially with 'The Gentle Giant' led by Allen's dextrous accordion. There's some deft bodhran in 'The Sligo Reel' over which the flutes slip and slide with a gravity-defying agility and before you know it you're almost in Roland Kirk-style jazz territory if not Ian Anderson prog rock minus the bombast.

There's more breathtaking stuff on the title track and elsewhere, and proceedings are brought to a close with a stunning medley called 'Flutopia' which features the highly evocative tune 'Macedonian Oro'. This is far more than just another Celtic album by just another band. And what's worse, Flook make it all seem so effortlessly easy.