Album review: Black Bank Folk, Echoes On The Street

Combining traditional and folk melodies with indie rock instrumentation and arrangements doesn’t always work, but Dublin quartet Black Bank Folk make it look easy, possibly thanks to the presence of talented musician and super-producer Gavin Glass behind the desk.

This third album shares a certain sensibility with A Lazarus Soul, albeit Black Bank Folk are heavier on the trad. No disrespect to the voice of James Sheeran or the talent of the Colbert brothers, John and Mark (bass and drums), but when Seán McKeon’s Uilleann pipes weave their magic – like around three-and-a-half minutes into opener ‘Old Songs’ – it takes the music to another realm altogether. This is no slight; it was the same with Planxty and Liam Óg O’Flynn.

Other highlights include the yearning ‘Collateral Damage’, complete with haunting pipe melody; the dramatic, choral ‘Splinter In The Hand’; the epic ‘Falling’; and the instrumental march of ‘Millie’s Delight’. Lead single ‘Bricks & Mortar’ is a warning about the changing face of our capital city, as much of its cultural and traditional heart is ripped away, to be replaced with shiny new hotels, offices and apartments.

If I have one criticism, it’s that they don’t use the choral vocals, where the Colberts join Sheeran on harmonies, nearly often enough. But this is brimming over with masterful musicianship welded to strong songwriting, and the feeling that Black Bank Folk are only getting into their stride.