Pat Simmonds wrote this review.
Shebeen is based around the piping of Robbie Byrne who, according to his Web site, is an ex-Scots Guard Highland Piper and folk musician. The CD arrived with an accompanying note but no cover and I was a little unclear as to whether it was a demo or promotional product, although the site confirmed that it was for sale commercially.
The music is clearly conceptual in nature and from the opening notes of mysterious synthesiser and distorted guitar the listener is led down a fantasy road of indie/traditional delight. It is here, unfortunately, that the shortcomings of this adventure become apparent and remain so until the end. There are six tracks in all: a mixture of spoken word soundscapes, tunes played on whistles and uilleann pipes, a Counting-Crows-meets-Belle-and-Sebastian like pop whimsy, and a neo-Celtic mood piece.
While I’m certain that the intent behind this project was genuine, the outcome is lacking in several major departments. The choice and treatment of supporting instruments (keys and guitars) is unfortunate and the use of phase/flange effects is a stark reminder of why such things are not used more often in this type of music. The singing on the opening track is, at best, out of tune and the mix is devoid of any sense of irony or intent. The notes describe track three as a “12/8 jig” when its is quite clearly a “4/4 reel.” Track four is an attempt at “The Foxchase,” perhaps the most demanding piece in the uilleann piping repertoire, where the player reproduces the sounds of the hunt from joyful gathering of the hounds to the fox’s unfortunate death; but here the end product sounds something more like a chipmunk on acid let loose in a cage of canaries. Having said that tracks three and six do approach a modern music sensibility, the former being an arrangement reminiscent of Kila or Lunasa and the latter a low whistle dirge that resembles Davy Spillane’s style, although both still suffer from what I think of as Celtic overkill.
I can’t completely disparage The Pebbled Shore, however, because repeated listening reveals some interesting ideas and as I said, I feel the intent is genuine. However, a few trips to the Willie Clancy Week and collaborating with an independent producer could work wonders for this material and certainly for the next assignment.
(Shebeen, 2002)
