Corinna and I listened to Troy Donockley's album Messages last night, and golly its good. I have always liked the sounds of various Celtic pipes, and I once spent a week investigating a bigfoot-type apparition with Katherine Tickell's ex-bass player (but that, once again, is another story entirely).Troy's album is a revelation. It is completely unlike any other pipe album I have ever heard because it is not, basically, a collection of traditional tunes rehashed. It is something else entirely. When most artists say something like:
“I have a massive range of influences — from PINK FLOYD to Mahler, Johnny Cash to VANGELIS, PLANXTY to YES, and Vaughn Williams to Neil Young,”
Then I for one usually suspect a degree of hyperbole. But then again I am a cynical old sod. But Troy, if anything is understating the case. He is a superb composer and particularly arranger, whose work spans quite a range of influences and styles. I give you fair and due warning that he is someone that I shall be returning to again and again in these pages. But in the meantime check this out:
Wondeful! Thank you for sharing that.
ReplyDeleteJon, Troy's music isn't good; It's mind blowingly fantastic. This bit from Tunnels that you post is an epic part of Troy's awesome first release, The Unseen Stream (1998). If you haven't ordered it yet, you'll need to do so right away. If you liked Messages at all, you'll be captured forever by The Unseen Stream. I first heard it in 2000, and it still tops my playlist. The Pursuit of Illusion and The Madness of Crowds are must-haves too. Don't doddle...
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