In the Mud album cover
In the Müd
Scatter the Mud

What's this? Nothing more or less than a grand satisfying album of Irish favourites and some new material from the up and coming Candian band, Scatter the Mud. In the Müd (yes, it is pronounced "In The Mood") is the first album from this Calgary-based quartet, named after an Irish jig.
The music is Irish and Scottish based, with a nod to the Canadian East Coast style as well. It is played with more ease than energy, vigourous enough to express the music without getting into the mad dash category, good sit-back-and-savour stuff. Lead singer Phil Flaherty's voice is distinctively rich and confident, and the backing vocals form a tight sound. The instrumental lineup has the usual spread, featuring bass guitar and Highland pipes: guitar and octave mandolin (Flaherty), bagpipes and low whistle (Cam Keating), flute, bodhran and accordion (Greg Hooper) and bass (Conan Daly) with some guest percussionists on a few tracks. None of the instrumentalists are standouts, but the ensemble is well-knit and comes together nicely.
If you like your music traditional but not shoved down your throat and like a bit of experimentation, this could be just the ticket.

Samples

Click on the links next to some cut to hear a sample, in ulaw [au] or RealAudio [ra] formats. The au files are high quality, about 300kb in size. If you're on a slow link, you may want to try the RealAudio files (~50kb); you will find some noise and distortion; these are not present in the CD! Try the audiohelp file for information on how to set up your browser to play audio files.

Track listing

  1. Leis An Lurigan / The Ingleneuk
  2. Slieve Russell / The Swaggering Jig
  3. Diamantina Drover [au, ra]
  4. The Scotsman Over the Border / The Peeler and the Goat
  5. The Old Mountain Road
  6. Wavy Creek [au, ra]
  7. A Bad Day for Brittany / Flying Plate / Whelan's Reel
  8. Red is the Rose
  9. The Rakes of Kildare / Stuart Chisholm's Walkabout / Famous Ballymote
  10. As I Roved Out / Galdowyn's Reel / The Blacksmith [au, ra]
  11. At the Ball & Chain

Availability

The album is available in Canada via BMG music (#74321-31407-2). In the US, it may be available from good import stores, or can be ordered direct from the band for US$15 including postage. Phil O'Flaherty can be contacted at philo@telusplanet.net. The band's address is:
Scatter The Mud
PO Box 36035
Lakeview Postal Outlet
Calgary
Alberta T3E 7C6
Canada

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