Sunday, April 30, 2023

Record of the Month

I figured I'd do a monthly 'what I'm listening to' kind of thing. This could be viewed as a lame placeholder kind of post. And probably it is. But it's my blog! So there! 


It's been nine years since Nickel Creek has put out any new music, but it is always worth the wait. Celebrants is no different. 

The three group members been playing together since before their pre-teen years, and all are quite accomplished musicians. And while I'd say they started off as traditional bluegrass artists, they've morphed into something more than that - pushing and redefining the boundaries of the genre. 

You saw (well, if you actually clicked on it) their release from the disk, "Holding Pattern" a few weeks back in this very blog. 

But for their genre-bending take starts on the opening / title track. Throughout the disk, they blend their voices, sometimes a capella in the middle of a song ("To the Airport") or changing who sings lead in the middle ("the Meadow"), or even the finger clicks in "Holding Pattern".

I'd say the most "traditional" song would be "Where the Long Line Leads", and by comparison, it is. Yet it isn't. But I like it. 

The musicianship is A-1. And yes, there are some mostly instrumentals. 

I get it if you don't like the traditional bluegrass genre, you might not like this. It sill applies the rules of no drums and the percussion you hear are taps on the mandolin, guitar or bass - and the aforementioned finger clicks. 

I'd love to see the band live, but when they come, it's still 45 minutes away, on a school night. 

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