It's not that their songs suddenly became bad, they just began to get almost too polished and quiet.

I personally really enjoy this album, although it is rather hard to hold it up to their more energetic and inventive works from the eighties. My experience with playing this album is this:

You put the CD in the player. The first song plays--Na Laethe Bhi--the strongest of the set. Slow as a funeral march, sad, and resonant. As soon as the chorus on the first song comes up, everyone within half a mile comes rushing to ask you who this amazing band is.

The next track, Banba Oir, is really eery--with low, mesmerizing vocals that give everyone shivers. It's upbeat but very quiet. Mystical.

Then the next song comes on and everyone falls asleep. Suddenly the CD takes a turn for the fluffy side, providing less-than-amazing lyrics, repetitive music, and a elevator saxophone soloist so polished and mellow you'd probably punch him if you had the chance. You might have hallucinations of walking through a department store. Seriously my grandpa listens to less familiar stuff on his light jazz station.

The group manages to redeem itself toward the end of the album, as they adopt a much more enjoyable "folksy" sound on Cade Sin Do'n Te Sin and The Other Side.

My favorite track is actually Soul Searcher, a sad, jazzy song with very introspective lyrics. Everyone else so far has cringed when I tried to play this song and begged me to put on something else. I like it.

If you've never listened to Clannad before, Banba is nowhere near their finest work. I would only recommend it to someone who is a big fan (like myself) and doesn't mind a few dud tracks to hit the skip button on.

It may be interesting to note that none of the tracks on this album have been reprinted on any of Clannad's roughly two million Greatest Hits collections (there are quite a few of them).

If you want to learn more about Clannad, I highly recommend this site:

"http://www.jtwinc.com/clannad/main.html"

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GENERAL INFORMATION ON THIS ARTIST –

CLANNAD (pronounced CLAN-ned, the A and E both long) takes its name from the Gaelic word for Family.

CURRENT LINEUP –

Maire Brennan (pronounced MOY-a) – Most lead vocals, Keyboard and Celtic Harp

brother Ciaran Brennen (pronounced KEER-an) – Additional vocals, Occasional lead, Keyboard, Acoustic, Electric, and Bass Guitars, Mandolin

cousin Noel Duggan – Acoustic Guitar

his twin brother Padraig Duggan (pronounced PAH-dug) – Acoustic guitar and Mandolin

PREVIOUS MEMBERS –

Pol Brennan – Brother to Maire and Ciaran

Enya Brennan – Sister to Maire and Ciaran (Yes, THAT Enya)


CLANNAD is an Irish band from County Donegal, not far from the Northern Ireland border. A traditional family band for some years, they decided to go into professional music making around 1970. Their first few releases were mostly traditional pieces sung in Gaelic. They’re “big break” came with the release of their 1982 album, “Magical Ring,” which included the Theme to Harry’s Game, a BBC made-for-television movie. Clannad is best known for their layered harmonizing vocals, a technique where Maire and Ciaran record numerous harmony parts on the same vocal track, thus producing an ethereal chorus-like effect. Enya adapted this method and fans of her music will find the style comparable (though much more organic in sound).

CLANNAD’s most recent studio recording was LANDMARKS in 1998.

MAIRE BRENNAN has produced several popular solo projects. These are (to date) –

MAIRE
MISTY EYED ADVENTURES
PERFECT TIME
WHISPER TO THE WILD WATER

FOR A FULL DISCOGRAPHY, PICTURES, LINKS, AN FAQ, LYRICS, AND ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THEIR SONGS IN GAELIC, SEE THE UNOFFICIAL CLANNAD WEB SITE AT –

http://www.empire.net/~whatmoug/clanhome.htm


Recommended:
No

Great Music to Play While: Going to Sleep