FLOOK

Founded in 1995, just over thirty years ago, the band offered us four superb albums before splitting up in 2008. Having reunited again in 2018, they offered us the excellent Ancora. Then nothing again, until today, when they are back with a sixth album, Sanjû, to mark their thirtieth anniversary. Sanjû is the Japanese word for thirty, which they brought back from their tours of the Land of the Rising Sun.

When the band formed in 1995, it was hard to compare them to anyone else, with the vibrant flute duo of Sarah Allen and Brian Finnegan, backed by Ed Boyd's guitar and the relentless rhythm driven by John Joe Kelly's bodhrán.
If their music was difficult to label, for many it struck a chord in the hearts. Over thirty long years, they have enchanted us with their unique sound, exquisite playing and highly original melodies. For on the present album, which unfortunately has only five titles and fourteen tracks, almost all the tunes are Brian and Sarah's own compositions. They borrow just one tune from Liz Carroll and another from Scotland's Phil Cunningham.
Fortunately, to compensate for the small number of tracks, the five medleys are long enough to provide a diverse and original range of moods and tones. The dexterity and excellence that characterise our four friends are once again well preserved. Jigs and reels alternate in an absolutely fantastic patchwork of musical images.
Recorded in just three days, the album delivers a deep emotional imprint in every track, evoking themes as diverse as love and loss, friendship, resilience, cruelty and the beauty of humanity. It also explores the maritime links between County Antrim and Scotland on The Farther Shore, and solidarity with Ukraine on The Burning Lion.
With this album, Flook reaffirms his role as a musical storyteller. An excellent album from start to finish.

Flatfish - FLATFISH 007CD - www.flook.co.uk