There’s something infectiously joyous about Talisk’s debut album ‘Abyss’- each tune has the ability to bring a smile and elicit a toe-tap. The tight combination of Mohsen Amini on concertina, Hayley Keenan on fiddle and Craig Irving on guitar work perfectly together, seeming to broaden, not shrink, their musical horizons with this select choice of instruments. Indeed, the amount of musical variation on this well-formed album is frankly astonishing, managing to hold the listener’s attention throughout and demanding to be played all over again once the final track has faded away.
Each tune on ‘Abyss’ adds a new flavour to the listener’s experience- whether it be the blistering speed of Amini’s concertina playing in ‘Picc’, the subtle build of Keenan’s fiddle playing in the title track ‘Abyss’ or the smooth guitar introduction of Irving in ‘Echo’, there is always some impressive show of skill going on. And this comes as no surprise- winners of the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, Talisk are rising stars in the world of British folk music, and in the last year have garnered many other accolades including Amini being made 2016 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year. With such a strong line up, the group have gained an impressive list of successes that belie their years- and ‘Abyss’ thankfully lives up to this new reputation.
Whilst the restriction to the group’s three instruments might have potentially limited the scope for reinterpretation (though there was pipe accompaniment on the title track ‘Abyss’), Talisk’s take on the music never fails to absorb and entertain: toying with speed, dynamic and style, the instruments interact and play off each other in ways that surprise and engage. For example, the interweaving of fiddle and concertina in the track ‘Echo’ creates a depth of sound that evolves as the tune progresses, with each instrument taking it in turn to experiment with the melody as the other accompanies. The tour de force of the final track, ‘The Millhouse’, pushes the listener back into their seat as the Keenan’s fiddle performs intricate leaps around Armini’s frantic concertina, all underlain with the steady support of Irving’s guitar chords.
All in all, ‘Abyss’ is a masterful debut onto the folk scene, from a group that has already gathered a long history of successes. A beautiful, soaring collection of tunes, this album is bound to delight. Expect great things from Talisk in the near future!
