GNOSS
Stretching Skyward
Philippe Cousin
Following on from Runrig in the 70s to 2000 and Capercaillie in the 80s to 2010, a new generation of Scottish bands has emerged, most recently Mànran, Talisk and Ímar. The latest to grace the stages of Glasgow and Edinburgh, Gnoss have already released three albums since 2019 - that's how prolific they are.
In just four years, the band have managed to cultivate their own sound. Breaking out of the comfort zone of pure traditional music, they have introduced, like many others before them, resolutely contemporary accents. And it's sometimes hard to believe that they've been playing together for such a short time, as their songs and music are already so accomplished.
Gnoss is the result of a meeting between Orkney-born Aidan Moodie (vocals and guitar), also a member of Mànran, his compatriot Graham Rorie (fiddle and mandolin), Connor Sinclair (flute and whistle) from Perthshire in central Scotland and Craig Baxter (bodhrán, percussion) from north Edinburgh.
With influences from all corners of Scotland, their music nevertheless reflects a strong attachment to the group's Orkney roots.
Their most recent album, Stretching Skyward, is heavily inspired by Scottish tradition. In eleven tracks - 6 instrumentals and 5 songs, including 4 composed by A. Moodie - it opens with the impressive Stroma, named after an abandoned island halfway between the north coast of Scotland and the Orkney archipelago, a frenzied, energetic track led by a vibrant whistle that augurs well for the rest of the album, which concludes with Hard Times, a much calmer song that delivers a note of hope and dynamism that suits this eclectic album perfectly.
Throughout the album, the blend of flute, fiddle, guitar and bodhrán creates a perfect fusion. This is a young band to be discovered as a matter of urgency.
Autoproduit BFLY05CD - www.gnossmusic.com