It seems stereotypical to refer to 'the luck of the Irish,' but Madison-based group Rising Gael have to be drawing off it. Although they have only been together for three years, they have established themselves as one of the youngest and most promising Irish groups in Wisconsin, opening for Gaelic Storm last year and set to play multiple venues around St. Patrick's Day.
Rising Gael established themselves as recording artists in 2004 with their self-titled debut and have now taken their distinctive Irish blend further with their sophomore album These City Walls. With a high-energy sound and songs that run the gamut of emotions, it is hard to believe that a college band can put together such a professional effort.
What is so striking about Rising Gael is the sense of unity they have on each track'songs are driven by their evocative vocalist Erin Ellison, backed by the twin fiddles of Katie Dionne and Leah Shea and pushed forward by the steady drumming of Jeff Olson and the versatile guitar of Peter Tissot. There is something organic about each song, like they are playing just to see where it goes next.
From the style of the songs, the band is also not afraid to let the songs go somewhere different. Unlike Gaelic Storm, which follows a fast-paced traditional style of Irish music, Rising Gael practices a more experimental style that reflects their youthful energy. Some songs do follow the old format, such as the opening ballad 'April Come He Will,' but much of the album shows the influences of pop and classic rock.
Any traditional perceptions are shattered with the album's third track, 'Donald McGillavry.' Starting with 30 seconds of loose sound resembling outtakes from a Beck album, the entire band is on a new edge for the album's best song. Ellison's voice is sharper and quicker, the fiddles are amplified and distorted to a level resembling electric guitars and the drums are devilishly fast in this untraditional take on a traditional Irish tune.
Rising Gael is excellent at keeping listeners guessing, as there is no clue as to what tone they will take between songs. 'Unchained' begins with bagpipes and then cuts into a calm beat of guitars and drums, a song that seems tailored for the end of a romantic comedy when all the characters have come together.
The group then abandons this romantic completeness with 'To Love a Man,' a much faster song that establishes a more cynical attitude with a mandolin riff, biting fiddle notes and lyrics like 'A woman's fate seems mean and cruel / For to love a man is to be a fool.' Like a long night of drinking and dancing, the album can change feeling in a second and never lose its passion.
A lot of this different feeling comes from the material they have drawn into the album. They have expanded beyond the traditional Irish songs by raiding the catalogues of established artists such as Paul Simon, Patty Griffin and U2, making each of the songs their own with fiddles and guitars. They have also produced some original material with 'Calls on Her Angels,' a crisp and gentle song that has some echoes of country behind it with acoustic guitar and harmonica.
With emotion and energy, These City Walls is an album that deserves to be played beyond St. Patrick's Day, an effort that will leave listeners as exhausted as if they were in the middle of an Irish pub. Rising Gael have something here that most groups lack, a sense of novelty and enjoyment that usually comes only with a live performance'a spirit that deserves all the attention it can get.
