Dancing Or Dying? The Celtic Social Club

The Celtic Social Club returns to this blog, with a new album that is worth paying attention to. Dancing Or Dying? opens with a sprightly up-tempo song that brings me back four decades to the moment I heard 'Liars A To E' by Dexys Midnight Runners for the first time. Am I hearing violins?, I thought. Where are the horns? All but one had been kicked out by Kevin Rowland and enter a set of violin and banjo players. And world domination for a very short period of time. In 'For Real' the whole 'Too-Rye-Ay' vibe is recreated, with very much its own twitst.

Not for long though as 'The Edge Of The World' is 1980s as well, but more of the alternative rock bands of the age. At the same time, The Celtic Social Club manages to give both songs a pop vibe that makes them far less one dimensional and thus interesting, as a lot is going on at the same time. Hear the violin come in in 'The Edge Of The World' for the solo. It totally changes the song and challenges the listener to pay more attention. To move from the huge Big Country or Simple Minds guitar and bass parts to the folk side of music. No, I have not forgotten about the bass, as it's huge and very decisively present for the atmosphere of the song.

The inception of The Celtic Social Club was a festival where some musicians played together. That was seven years ago. In the meantime a seven piece band grew from the collaboration, with musicians from France and Ireland, with singer Dan Donnelly, who you can also find as a solo artist on the blog, as front man. Around him more than enough is played to make sure he is only the singer of a real band.

Listening to Dancing Or Dying? I find that the band incorporates a lot of influences into its songs. Pop, rock, folk, you'll find all woven into each song, with then the one and then the other more dominating, but never for 100 percent. A true pop gem like 'Time's Up' gets a folk injection through the violin solo and a harmonica one as well.

Press photo

What stands out also, is the good taste in which the songs are arranged. More purist inclined folkies may undoubtedly complain that the music was dusted off too much but I disagree. The doom bass in the second song changes the mood, as does the gospel-like choir in 'This Spell'. The Celtic Social Club plays with the mood of its listeners by changing the approach to a song continuously. The result is an, on average, softer but certainly varied album. The Celtic/Irish vibe most songs know brings a pub on The Irish west coast on music night to mind, with a pint of Guinness in front of me. The big rock brings stadium or arena shows to mind by far better known huge bands. There certainly are worse associations with a song possible. The Celtic Social Club holds it all within it.

Admittedly, Dancing Or Dying? does not keep my attention for the whole album. I tend to cut it in half each listening session and then I'm fine with literally all the songs. Dancing Or Dying? is the kind of album that hovers between elation and melancholy, changing its mood depending on your own, depending of the elements I pick out on a specific day. How many albums exist, that are able to follow your mood? Not that much is my experience. Dancing Or Dying? is one of them.

Wout de Natris