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Springing from an immensely creative family of painters, woodworkers, sculptors, tapestry weavers, dancers and musicians, this band has always been comfortable with thinking outside the box. The Gothard Sisters are a dynamic group of three sisters, whose impressive array of talents have set them apart as one of the most refreshing and compelling acts in Celtic-roots music today. They have a new disc out – Midnight Sun, just in time to beat the summer rush of releases and get under your skin for all it’s worth. Twelve of the best Folk, Pop and Celtic sounds to be heard in the industry, especially coming from the PNW.
It’s not easy to rate and critique Folk music of this type unless you already like it and can give a perspective coming from knowing what to expect, and the Gothard Sisters play right into that, but they pass on ever level with anyone who likes and appreciates their songs. They’re right in your element if that is you, and you can’t be disappointed with Midnight Sun or any of their releases for that matter. Their vocals can’t be beat on any day of the week, and that’s just the tip of their proverbial iceberg that freezes your soul for the time being and reminds you that music is alive and well.
The disc opens-up with “Midnight Sun” and some of these songs are about their travels in far away places, playing to their fans and logging their activities which culminated into song ideas. This is the first of those tracks centered around that, and it’s the most pop-oriented song on the whole disc, most of which is full of less radio-friendly but somewhat deeper and definitely-better as it goes music. In fact, there is no time wasted anywhere once “Against The Grain” is heard. What an impressive song full of some of the most dynamic instrumental skills an American folk band has ever come up with.
“Wandering” is another one of the songs about their traveling tales, and so is the following cut, “Hummingbird” and they play together as it they were intended to. These songs get better as the album wares on, and they getter better the more you play them. On “Mermaids” they deliver one of the most complex arrangements on the disc, and it goes into another of the album’s concept tracks on “Elderflower March.” And it’s almost as good as the following track, “Bells On The Hill” which takes one of the album’s front seats with an epic track you’ll not want to skip at any point.
“Cat And The Fiddle” is also as cool as anything on the Midnight Sun disc, and that’s a healthy call to say the least. It’s fun, as are most if not all the songs included on it. “When The Rain Falls” gets a guest spot on the piano by New Age composer, Michele McLaughlin, who adds great flavor to the mix on this smoldering track. It makes good way for the vocally interesting “Rose, Marie and Heather” for yet another fine addition to the disc. Which leaves you begging for more after finishing with “Mazama Mornings” and the finale, the great “Colors Of Home” on one of the best albums of 2018 so far.