The Chair - The Road to Hammer Junkie (2013)

With a line up that includes drums, guest basses, with accordion, fiddles and frets, their cues come from Scots bands that have blazed a trail for revved and spiced-up traditional interpretations and own compositions, but rather than a simple emulation, The Chair’s aural landscape is an organic, tactile panorama teasing out the melodies - experimental, challenging, with plenty of light and shade. The fluid lope of Furmiston Ruby before the tempo lifts off being a case in point. That’s not to say that flat-out, heads down attack doesn’t show its face, the heart-leaping, raw power of the Hup Set is one of many covering that base. These are no leaden grooves—there’s something interesting going on here. Beautifully packaged with artwork and design concept worthy of a major label, this is a compelling and triumphant release which places them firmly at the vanguard of where-it’s-at.

'File under Folk/Celtic' the digipak may say, but such pigeon-holing can’t begin to describe the fusion of styles and the energy at work here. I doubt that I’ll hear anything more richly rewarding this year. Kaboom!