'Air Iomall' is the new record by Scottish folk musicians Charlie Grey and Joseph Peach. Inspired by a journey on board a Dutch Tall ship along with filmmaker Hamish MacLeod around some of Scotland’s remote and now deserted islands including: The Shiant Isles, North Rona, The Flannan Isles, Sula Sgeir and St Kilda. The resulting music documents their journey.
Throughout the record the music is sublime. Such is the evocative nature of the music on tracks such as The Big Islands and Donal McLeod King of North Rona the listener can imagine majestic basalt cliffs rising from the mist as dramatic landscapes roll into view, while on The Cliffs of Conachair the melancholy of abandonment can be felt due to enforced immigration from a land that could no longer sustain its population. Featuring Cameron Grant on guitar tracks Sula Sgeir and The Wylde Swan are more upbeat and celebrate the cultures that once thrived and hint at possible futures yet to be explored.
The record finishes with a selection of the music recorded live on St Kilda, the most remote part of the UK, on the 88th anniversary of the evacuation of its native population. Grey and Peach use fiddle, piano, accordion and other traditional instruments blended together in perfect harmony to leave the listener with a sense of wonder and curiosity for this beautiful and ethereal landscape.
Air Imoall is released on 9th August 2019 with live dates featuring screenings of MacLoed’s film scheduled from August through to November. Full details available via the Charlie Grey and Joseph Peach website.