Album Review: Meaning of Life

Wakefire is a band we were introduced to by The Minstrel Rav’n that has been well received by the audience. Called Michigan’s “most dynamic Celtic rock band” the do an even mixture of traditional folk and original songs. This is not to be confused with the Celtic Punk style like Flogging Molly and the like; when they say rock they mean rock. Now we’re already tickled by the title of the album so we’re very curious to see what they have in store for us.

A reminder on how we do reviews on the show. I write my thoughts here as I listen to the album; in a sense what you’re reading is a stream of thought from yours truly. I am in no way qualified to give my opinion but as the Proprietor of the Inn I do feel duty bound to do reviews of the bands, for the bands and for our listeners as well. I also don’t appear to have a set way in how I do these reviews so expect track name, thoughts, and a score. At the end the scores are averaged to get the overall rating.

Intro: We’re going to exempt this from the scoring as it’s an ambience piece that is 26 seconds long to get you in the right frame of mind AND it’s not attached to a song; which is a nice consideration.

Eggies and Rye Bread: The first real song on album starts off with that proper “Celtic Rock” feel, from beat to each individual instrument working in beautiful harmony. It’s almost a bit of a reel, they maybe even consider it one; and of course we John Ryan Polka mixed into to give you that great Irish feeling. A great little get up dance number from the band. 4

Johnny Jump Up: Now it is time to see what they do with one of the most familiar songs we have in our show. The percussion is clean and crisp and really stands out. I’m not sure it comes at us with anything new per say, but as we saw with Eggies it is produced beautifully and you get each instrument without any overpowering the others. I do quite enjoy the little mandolin action we get. 3

Touch the Sky: Now I had a whole thing written out, but then I looked up the song and realized why I felt the way I did, cause that’s what it was. What follows is what I wrote before I knew where this song was from. Nissa’s voice is absolutely enchanting and for some reason I am getting a strong late 90s Disney movie feel; if that makes sense. This is a good thing, it’s a very montage of the female protagonist finding her way and being strong; at least in my head. Love it. 4

Lannigan’s Ball: Our second traditional song was some strong flute/whistle action, and I think the mandolin is getting in to the action. In my opinion this is an underrated song that not enough folks do; and the ones who do don’t play enough. Now at times it may be a touch too fast lyrically; the instrumentation however is pretty close to perfect. 4

Storm Warning: As I sit here and listen for whatever reason I am taken back to the 90s again; this time I can’t point as to why. The lyrics are fantastic and I really love the “got a fresh tattoo and I’m moving on in the morning”. The chorus is so strong and I really enjoy the way the song speeds up as it gets going. A fantastic story that also becomes a dance and could be a big draw for a portion of our audience. 4

If I Should Fall From Grace With God: A cover from a Pogues this too felt like a song that could have come straight from Ireland, and it has. I guess where the downside is on digital, you may not know what are originals and what are covers. Onto the song itself, as with much of the able so far, beautifully produced and does another great job of mixing all the instruments together. 3

Smuggler’s Song: Based on a Rudyard Kipling poem, this is a quicker version than most bands play. I love that aspect of it, as the vocals gives it that bit of edge that fits with the term of Smuggler. With the chosen instruments it gives it almost a, I think Moroccan but may be something else, feel. It does a great job of taking you on a journey while making it completely something you want to get up and dance to. 5

Catharsis: We know I am sucker for a strong fiddle, Catharsis has that in spades. It has the feeling of being a deeper more intense instrumental than you’re really used to getting from an Irish Rock band. If Eggies set the tone for the first half of the album I can only assume this is going to set the tone for the second half. I am vaguely reminded of the first World of Time themed albums years ago so I think I believe it is definitely setting out to do just that, set the tone. 3

Eye of the Storm: If memory serves this was the first single the band sent me before the album came out. I think we are right, Catharsis was indeed meant to act as a lead into this song. It has an element of Mariner’s Revenge to it, the lyrics and keyboard are giving it this story quality that is just haunting. That drastic turn in the middle of the song is pure art and you have to appreciate it. 4

Battle Raven: Another traditional song begins in a way I don’t think I’ve ever heard before, with a piano/keyboard. We talked about haunting in the last song, here we’re gonna drag you down to the depths with it. This song is doing so much and getting every last bit out the instruments; but the vocals once again steal the day. This may be the first time I have heard Battle Raven where I thought, yes, this is about a battle. 5

Meaning of Life: After two haunting songs it’s almost a shock to the system to get something so upbeat. The title song from the album has a tough task, can it get you to think about something other than Monty Python or tie to it to the point of referential. Well, it’s not referential but since the topic is the same Python is still there in your head…if you’re like me and love Python. I do like the duet harmony the song brings and fits right in. 3

Skye Boat Song: Well, you’re either new to the show or not paying attention to it if you don’t know my love for Skye Boat Song. Now that I have seen some Outlander you definitely get that feeling as the song begins, which I am sure is the intention. Huge Bear feeling there, and I am here for it. They they turn to an absolutely stunning rendition of Skye Boat Song. They find a way to bring that Bear feel into the background as well; where you have the great vocals and flute to go with that deep…I don’t know what it is but the juxtaposition is fantastic. 5

Their third album continues to trend of Wakefire doing some really superb music. No real down points and many quite high ones. Not all bands can move from dance to haunting and all around but they seem to have quite the handle on it. They also know how to arrange, produce and take you on a proper journey on an album; something that may be becoming a lost art as we lose physical copies. Grab yourself the Meaning of Life today and take a trip.