Afro Celt Sound System
It’s a year and a half since Simon Emmerson, the founder and guiding light of Afro Celt Sound System, died. But the band lives on, playing a fresh set of dates to coincide with the release of OVA, Emmerson’s swansong with the group. It’s a beautiful piece of work, and from the opening notes of “The Hawk Owl’s Lament,” which swoops and glides, rises and dives like the bird, everything is pitched just right.
“La Paix” achieves that elusive fragile balance between the African and Celtic that was the band’s original inspiration, while “AM” brings early vocalist Iarla Ó Lionáird back into the fold on a moment of soothing calm where his voice rises like the sun..
“Glitchy Fiddles” breaks out the ceilidh dancing shoes, upping the energy, while closer “The Lockdown Reel” is an insistent piece of pleasure, powered by Johnny Kalsi’s dhol drums and N’Faly Kouyaté’s balafon under the relentless drive of violin and flute – a dive into the madness of those dark days.
OVA stands as Emmerson’s epitaph, a reminder of just what he achieved with Afro Celt Sound System, as well as all his other projects. He was the imagination behind them all, and the glue that held them together. With this band, though, he created something with wings (apt, as he was an avid birder) that took to the skies and still keeps flying, proud and strong after he’s gone. That, and the work he made, remain his legacy.
Ova is our selection of Music of the Month for November, 2024.
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