LORE

With the previous "Banba" being CLANNAD's top charting studio album in the UK, bolstered by the theme song from "Last of the Mohicans", the band decided to focus on the more meditative "mood music" aspect of their style in "Lore".

The production and harmonies are impeccable as always, and new songs like "A Bridge" and "Trail of Tears" show that the formula has aged well if not actually been upgraded. Unfortunately, over the course of 50 minutes, the net effect is one of diminishing returns. While "From your heart" and "Dealramh Go Deo" might be hailed as pearls of delicacy on an album of more varied material, here they mix unctuously into the impermeable atmosphere and barely elucidate even an embryonic new age consciousness.

The most telling and unfavorable characteristic of "Lore" can be gleaned from the track running lengths, in which by far the most vibrant song, "Alastair Macolla", with its swirling synths and call and response vocals, is relegated to two minutes while the moribund "Trathnona Beag Areir" drags on for six and a half. "Seanchas" is the only other offering that actually shirks the unwavering placidity that apparently pacified band, critics and fans alike.

"Lore" might just be the weakest Clannad album in terms of balance and impact, even though it does sound lovely. It also signaled the completion of their metamorphosis from folk rock elder statesmen to polite new age proponents. Not quite the stuff of legend.

The ratings (and the initial review) claim Lore to be a weaker Clannad album than the preceding one, Banba (1993), but I disagree. These two albums sound pretty much the same in their cleanly produced combination of English-language pop and Irish world music sung in Gaelic, and Banba had a hit in 'I Will Find You (Theme from "The Last of the Mohicans")', but in the end Lore has finer highlight moments for me.

The opening track 'Croí Cróga' has a bit mysterious atmosphere. Máire Brennan's harp is almost buried under the low- note choirs. Because of the dominance of the chorus, 'Seanchas' is among my least faves here, although the arrangement is sophisticated in a Peter Gabriel-like way, except for the unnecessary sax of Mel Collins. 'A Bridge (That Carries Us Over)' is a beautiful serene song, a perfect platform for Máire's ethereal lead vocals and the breathy vocal harmonies.

'From Your Heart' is a slow and sensitively calm song, sung half in Gaelic, half in English. Perhaps it's slightly overproduced with a rhythm-centred ENIGMA flavour. The lively and folky 'Alasdair MacColla' resembles the early days of Clannad. 'Broken Pieces' is a fresh-sounding, melodic song, among the nicest ones on the album. I agree with the previous reviewer that 'Tráthnóna Beag Aréir' is unnecessarily extended in length, as pretty as it is.

I'm fairly fond of 'Trail of Tears', even though it has became clear by now that the album offers mostly more of the same in its soft, nocturnal calmness, and this feeling is further underlined by the following slow track in Gaelic. But then comes my personal highlight, 'Farewell Love'. The melodies are emotionally deep and the harp brings lovely brightness to the sound. This is among my favourite Clannad songs ever. The album closes with the serene instrumental 'Fonn Mhárta'.

My copy had a bonus disc compiling six tracks of Clannad's commercially strongest output, e.g. 'Theme from Harry's Game' and 'In a Lifetime', and 'Something to Believe In' which I like very much. I'm rating Lore 3½ stars but I guess it's more logical to round it down since it's mostly just offering more of the same and perhaps lacks some spark as a whole.