Shooglenifty - The Arms Dealer's Daughter

(May 2003) 10 tracks (61 mins): Glenuig Hall / The Wrong Box * The Arms Dealer’s Daughter / Aye Right * Heading West * The Reid Street Sofa / Missed The Bypass / Fit’r Ye Daein Up Ma Vennel? * The Nordal Rumba * Maxine’s Polka / Bar Bruno * A Fistful of Euro / The New Rat #6 * Carboni’s Farewell * Scraping The Barrel / Fielding’s Possum / Take The Tunnel * Tune For Bartley.

The progressive Celtic 'acid croft' group introduce a World music influence.

The first recording with their current line-up, featuring new members Quee MacArthur (bass) and Luke Plumb (mandolin) with Angus Grant (fiddle), Garry Finlayson (banjo, banjax), James Mackintosh (drums, percussion) and Malcolm Crosbie (guitar).

Also featuring Michael McGoldrick (uilleann pipes), Toby Shippey (trumpet) and others from Salsa Celtica.

Recorded at Bleep and Booster's, Edinburgh 2003. Produced by Shooglenifty.

"...the injection of young Tasmanian mandolin / bouzouki / banjo whizz Luke Plumb into the group has given it a huge melodic lift... That's not to deny the on-going splendour of fiddler Angus Grant's playing and tune writing - for instance the gentle title track contrasting with the energetic Aye Right!, or his playful Nordal Rumba, with its brassy Latino feel... Scraping the Barrel is a set of three tunes that range from menace to mania, all the while keeping within ear-shot of the Scottish melodic tradition... This is Shooglenifty's finest album for many years." (Folkworld)

"As one of the key original matchmakers in the on-going romance between Scottish traditional music and contemporary dance sounds, Shooglenifty continue to set the standards by which prospective rivals are judged." (The Scotsman)

"Quee Macarthur and Tasmanian mandolin whiz Luke Plumb slide easily into the deep Shoogle grooves and add to the sonic undertow with their programming skills, taking this album further from a Scottish-rooted sound into something more celtic/oceanic. The great mix of real acoustic instrumental fire and subversive electronics shows that, even with new head or handle, it’s still the same Shoogle broom." (Scotland On Sunday)

"...the closing Tune For Bartley, a brain-embedding string-driven slow march into space, building into an orgasmic uilleann pipes climax courtesy of a passing Michael McGoldrick. Brilliant, brilliant. Go and buy it." (Mel McClellan, BBC Radio 2)