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| Band: Unite Tribe Album: Enlocari Track Listings: 1. The Invasion of Edinburgh 2. An Bainaisteoir 3. Head Police 4. The Medgar Evers Blues 5. New Wave Red 6. Life & Death 7. Are You A Terrorist? 8. I’m Just Waitin’ 9. The Tune 10. All Our Woe’s 11. Don’t Let Your Envy This album is a radical call to arms for the disenchanted and anti-war populace living in Ireland. The album focuses on the abuses of power and the need for reformation within our society and our world. But do not be mistaken, this album is quintessentially Irish; it is expressing a need for change that is otherwise left unvoiced. An Bainaisteoir is a way of expressing this, although the music is Reggae the voices are Irish, and in this track so are the lyrics. This grounds the album and the message, giving it an immediacy it would otherwise lack. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t actually understand any of the second track - and none of it is translated - but this seems to be a deliberate tactic: I’m Irish and can’t understand my own language. We are living in a world, a society that is disintegrating around us. But these problems, these issues which we are facing “we shall overcome, we will not rest long” (‘The Medgar Evers Blues’). This is pounded out in a thick Dublin accent by vocalist Brian Kelly and contrasts beautifully with the Reggae beat. The next track, ‘New Wave Red’ emphasises that although change is possible, it is often fought by those who should accept it, “They wont trust no commie red like me man, they wont trust no commie man to lead” – new ideas, or even old ones are often feared and decried as radical. Twinned with this is “You got freedom baby, but you aint' free” (‘New Wave Red’), this is a call to arms for equality, freedom and a new morality. Why should you rebel, you may ask. Well, if the abuse of propaganda stated in ‘Head Police’, an intense track focusing on an internalization of this propagandist behaviour, then ‘Are You A Terrorist’ will convince you. This is a beautiful track, the lyrics seem brutally intense when laid over a background of Ciara Bradshaw singing ‘ahhhhh’ in the background in a rather angelically soft way, the graphic imagery of tanks rolling in and stealing peoples land. As it leads up to the chorus the drums increase in crescendo and a child’s voice sings “Are You” – this is the penultimate track and should make waves. This belief in the need for change is heavily weighed in music. The opening track, ‘The Invasion of Edinburgh’, “D’you ever know music could change the world?” “action not words is what we need today” The relaxed beat and subtle bass highlights the message in this song. Reggae is the perfect format for these potent lyrics, it allows for a freedom that isn’t possible in other styles. This band are going to make waves, and if not cause change then at least make people aware that it is desperately needed I highly recommend them. |
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| Review written by: Grace Larkin -- reviews@irishunsigned.com |
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