If you call it a violin, then your mind goes to the instrument being the focal point in centuries-old classical music. Call it a fiddle, and you think of decades-old country and folk tunes. The smart thing about Molly Healy’s latest album, With The Wind, is that not only does she combine the two, but she also does so in a totally modern setting, blending the grace of the former with the groove of the latter and running it over cutting-edge clubland beats and dancefloor rhythms. The result is what she calls Orchestral Dance Music.
And to be fair, it is hard to think of a better tag for what she has created here. “Circles” sets out the stall perfectly, a lilting country riff leads us in, as an almost arabesque line meanders through. And as it goes, it adds sonic weight – brooding cellos, layered percussion, electronic finesse, and sweeping grandure – until you end up with a classical-infused soundscape powered by a dance-pop groove.
“White Noise” feels like a modern Celtic ballad until it is caught up in a tide of complex beats, the result a perfect blend of the keening and classical, the energetic and the groovesome. The title track remains spacious; a bluegrass motif takes turns in the spotlight, alongside more sweeping classical sounds, and “The Crow” feels almost like a gothic pop piece, performed by a string quartet for a late-night rave!
Of course, this isn’t the first time such fusions of the cutting edge and the classical, dance and deftness, pop accessibility and sensational symphonics have been blended; those old enough will remember the likes of Enigma working in a similar world. But Molly Healey is a worthy successor, taking what they did so well, bringing it bang up to date, and even pushing the form further into pastures new.
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