Soundtrack, minus the film
The Secret of Roan Inish
Music by Mason Daring
Distributed by Larrikin Entertainment
Reviewed by Bernie Brian
I'm not sure whether it is an advantage or a disadvantage not to have seen a film before you review its soundtrack. At the time of writing, The Secret of Roan Inish had not arrived in Darwin. Mystical stories of Ireland's west coast don't appeal to the large cinema chains as much as comic book ghosts, men dressed as bats and Mel Gibson. No doubt, however, it will be pleasing to the composer that his music is being reviewed with a mind uncluttered by celluloid images.
Roan Inish is a pleasurable album. Massachusetts-based composer Mason Daring has written the soundtrack to many other films and has revealed a remarkable versatility in music styles, from jazz to zydeco. This time he ventures into traditional Irish music with its atmospheric flutes, the rhythmic beat of the goat-skinned bodhran, uplifting tin whistles and reeling flutes.
Roan Inish is a tale of a rural people's relationship with the land and sea. Many of the tracks easily conjure up images of misty lakes and mountains and an island sitting on the crest of an Atlantic wave. Lovers of the haunting sounds of the Uillean pipes and the watery sounds of the Irish harp will not be disappointed. And for those who like a rollicking reel, there are at least two on the album. As for the film, if it's anything like the soundtrack, it must be worth seeing.