Assynt – Where From Here

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Where From Here, the latest offering from the award-winning trio Assynt, features David Sheddon on pipes and whistles, Innes White on guitars and, hot on the heels of his solo album The Dawning, fiddler Graham Mackenzie. They are joined once again by guest musician Charlie Stewart on double bass.

Their debut album, Road to the North, was instrumental in helping them claim the title Up and Coming Artist of the Year at 2018’s Scots Trad Music Awards. With that in mind, I approached Where From Here with high expectations, and I haven’t been disappointed.

Assynt describe themselves as a traditional trio, and given the instruments at the core of their sound, that’s undeniably true. It’s hard to get more traditionally Scottish than Highland pipes and fiddle. After a cursory listen, you might still categorise their music as traditional. But if you sit down, for me, preferably with a whisky to hand, and give it your full attention, there’s a good chance you’ll find ample reason to change your mind.

The majority of the tunes are far from traditional in origin, having been written by the band. Mostly by Graham, several from David and one with the credit shared between Graham and Innes. That leaves just three, Nighean Donn nan Gobhar is undeniably traditional, having appeared in a 1784 Gaelic song collection, and two melodies from the opening three-tune set, whilst having assigned authorship, are long enough established to warrant inclusion in the traditional piping repertoire. This opening set kicks off the album in style, with David’s pipes taking centre stage. With an overall title of Assynt House, it begins with a reel, John Morrison osf Assynt House. It was composed by one of the great twentieth-century pipers, Peter MacLeod, and honours one of the founders of the Lewis Pipe Band. While Assynt took their name from an area of the Northwest Highlands on the east side of The Minch, John Morrison’s Assynt House is actually on the other side, in Stornoway. But, no matter, it’s a cracking tune led by the pipes at a brisk pace. Behind them, Innes’ guitar delivers a driving, percussive rhythm and guest contributor Charlie Stewart plays a sparse bass line that is perfectly timed and pitched, adding a palpable depth of sound to the arrangement. The middle tune of the set is one of Graham’s compositions, The Primrose Cottage, and the set closes with a second classic pipe piece, a reel written by another piping legend, Donald MacLeod. For the final minute or so, Graham’s fiddle enters the arrangement alongside the pipes, and we get a first taste of one of the great strengths of Assynt’s music as pipes and fiddle take turns, one weaving patterns around the other’s melody line.

The very next tune set, Gordon Stewart’s, gets right to the heart of this strength. Three pieces again, this time all written by Graham, showcasing abundant examples of the uncanny rapport between Graham and David. The first tune, which gives the set its title, opens with solo fiddle backed by chords and arpeggios from Innes on acoustic guitar, later joined by another helping of Charlie’s sumptuous bass. There’s also, well in the background of the mix, a rapidly repeated note giving clear notice that, in addition to their mastery of traditional instruments, we can expect some electronic contributions to arrangements. When David joins, it’s with whistle rather than pipes, and a rather dreamy mix continues until the switch to tune two, Dalnaspidal Valley. The tempo increases, led by Innes’ guitar chords, while, first, the whistle and then the fiddle express the new melody. Eventually, the whistle leaves to give the fiddle a short solo, but pipes soon join, and the set heads towards its third tune, Lochinver Loop. The place names in tune titles are significant, Assynt using them to highlight the inspiration they’ve taken from the culture and landscape of the Highlands. They don’t always refer to the Assynt area, Lochinver certainly does, but a couple of others I recognise are much further south and east in Perthshire.

Any description of Assynt’s music inevitably focuses on fiddle, pipes and whistles as the instruments that construct the melodies. But all the arrangements rely heavily on superb guitar work from Innes. His guitar is only occasionally heard in the foreground of the mix, but the rhythms he establishes define the changing tempos and, in Assynt’s music, tempos change quite a lot. Getting Charlie Stewart to add his double bass, as they did on their first album, is again a masterstroke. The depth it gives to the sound is magnificent. If, like me, you don’t have full-sized speakers, do listen on headphones to appreciate the full extent of Charlie’s contribution. There are other all too readily overlooked elements of the sound. I’ve already mentioned the possibility of an electronic input to the mix, and, indeed, there is a synthesiser lurking in the background. Though it gets no acknowledgement in the sleeve notes, Assynt mention it in their press release. The intro section of The New Normal is perhaps where it is most noticeable, but its presence, beefing up the arrangement, can be felt on several other tracks. Secondly, as prodigious a fiddler as Graham is, there is no way some passages could be produced without the layering up of parts. Put all of these elements together, and the glorious Assynt sound with all its depth and intricacies is the result. Responsible for ensuring all of this reaches the listener was Scott Wood, handling recording at Oak Ridge Studios, and Innes White looking after mixing.

The closing track, another three-tune set, Alive in Astley, sees all three band members with writing credits. The final part was written by Graham but closes with an extended section of chanter work from David, guaranteed to lift the spirits. It’s a great take-away from an album that’s packed full of stellar performances and thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. While the album’s title may not end with a question mark, Where From Here may perhaps suggest uncertainty about the future, to which I can only respond, just keep going guys; you’re very much on the right track.

Pre-Order Where From Here via Bandcamp: https://assynt.bandcamp.com/album/where-from-here

Assynt are touring in February/March 2023, details can be found on their website here: https://www.assyntmusic.com