Maghera Pony

This disc is a bit of an oddity, but is none the worse for it. Matthew Noone is an Australian-born ex-indie rocker, now based in Ireland, who has made a long study of the Indian sarod. So far so good, but what makes this different is that he uses the North Indian instrument to play traditional Irish music and also, here, draws on a wide range of musical styles in an acoustic-electronic mix. Somewhat surprisingly this really pays off. Not only do you hear the sarod in a completely new way but the eclectic mix of influences come together to create a world of their own. I particularly liked the more experimental ‘I Just Don't Know’ and the sparse ‘Slow Air’. It is not that traditional influences are missing – ‘Doggen's Jig’, for example, has recognisable roots with a subtle electronic background – but that they are put to work in new ways.

With a mix of sound-worlds and textures, the disc maintains its interest, even if many of the tempos are relatively relaxed, and what might at first have seemed an odd combination ends up being a very satisfying listen.