Sanju

Flook have been one of the most distinctive-sounding, innovative instrumental folk bands in Britain and Ireland since they formed in 1995. Sanju, a short but perfectly formed fifth studio album, marks their 30th anniversary. A calming, reflective mood opens the first and last tracks, composed or co-composed by alto-flute player Sarah Allen, with Ed Boyd leading the way with his delightfully inventive guitar as the pace gradually quickens on both. The rest of the songs are composed by whistle/flute player Brian Finnegan and anchored by John Joe Kelly’s peerless bodhrán, with some unusual time signatures – overtly on ‘Timewaver’ – a clear pattern on an album in which tempos shift at ease. The joy Flook had making the music on Sanju, assisted by Patsy Reid’s fiddle and co-producers John Calvert and Stevie J Jones’ bass and much more, is palpable, their fresh, unpredictable soundscapes full of contrasting gentle and animated delights.