When you listen to bagpipes you will probably think of Scots, highlands and Braveheart. I remember the commercial for this album and for the artist. There was this epic sounding bagpipe song being played on TV and it instantly made a scar in mind. The artist is called Hevia and the album was named No Man’s Land. It was seven years ago since my family decided to buy the album, we listened to it once and then we forgot about it and left it on a dusty bookshelf. I don’t know how I found the album but I thought I could give it quick listen. For those who don’t know anything about Hevia then I will give you some quick info. Hevia is instrumental music which is based on bagpipes and flutes, my knowledge about this man is incredibly vague but it seems like he is from Spain, in the booklet it says that the album was recorded in Madrid, Spain. He has been involved in bagpipe music for a long time and he has some really neat skills when it comes to deliver excellent bagpipe music.
Bagpipes are considered to be an instrument that you either love or hate, I love it though. The man (or Hevia) has a name, José Ángel Hevia Velasco and he released the album No Man’s Land in the year of 1994. This album is very strange because it is not straight bagpipe music. There are lots of influences from different parts of the world blends in to his technical and harmonic sometimes quick music. No Man’s Land is best described by the man’s own words. Quote:
We have used so many styles compromising this that it ends up being a No Man’s Land. This work is born of a local musical tradition and aspires to be understood as one of the many, which add richness to the cultural diversity of Mankind, to No Man’s Land. Yes, this album is diverse because of its many different melodies and song structure, plus the large amount of instruments that are used. This is a relaxing album that you can listen to when you want to take it easy, chill out, or perhaps sleep. You will be both amazed by his instrumental skills but you will probably get annoyed by the music as well.
The good stuff is first of all the exceptional use of bagpipes and flutes; this guy is really technical and complex with his instruments. In the first track Busindre Reel you will get a good amount of technical and melodic bagpipes, the track have also an incredibly epic atmosphere. Busindre Reel and El Garrotin actually reminds of the Scots type of music but in songs like El Ramu or Ilaciana you will notice that the man has used influences from India (I think it sounds typical to India though). You will also experience quite lot of folk influences that are very typical to various countries, Italy and Spain to be two of them. Some tracks might be dull and strange but tracks like Busindre Reel, Sobrepena and Añada are very melodic and soothing, which really helps you to calm down and find peace and serenity. One cool thing that I have regarding the bagpipes and flutes is that when I hear the bagpipes I think of Scots and Scotland, and the flutes reminds me of the old Indians from America. As I mentioned before, there are lots of other instruments as well that helps to create variety among the songs. Acoustic guitars, piano, drums and other bagpipes are used for example.
Unfortunately, the good stuff is outnumbered by the stuff I think is bad in this album. One thing that annoys me is that the man maybe delivers more than you can digest. A song starts with a slow and very melodic intro but suddenly the track starts to get messier and messier. There are so many melodies that blurs into each other, and nothing gets better when there is a bagpipe
and a flute that goes in the same direction. One such occasion is the second track Naves. There are also some backup choirs in this album and at times it really sounds stupid and irritating when they sing. Sometimes they shout and when they sing it sounds so nasal, and that means that you sing more from your nose instead of your throat. Another thing that I thought is annoying is that the bagpipe isn’t an old-school bagpipe, Hevia uses an electronic bagpipe. This bagpipe can sound like a flute, violin or whatever, so you never know if he plays a real flute or his bagpipe. But the bagpipes and flutes still have a distinctive sound.
Yes, my memory of this album is getting clearer and clearer when I listen to this album. But unfortunately this is an album I will probably put back in the shelf where I found it. If this would’ve been a 100% pure instrumental bagpipe album I would’ve adored it since I love bagpipe music. But since this is mixed up with several of other instruments and that the bagpipe is an electronic one my interest in this album completely fails. Busindre Reel is the only track that I can fully enjoy but the rest are just plain uninteresting. Anyone who is interested in instrumental music could give this a chance.
Positives
+ This man delivers an amazing instrumental performance
+ Very melodic and diverse music
+ The bagpipes and flutes create a great calm atmosphere in the slower songs
Negatives
- The different influences make this album to a really messy one
- Hevia delivers sometimes too much melody and technicality to the point when it gets too overwhelming
- The backup choirs and singers doesn’t make the music better than it already is
- If he could ditch some of the other instruments and use more of the bagpipes would’ve been great
Recommended Tracks
-- Busindre Reel
-- Añada
-- Soprepena
Final rating will be a 2/5
This Message Edited On 10.21.07
