Frantically Atlantic might be a relative term. While you might work up a sweat dancing to all the jigs and reels offered by the Fredericton-based duo, the underlying theme of their traditional sound is a relaxed one. It’s hard not to associate the music with a happier, simpler time, and that’s fine by me.
I’ll admit, there’s a strong bias here. I didn’t grow up on Bruce Springsteen and KISS, but rather on the music of Kings Landing’s wandering minstrels. From an early age I was getting a healthy dose of New Brunswick’s premiere living history museum’s music department, and as a result I’ve been left with an overdeveloped sense of nostalgia.
Frantically Atlantic is a similar byproduct of that—both Don Rigley and Michelle Daigle should be equally familiar to frequenters of Kings Landing as two of the village’s resident musicians. The blend of traditional and original songs on their debut album is still working very much in that vein of Celtic and Acadian heritage. It exudes a sense of timelessness that has cemented itself into our culture just as firmly as “Jingle Bells,” but much easier to listen to all twelve months of the year.
The strength of the album is largely in its instrumentation and authenticity. They’ve nailed that Celtic lilt. They’ve also managed to make it sound like there’s a small army at their disposal with the number of instruments employed on the album.
The album is full of fun instrumentals, and I’m a sucker for those. I’ve never met a banjo roll I didn’t like. That, paired with interweaving harmonies of fiddle and flute (or combinations of accordion, mandolin, maybe a hurdy-gurdy or two—it’s hard to keep track with these folk), and you’ve found Frantically Atlantic’s sweet spot. This is really where they excel. Their francophone “Rap à Ti-Pétang” and “Anything” both stand out as lively tracks, while “Head Harbour Light Station” is a prime example of their interweaving harmonies.
Tracks like the beautiful and flowing “Spectre de la Claire Fontaine” and the charming “Do You Love an Apple?” rely more on Daigle’s vocals. While otherwise faultless, the vocals sadly get lost somewhere. Where the album pulls off impressively skillful string work that lends wonderfully to an organic live-off-the-floor sound, it sounds like the vocals might have been sacrificed in a production trade-off.
Surprisingly, the band also managed to throw in a twist at the end with the inclusion of “Pachelbel’s Reel”—Frantically Atlantic’s unexpectedly fun take on the overly-ubiquitous classical hit. It feels like the version of “Pachelbel’s Canon” that Wes Anderson might have chosen: full of staccato on clockwork mandolins—the ones you would expect to hear just before Alec Baldwin arrives to tell you of the modest but much-cherished steamship his father had owned up until drinking and the great depression ultimately resulted in his bankruptcy and subsequent suicide.
Nostalgia is a powerful tool.
Tour Dates:
05.01.18 – Franco-American Centre University of Maine – Orono ME
05.02.18 – Kings Landing – Prince William NB
05.05.18 -Sackville Commons – Sackville NB
05.10.18 – York Care Centre Mother’s Day – Fredericton NB
05.21.18 – Tidal Watch Inn and Resort – St Martins NB
05.26.18 – Kingston Farmers Market – Kingston NB
06.02.18 – East Point Farmers Market – Saint John NB