Will O' The Wisp
Working Men

Among the many (wonderful) surprises that a new job has brought me, there's one that also touches my personal musical universe. For quite some time now, alongside my usual music listening, I've occasionally been venturing into folk and Celtic ethnic music. This is because I've always had a certain fondness for the atmosphere these sounds could convey: misty mornings, lush and misty green fields covering cliffs by the sea... But also sad stories of great workers, farmers, merchants, and musicians, people of great spirit and depth who do not get discouraged despite life's frequent setbacks. However, one day I discover that among my current colleagues is a member of a band from my city that I've always followed with great interest, Will O' The Wisp. Every time they played at the Saint Patrick's Day celebration organized by the local Irish pub, I was there; every time there was a "themed" performance, more often than not, I was present as well... In short, our paths often crossed, but it was obviously crucial to know the band's percussionist, Giulio, which allowed me to take a much closer interest in the group.

The guys skillfully blend two scents in their music, the Mediterranean and the Celtic one: they tackle universal themes, ranging from popular tradition to modern life, and they do so with instruments and music that have a magical, spicy, fresh, archaic, and yet contemporary flavor. While waiting for their new album to release, this "Working Men" from 2004 can be an excellent appetizer for those who are not yet familiar with the band. A harmonious, elegant, and velvety voice (Simona) dances lightly over a rhythmic carpet built by Giulio (cajon, bodhrán, djembé, and other types of percussion), in a round dance that includes Luca (guitar), Francesco (mandolin), Stephanie (fidale), and Lorenzo (flute). From the alchemy of the six emerge melodies that are at times serene and sunny, at other times more subdued and reflective.

The title track, "Working Men", is a beautiful fresco that brings to mind certain images I mentioned at the beginning, of men and women who laboriously face everyday life, paying for happiness with the sweat of their brow. Glimpses of village festivals, fairs, carols, and flower garlands emerge with the first of two tracks in the original language, "An T-Uill", particularly beautiful in its exquisitely instrumental moments. Surely among my favorites is "Donald Macgillavry", a song that for many may recall certain experiments by the Canadian Loreena McKennitt (especially in a certain magic and sense of nostalgia that emanate throughout the track). Then there’s "Paddy’s Lament", yet another subdued and intense story of journeys in search of long-sought happiness and fortune, followed by the lively and upbeat "The Ballad of the Accountant" (with a beautiful chorus and an escalating structure that will soon capture your heart). The entire album closes with the splendid "Dark Eyed Sailor", a piece dedicated solely to Simona's vocal interpretation, a solitary hearth that is slowly extinguishing, leaving us to a silence as dazzling as the deepest darkness. Quite unique is "Il Viaggio di Juanita", a piece in Italian played on a Celtic base: it's quite strange to hear our language intertwined with a type of music so different from our traditional one, but once you get used to it, it is pleasant, though it does not reach the levels of excellence touched by other tracks on this album.

The work by Will O' The Wisp is highly significant and certainly deserves commendation: there's not just a musical and instrumental search, but also culturally and literarily, they have ventured into the revival of traditional lyrics, sometimes translated, sometimes not; a bonus that enhances a score that was almost excellent by itself. Now we just have to wait for the group's next work: if the love and class with which it was composed are the same as this "Working Men", then fans of this kind of sound will have much to be happy about this spring.