The Peace Pipers: Pipin’ Up
Self Released
Out Now
Every time you think everything’s been said and done before, music comes along and grabs you by the ears in a most unexpected but pleasant way. That’s definitely the case with The Peace Pipers’ first full-length album, Pipin’ Up.
That’s not to say the Manchester band are without influences and references, and in any case, attempts to rip up the rule book and start from scratch are liable to end up in an unholy racket. But The Peace Pipers’ blend of psychedelic rock, folk, medieval melodies and whatever else certainly makes for an exciting and different sound, quite unlike anything else you’ll have heard. Perversely, there’s not a pipe in sight, but their secret weapon? The bouzouki – an instrument shamefully omitted from the CVs of quite a few major acts, but which adds a completely different dimension and vibe to the music. The intertwining of singer Alex Hislop’s playing with the intricate and skilfully sculpted patterns which emanate from Martyn Warden Jarmin’s guitar is integral to the experience. And Pipin’ Up is definitely an experience, one which grows more intense with every listen to an album you will want to immerse and lose yourself in time and time again.
Peace Pipers do things on their own terms, as evidenced by their decision to bookend the record with contrasting instrumentals. The first, Pipe Down, is a brief and jaunty warm-up jam, whereas Interstellar (Interdimensional Overdrive) is a meandering and absorbing Floydian trip of epic space rock. In between is an expertly produced and compiled collection with ever-changing mood and tempo – a reminder that the album format, when done properly, is so much more than a randomly thrown-together list of tracks.
For anyone who finds the whole idea of psychedelic rock too hippy-dippy, first track ‘proper’, Keep On Fighting, is a great illustration of the dangers of pigeonholing. While this may be a strange track title for a band with such a pacifistic moniker, the fighting is entirely figurative, as this fantastically jaunty, catchy and accessible alternative take on the relationships theme, complete with chunky, punky intro, serves as the perfect introduction to the Peace Pipers’ world. The equally enjoyable but altogether off-kilter Gaslight really brings the bouzouki/guitar interplay to the fore, Alex’s always distinctive vocals veering from mellow to unnerving as folk and rock collide headlong. The gorgeous, effects-laden Twisted Love takes things down a notch, but the underlying sense of intriguing strangeness which defines much of the album is never far away: ‘I want to peel you whole and climb inside of your skin, Get deep down into that hole and lay somewhere within.’
Citalopram (Flowers), employing vocal distortions which would make King Crimson blush, could be straight out of the summer of love, were it not for the fact that the titular antidepressant reference suggests the innocence is only superficial. This is a track which underlines what marvellous tunesmiths these guys are, and it’s hard to overstate just how entrancing the exquisitely arranged musicianship is. As if to illustrate the previously alluded to diversity of this remarkable album, the haunting and ambiguous New Manifesto is swiftly followed by Eels, a crazy slice of Gong-esque trippy weirdness: ‘He slowly turns from white to pale, And takes a sip upon his ale, Contemplates his mind is lost, Perhaps it’s somewhere in the mail.’
The intro to lead single Ça Va has the feel of a court jester’s tentative warmup, before the protagonist launches into a fevered denial of illness – although given the album’s meeting of ancient and modern, it’s not clear whether this would be Covid or Black Death. This is the kind of answer you’re not really expecting when you innocently ask, ‘How are you mate?’. Killer In The Room brings abnormal proceedings to a heavy, doom-laden and altogether nightmarish close, before the joyously circuitous Interstellar provides a rousing finale.
Genius can lurk in the most unlikely places, including the small, sticky-floored Mancunian venues where The Peace Pipers have generally plied their trade thus far. And make no mistake, genius is a quality hinted at by the instrumental prowess, bizarrely poetic lyricism and seemingly limitless imagination which are at this band’s disposal. And while the release of a new album often heralds a pause for breath, the sense is that these guys are on the cusp of creative overdrive. So keep your ears peeled, your eyes to the ground and expect the unexpected, as this is one bunch of wandering minstrels you don’t want to miss.
The Peace Pipers links: Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp
All words by Robin Boardman. More writing from Robin for Louder Than War can be found at his author’s archive.
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