listening (b)Log: Enter the Haggis' "Litter and Leaves"

I listened to a song called "Litter and Leaves" by Enter the Haggis, a Toronto-based Celtic band. The song is an example of the band's blend of various styles of music, mainly between traditional Celtic styles and rock and pop idioms. The orchestration of the song: vocals, bagpipe, and drums.

This band has a definite fusion style. The band is not traditional in its orchestration for a rock band, and also deviates from Celtic band orchestration. The band is forming its own niche, both in the rock band and Celtic band worlds. The band is especially interesting to me because of the geographical location of the band (Canada). This speaks to the migration of the bagpipe as an instrument, which accompanied groups of people to many areas, including Canada and the U.S..

The instrument itself is an aerophone. A reservoir for air provides a drone that accompanies tunes played on the chanter. The instrument has an association with Scotland's military history. The instrument was outlawed in the medieval era in England because of the national associations with Scotland, and the Scottish rebellion for political independence. The idea of both freedom and release from political repression is embodied in the sound of the bagpipe, which is part of its appeal as an instrument used in this Celtic world fusion band.