EVERY GENRE PROJECT - January 26 - Pipe Band
Genre of the Day - Pipe Band
Album of the Day - Bagrock to the Masses by Red Hot Chilli Pipers
It seems my brain is so dilapidated that when I read today’s album’s artist, I genuinely thought it was the RHCP making a foray into bagpipe incorporation. I guess it didn’t seem that far fetched; long-running rock bands do shit like that all the time. I was about to make a joke about Dave Grohl trading out drum sticks for bagpipes, and then realize my tendency to conflate the RHCP with the Foo Fighters is getting debilitating. If you’re a first time reader, do not take that as a sign of my musical knowledge, but rather that I am simply a little slow.
Anyway, today’s genre echoes yesterday’s quite a bit; a neighboring culture to a colonial empire trying to adapt to the times musically, bridging the gap between modern instrumentals with cultural musical traditions. The bagpipes are probably the biggest musical icon of Scotland, to the point where I didn’t even know other cultures have a long tradition of bagpipes; they are simply culturally ubiquitous with the Scots. The sound is so cutting, so distinctive, that pipe bands that consist of only bagpipers and drummers have long been a staple of the bagpipe-playing world. Their use in war is also noted; it’s wild to think how far war has evolved. I simply can’t imagine being on the battlefield, bloody carnage unfolding every which way, with the sound of bagpipes blaring. Nonetheless, no wonder they remain such a facet of Scottish identity, which has always had to defend itself against English encroachment. (Fun fact: the Scottish Kingdom attempted in the 1600s to settle and colonize Panama to control it as a key trade link. This ill fated endeavor unfortunately caused such financial ruination that it was a major cause of the union between the English and Scottish kingdoms.)
The Scottish passion for the bagpipes remains strong, and the Red Hot Chilli Pipers know that tradition and evolution often have to remain in conversation for music to persist and be heard. Hence, an album with both Scottish anthems (Flower of Scotland, Auld Lang Syne, The Dark Island) and a dizzying array of covers (Eye of the Tiger, Gettin Jiggy with It?!). Elsewhere, they aim for some genre experimentation. This album asks many questions that don’t get asked often in our world—such as, should we throw the bagpipes on a funk song (Jazz Badger)?
Sometimes, the answer is no. For the most part, I found that this album, which deftly mixes elements of classic arena rock with the bagpipes did develop my appreciation for the instrument in different settings further, but at times it’s dragged down by tracks that feel unnecessary or that detract more from the sound of the bagpipes rather than showcase it. The second medley is excellent, as are the covers that pay homage to the land the bagpipe so proudly hails from. At its best, this album makes a strong case for the addition of bagpipe breaks in more rock songs—I’ll just be waiting for it to catch on.