LÚNASA Se Compass Records ****

Stop all the clocks - we're in new time now. And if Lúnasa had their way, not only would we be abandoning all pretence at "old time" but we'd probably be jettisoning the Gregorian calendar too, in deference to a timeline that's structured on double bass and pulsating pipes rather than papal encyclicals. Lúnasa have embarked on another journey, full of hairpin bends and vertiginous peaks, fuelled by an insatiable appetite for reconnoitering routes previously uncharted. Their chosen pathway is littered with the unlikeliest of sounds, from trombone choirs to the subtlest of piano lines, and the only ego-less electric slide guitars to have ever found their way into a recording studio.

Lúnasa's sixth studio outing is, lamentably, bereft of guitarist Donagh Hennessy's ever-challenging rhythms, but, with the void filled by not one but two guitarists (Tim Edey and Paul Meehan), the band have introduced a fifth (and sixth) dimension to their trademark sound. Their repertoire bristles and sparks with original material, and pipes and flute continue to define their shape with a refreshing cosmopolitanism. Their bulging passports yield all manner of riches, from the grand landscapes of Midnight in Avilés to Kevin Crawford's Absent Friends. The ensemble spirit that drives Glentrasna is at the heart of what Lúnasa do best: celebrating the crosscurrents of their own imagination with the best tunes the tradition has to offer.

Sé is a snapshot of a band whose rigorous attention to detail repays the listener time and time again. Hidden treasures lurk in every nook and cranny within. www.compassrecords.com

Siobhán Long