Mutation: a new line-up unleashed; a greater, deeper exploration of Monster Ceilidh Band's signature melding of traditional music and powerful, electronic beats. Mutation shows off how great the band is at evolving tunes: building up, breaking down, and taking the listener ? and dancer ? to somewhere entirely new. Many of the tunes begin acoustically, with the fiddle or accordion leading the way, leaving the listener wondering how, where and when the inevitable beats will begin ? like in lead single and album opener, 'Venus', where curious strings introduce a seemingly disparate beat before its becomes wholly more rounded and self-assured. Or there's 'Mutated Beeswing', where an impossibly delicate, skipping fiddle slides into a new dimension with accordion, before beats and sample fly it to somewhere else altogether. 'Never Will' sees the gravitas and swagger of the rhythm section give way to a Chic-like breakdown, cheered on by an audience, while the fluid fiddle hands the baton to the accordion in 'Reasoning', before a pulsating ostinato brings home the main message. A thumping heartbeat ogles the acoustic instrument as they flirt by in 'Lusty', but the weighty octave mandolin and insistent drums keep the track in check. Monster Ceilidh Band make much of their new recruits, fiddlers Shona Mooney and Grace Smith, with both contributing compositions and lead parts, including the powerful album closer, 'Disgrace', where pleading fiddle is chastened by sombre mandolin and accordion. Relentless drums retain the energy and keep the feet moving. Mutation is another notch on Monster Ceilidh Band's own brand of dance music: intelligent, hypnotic, wild.
