Conor Walsh
In order to cover more ground, and miss out on less, we'll be taking a look at some of the best Irish albums released each month (this post was supposed to go up yesterday for the pedants among us!). Four albums that really piqued my interest in March (with one from February) for wildly different reasons, come courtesy of the much anticipated posthumous album The Lucid by Conor Walsh, a game-changer for him as a recording artist via Jafaris' debut LP Stride, a debut album from Saoirse Casey which stopped me in my tracks on first listen, plus a very refreshing contemporary folk album from Cork artist John Blek.
1) Conor Walsh - The Lucid
To say Walsh was on the cusp of great things, on the basis of his debut EP The Front, a 2013 tour supporting Hozier, and appearances at Other Voices, Electric Picnic, Body & Soul and others, feels lazy and final. The Lucid in many ways pings itself back to the past, now in the present with its release, and will go on for good into the future. If I could sum up the album in two words they would be desperate and beauty. It's title-track bounces with a spritely joviality, we've no need to be so serious all of the time, yet the deep piano keys whisper to us about something that might be troubling. Tracks like 'Pleading Sylph' recall the best of Keith Jarrett, as does much of the album, it's ad hoc and intuitive, thankfully lacking construction. But it's by no means an exploration of the forlorn, take 'Oap' for example, intertwining keys and strings leading to an almost abrasive electronic flush.
I can only attempt to interpret Conor Walsh's music and creative mindset, so best to let him explain it himself, speaking of the track 'Fanthesia'; "I don’t really seek out divine inspiration, I just tend to stumble across it. I usually find it in my surroundings. For a track like 'Fanthesia', I definitely took from the surroundings of my home in County Mayo. I'm fortunate to live in the beautiful Mayo countryside along the river Moy. I don’t see bleakness or boredom in the sparse country landscape. Instead I find beauty and wonder. Simple things energise me to write and play like the droney hums of the farmyards in the distance, the ringings and rumbling of the trains as they pass in the night, often creating their own little melody as they disappear into the abyss, or the tweeting of the birds and of course the magical tranquil sound of the ripple of the river. I love the peace of the place and mystery and awe that can come just from exploring the natural habitat i was born and raised in."
Key tracks: 'Pleading Sylph', 'The Lucid', 'Tine', 'Oap'
2) Saoirse Casey - Lunaria
I really, really like the debut album Lunaria from Saoirse Casey, like John Blek, it's a really fine melting pot of classic folk with undeniably modern textures and lacquer. The first time I listened to it I was straight away subsumed by the power, emotion and sincerity which weaves its way through each of the tracks, there are anthemic and soft moments, with everything wrapped in a banket of tenderness, best captured in opener 'Breathe Easy'. The best track on the album for me comes early on in 'Moon Hotel'; "a home is a home, whether built out of stone, where you live with your family". Later on in the second-half of the album comes 'Carousel', you can hear the fingers move along the metal strings of the acoustic guitar with little swipes as the chords change, and Casey's vocal is like cotton-wool for the ears. There are many such moments on Lunaria, a gorgeous album.
Key tracks: 'Moon Hotel', 'Carousel', 'Breathe Easy', 'Celeste'
3) John Blek - Thistle & Thorn
John Blek's a curio, and a wonderful one at that, sometimes his sound is utterly familiar, but riddled with unexpected geysers of bliss. His last album Catharsis Vol. I was a big stride into the wider consciousness of the Irish music scene, album number five, Thistle & Thorn absolutely deserves more appraisal and consideration, alas, such is the state of play right now with the volume of music locally. Single 'The Blackwater' is a good place to start, but to get down to the grit of authenticity you need to listen to 'Lily in the Garden'.
What makes Blek stand out amongst peers, and he might humbly disagree I'm sure, is the assertiveness of his song-writing. It doesn't feel warped in a certain direction by a lack of confidence, or dwelling on outside perceptions, it is what it is, a song-writer dedicated to his craft (which is honourable) but who is also writing rich lyrics and music. Often we complain about Irish artists sounding like their American genre-counterparts, but I want Blek to sound like this, his voice is his own, but I don't want to hear the next Irish singer-songwriter, I want to hear someone better than the likes of Damien Jurado or Andrew Bird who just so happens to be Irish.
Key Tracks: 'The Blackwater', 'Hannah', 'Lily in the Garden', 'If I'
Key Tracks: 'The Blackwater', 'Hannah', 'Lily in the Garden', 'If I'
4) Jafaris - Stride
In 2017 Jafaris blew my head half off with his debut EP Velvet Cake, it was raw, aggressive and tender in equal measure, the pinnacle for me being single 'If You Love Me', one of the best Irish singles of the last 5 years at a conservative stretch. Stride is going to see him going beyond the stratosphere, already clocking up outrageous amount of plays online. His debut album matches ambition with the talent he holds, masterfully produced, 100% deserving of a far and wide listenership, the dreams are no longer small.
On a personal note, I would have liked to have heard more of the soul-pop that was characteristic of those early releases, I think those songs really reached out on a personal level. That said, there are many highlights on Stride, 'Found My Feat' and 'Time' being the obvious examples, I think closing track 'Ghost' connects closest to what I enjoyed the most from his early output, as does second track 'Brother's Keeper', oh no, I'm that guy! "I prefer his earlier stuff", but honestly it's not like that, Jafaris' music will be sizzling hot in the pan for a long time, especially after Stride.
As an additional aside, I found myself really interested in the religiosity of parts of the album. Symbolism such as the album cover, like a tortured Christ, the lyrics of opener 'Stride'; "Who am I...a son of man or a son of god?", as well as song titles like 'God's Not Stupid'.
Key tracks: 'Time', 'Found My Feet', 'Brother's Keeper'
As an additional aside, I found myself really interested in the religiosity of parts of the album. Symbolism such as the album cover, like a tortured Christ, the lyrics of opener 'Stride'; "Who am I...a son of man or a son of god?", as well as song titles like 'God's Not Stupid'.
Key tracks: 'Time', 'Found My Feet', 'Brother's Keeper'
