Willzee – My Light
Limerick rapper Willzee has this week released ‘My Light’, which features guest vocals from pop artist Tolü Makay. The song will feature on his upcoming debut album Kuti Gris which will be released through the Welcome to the New World label on 29 April. The song focuses on Willzee’s spoken-word delivery, with Makay’s contribution a soft and soulful addition. Writing about the song, he says: ‘ “My Light” is a story of a couple’s journey through the highs and the lows, the loss of 3 angels and how love held together the strings of a relationship worn thin through self-blame, alcohol and drug abuse. This is based on a true story I’ve experienced, focusing on the love of another and the support given when trapped in your own self-pity.’ Visit: https://found.ee/willzee_kutigris

Pauline Scanlon – The Unquiet
Pauline Scanlon’s The Unquiet is a new collection of traditional songs, some of which will be well known. They are given a modern feel here by producer John Reynolds, and Scanlon is also joined by singers Damien Dempsey, Barry Kerr, Loinnir McAliskey and Bernie Pháid for duets. ‘With this album I seek to represent the realities of modern-era women through traditional song,’ she writes. ‘I am intentionally redirecting these songs away from the traditional narrative, turning them to face the modern era, to reflect a new social outlook, and I am imagining the present as I sing them.’ A particular highlight of the album is the duet with Dempsey, a unique and slow version of ‘The Unquiet Grave’. Scanlon launches her album this evening (8 April) at the Mick Lally Theatre in Galway, followed by the Duncairn, Belfast (9 April), the Pepper Canister, Dublin (14 April), Royal Theatre, Castlebar (19 May), and INEC Killarney (21 May). For further information and tickets, visit www.paulinescanlon.net.

Ye Vagabonds – Go Away and Come Back Hither
Ye Vagabonds, the folk duo of Diarmuid and Brían Mac Gloinn, have recently released new single ‘Go Away and Come Back Hither’, taken from their upcoming album Nine Waves, which will be released on Rough Trade’s River Lea label on 13 May. The soft, lullaby-like ballad features the two vocalists singing over gently plucked guitar and echoing, atmospheric violin. ‘This song is about the ebb and flow of longing and fulfilment,’ says Diarmuid. ‘When someone we love is kept from us, we want them more. It’s like inverse magnetism, the further away they are the stronger the pull. It’s an old romantic theme, so I wanted it to have some of the feel of romantic era poetry. The first line and the melody had followed me around for a while until the first lockdown of 2020 when the rest of the song came together.’ The new album will be the pair’s third, following their 2017 self-titled debut, and The Hare’s Lament in 2019, and includes guest musicians Kate Ellis, Caimin Gilmore, Ryan Hargadon, Cormac Begley and Alain McFadden. Pre-order the album: https://ffm.to/ninewaves 

Kíla – Soundtrack from Arracht 
Kíla have just released the soundtrack to the award-winning Irish-language film Arracht, which tells the story of the Great Irish Famine through the eyes of a bereft fisherman and farmer (Dónall Ó Héalaí) and a young girl that he saves (Saise Ní Chuinn). Arracht’s soundtrack won an IFTA award for Best Music for a Feature Film last year. The music is dark and bright, peaceful and harrowing, capturing the time and tone of the film’s story. The soundtrack also incorporates pieces of dialogue from the film adding to the overall atmosphere. To purchase a copy, visit https://shop.kila.ie/collections/ceol-cds/products/arracht-the-soundtrack

 O Deer – Waterside
‘Waterside’ is the new single release from O Deer, the musical project of singer-songwriter Oisín Walsh-Peelo. The song will feature in the artist’s upcoming album, set for release in September. The artist’s style of songwriting has a folk-influenced, acoustic sound, while the new track is ambient and lo-fi with a simple guitar accompaniment and lush instrumentation on low whistle, harp, bass, harmonica and percussion – all of which Walsh-Peelo performs himself. He is joined on the song by Caimin Gilmore on double bass and Méabh McKenna on backing vocals. ‘This song means a lot to me,’ says Walsh-Peelo. ‘It was written in a time just before the pandemic when there was a lot of change going on in my life. “Waterside” is a short reflection of the state of the outer versus the inner world: our natural environment versus our mental and emotional one. It’s strange to me that we witness the beauty and wonder of our natural world on a daily basis, yet so often allow it to pass us by unacknowledged – it’s the same in relationships as well. This song tries to articulate that in some way. It’s really a reminder to myself to not take anything for granted.’ Listen below and purchase the track on Bandcamp: https://odeermusic.bandcamp.com/releases

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh and the Irish Chamber Orchestra – Róisín Reimagined
Released in March, Róisín Reimagined is the new album by singer Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, accompanied by the Irish Chamber Orchestra. Featuring tracks of sean-nós singing, arranged by six different composers – Linda Buckley, Sam Perkin, Cormac McCarthy, Paul Campbell, Niamh Varian Barry and Michael Keeney – the project is a co-commission between the ICO and Kilkenny Arts Festival and was premiered online last August. 

Opening with ‘Róisín Dubh’, the album features a number of the ‘big songs’ from the Irish singing tradition, including ‘An Chúilfhionn’ and ‘Táim Sínte ar do Thuama’, as well as a number of faster songs. The arrangements range from being quite romantic and Ó Riada-esque in style (‘Róisín Dubh’ by Campbell) to a more contemporary exploratory approach (‘Slán le Maigh’ by Buckley), but a particular highlight is ”S ar Maidin Moch is mé ar mo Leabain Bhoig’, arranged by Perkin. Nic Amhlaoibh’s voice soars throughout the arrangements, bringing a gravitas to each track. Produced by fiddle-player Dónal O’Connor, the album also features uilleann piper Mick O’Brien and harper Aisling Ennis. Róisín Reimagined is available on vinyl and CD from www.muireann.ie/store/roisn-reimagined

Trick Mist – Flagbearer / Crumbs Abound
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gavin Murray, performing as Trick Mist, has recently released a new track ‘Flagbearer’ on Pizza Pizza Records. The song is released as a live performance video accompanied by another previously released song ‘Crumbs Abound’. Shot by Katie Ball and David Noonan of Just Mustard, the video features Murray in an open field on Christian’s Hill, in Ardee, Co. Louth. ‘‘Flagbearer’ was written after my Nan’s wake,’ he writes. ‘It was such a mad time returning to her home house. I hadn’t been there in so long and I was confronted by memories of the place mixed with the whirlwind intensity of a traditional Irish wake. … The song is an ode to that as well as to her. The hill in the video is called Christian’s Hill. I used to love coming over here as a kid. The structure’s function seems unclear. Some people say it was a lookout post, others say a mill for flax or flour. Another theory is that the hill was a place of worship or ritual. This is the theory I like the most! So I’ve decided to create my own ritual here today with my flag, my art and my experience in a place that resonates.’ Visit: https://trickmist.com/

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