The Livelong Day - Lankum (2019)

(The Nines - looking for some rhyme or reason for what to pick next, i’m starting with a 2019 record and then i’ll go back ten years each time.)

Irish folk music. AMIRITE? Not my usual jam, but this is not exactly an episode of NPR’s Thistle & Shamrock. Some traditional tunes mixed with originals, but all filtered through some very modern ideas.

Specifically, the traditional tunes are stretched out and deconstructed in a way that sounds amazingly 21st century, but still preserves the melancholy edge and the ringing lyricism that you expect from traditional Irish music.

The originals are also quite good. They also have a modern sensibility but have the same flavor as the more traditional cuts.

Tracks I liked

The Wild Rover - pretty much sums up the whole project in 10 minutes

Ode to Lullaby - gorgeous. Would be at home on any number of ambient or downtempo records

Katie Cruel - another chopped and deconstructed traditional number