McGloughlin garnered wide critical acclaim with his 2010 debut, Busy Whisper. Here the Sligo-based singer-songwriter and his eclectic group of side-musicians build on that momentum with impressive results.
Fragile, atmospheric and ambient are key words – although they scarcely apply to ‘Antelope March’ the oddly-titled (and even odder sounding) opener. Elsewhere, the intimacy of the songs and the unfussy, mainly acoustic arrangements are exemplary. Particularly seductive in the melody department are ‘Bright Star’ and ‘Morning Mist’ (The Birds)’ where McGloughlin’s close-mic’d whisper of a voice is almost scarily immediate.
Both ‘Caught In Craft’ and ‘You & The Lion’ are performed as straightforward folk songs not a million miles from Fionn Regan or even M. Ward territory. Meanwhile, the echo-laden piano on ‘Stage Fright’ lends it an unsettling atmosphere.
The highlight, without doubt, is ‘Temps Perou’ a lovely creation with a charming, meandering melody, loping bass-line, gently strummed ukulele, piano and beautifully harmonised voices.
All in all – a quiet triumph!