Choice Music Prize: Revisit the 10 nominated albums

Amble – Reverie

“It’s a combination of songs we wrote before we met and songs that we’ve written together since,” Oisín McCaffrey says. “It’s the three of us in a room, playing all the instruments with no added bells or whistles. We wanted it to be as close as possible to the live shows, which are what have got us to this point.”

(Read the full interview here)

Bricknasty – Black’s Law

"....The chatter is suddenly cut short by a tinkling harp- the dedicated amongst us recognise it as the opening to ‘Eleanor Plunkett’, while the rest of the crowd know enough to read it as a signal of the band's impending arrival.

"As they leap onstage, the angelic sound of the harp, accompanied by the silhouettes that make up Bricknasty leads me half to expect a declaration of “Do not be afraid” from frontman Fatboy.

"Instead, the music does the talking, as the harp is silenced by the bouncing guitar intro to ‘I Hope You’re Ready'..."

(Read the full live report here)

Joshua Burnside – Teeth of Time

"Across the 11 tracks, Burnside explores a sound that’s dark yet strangely comforting. On the kitchen-sink melodrama of ‘The Good Life’, he luxuriates in domestic bliss. The wonderful, Lankum-style ballad, ‘The Silence Of’, meanwhile, incorporates electronica to dazzling effect.

"Recorded in an un-soundproofed studio in Belfast city centre, throughout Teeth Of Time, the sprawling sounds of life outside filter into the edges of Burnside’s strumming and fingerpicking. Remaining cohesive while exploring eclectic terrain, this is a remarkable effort that demands repeat listening."

(Read the full review here)

CMAT – EURO-COUNTRY

"...the fabulously curious ‘The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station’ – careers in the Abbey Theatre have been made on less, and that piano riff is to die for. Meanwhile, the aforementioned ‘Take A Sexy Picture Of Me’ shuffles for premier position in the pantheon of great Irish singles.

"Elsewhere ‘Lord, Let That Tesla Crash’ is a Townes Van Zandt-gilded arrow to the heart, while ‘When A Good Man Cries’ is a Gram Parsons-style gem, which is the highest praise I can possibly dole out.

"And man, unfailingly, this record is damn funny. But also shrewd with it. Like, Joan Didion shrewd – if you get the gag, you become a co-conspirator. Finally (for now), the mix of genres is awesome, with country, pop, indie and more on the agenda. In particular, the boogie-woogie of ‘Tree Six Foive’, the soulful ‘Ready’ and the folk-doused ‘Coronation St.’ all show CMAT’s brilliance..."

(Read the full review here)

Dove Ellis – Blizzard

"The album showcases a vast sea of styles, from classic rock to folk. Jig-infused tracks like 'Jaundice' features the accordion, in what feels like a nod back to his homeland in the West of Ireland.

"Ellis gives glimpses into Irish life throughout, painting nostalgic images of flourishing, green pastures and stubborn stone walls. His songs tune into feelings of loss and isolation – perhaps a symptom of leaving home. His tragic acoustic ballads meanwhile, capture a warm and atmospheric sound, like sitting by the fire on a cold winter’s night.

"Full-bodied, joyful instrumentals juxtaposed with devastatingly complex and cutting lyrics further emphasise his artistry. Seemingly upbeat tracks ‘Love Is’ and ‘Heaven Has No Wings’, lift your spirit with optimistic orchestral moments, as melancholy lyrics follow quietly underneath..."

(Read the full review here)

Junior Brother – The End

"‘Welcome To My Mountain’ – a swashbuckling medley of trad instruments, followed by that most distinctive voice from The Kingdom of Kerry summoning God – opens The End, Junior Brother’s third album, and his first on Peter Doherty’s Strap Originals label.

"The backing of the Libertines man is well rewarded here, with JB delivering an Irish trad record unlike anything else in the imprint’s catalogue. Indeed, the album is unlike anything else, anywhere – stretching traditional Irish instruments into the beyond..."

(Read the full review here)

Just Mustard – WE WERE JUST HERE

“Previously the tension in our music was always pulling in towards something darker," says guitarist/producer David Noonan. "With this one, it feels like the music is being led by the vocals – so pulling towards more lightness and euphoria. It’s like the tension is in a different direction.”

“You try to feel euphoric to get away from heaviness,” Katie Ball adds. “That’s what I was trying in my personal life. And musically it made sense.

"But it’s always harder to write happy songs – it’s easy to write sad songs. So, I tried to put myself into physical spaces where you can get immediate joy. Like dance-floors and rollercoasters. I’d think of those kinds of places and write songs from there..."

(Read the full interview here)

pôt-pot – Warsaw 480km

"Following last year’s Going Insane EP, pôt-pot's first album is an intense and often brilliant offering. The band is made up of members from both Ireland and Portugal, with frontman Mark Waldron-Hyden writing most of the songs while 'not really living in one place.'

"A sense of transience and impermanence permeates the music on Warsaw 480km. You get the feeling that Waldron-Hyden worked on some of these songs while only having lo-fi equipment at his disposal: they’re all the better for their raw edge.

"First single ‘WRSW’ is extremely good – a psych-rock excursion with bluesy riffs and pulsing drums. ‘Fake Eyes’ offers atmospheric and experimental post-punk, while ‘I AM!’ begins with a straightforward riff, before building to an explosive finale..."

(read the full review here)

Maria Somerville – Luster

"Opening track ‘Réalt’ breezes in amidst birdsong and waving synth. There are rousing images of weather fronts coming off the Atlantic, crashing against the Twelve Bens, creating a wash of colour and shade, unique to that marvellous portion of Co. Galway, west of Lough Corrib.

"Somerville is a native of the area, which fans will have deduced from her self-released debut LP, All My People: it is rubberstamped on Luster with an almighty thump.

With a deftness of touch and imaginative vision to the fore, Somerville creates a sonic version of Connemara Blues poet, John O'Donohue's work, which was steeped in Celtic spirituality...

"A terrific album from an artist of genuine substance."

(read the full review here)

SPRINTS – All That Is Over

“The debut was a brick and mortar guitar rock album and I think it had to be that," says SPRINTS' Karla Chubb. "This time there was a lot of purposeful building of atmospherics in terms of textures, instruments and sampling.

“I was listening to a lot of ambient music, because I read a lot on the road and I can’t listen to the lyrics while I’m reading, because it distracts me too much. So a lot of early Aphex Twin. The Brian Eno airport albums. A lot of Portishead and a lot of early Massive Attack.”

(read the full interview here)

The Irish Album of the Year will be announced tomorrow, March 5, at the Choice Music Prize live event at Vicar Street, Dublin. The winner will receive €10,000, a prize fund which has been provided by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA).

Stay tuned to Hot Press and our social media platforms for more coverage of the event.