Album Review: Sinead O'Brien, Time Bend and Break the Bower

Throughout Time Bend And Break The Bower, Sinead O’Brien’s spoken poetry veers off on many fascinating tangents, as she gives free reign to her stream-of-consciousness style. The guitar and drum syncopation in each song is sublime, though O’Brien’s voice is always to the fore, as she conjures an array of memorable imagery.

Occasionally she uses her voice as an instrument in its own right, even striking a robotic tinge to match the new wave electronics of ‘Space For My Size, Me.’ Elsewhere, her vocals have an icier quality – as on ‘Multitudes,’ which is built around a gritty R&B groove.

Sinead O’Brien closes the record with a shout-out to Dante’s Inferno, alongside references to Stoneybatter and Sandymount. It’s a suitably imaginative conclusion to an always provocative and challenging effort.