Damian O’Neill : An Crann :
Undertones Guitarist Solo Album : Review
Dimple Discs
Please watch the video above for the full review
This is the long-awaited third solo album, an crann, from The Undertones guitarist Damian O’ Neill on limited edition blue vinyl and CD.
The album is an exquisitely inventive collection of largely instrumental tracks, mixed by veteran producer Paul Tipler (Stereolab, Placebo, Julian Cope, House Of Love).
The title “an crann” is Irish for “The Tree”, a symbol of growth and inspiration. As Damian himself explains…”If someone listened to this record without knowing anything about me, they’d probably never guess that I started life in a punk band. I unashamedly wanted to present instrumental pieces that
are emotional, evocative and personal and offer to the listener textures and layers of music
that can be melodic, childlike and even melancholic at times. There’s obviously Irish folk
traditional influences as well as French, Japanese, American and British. I’m playing virtually
all the instruments myself, with added percussion on a couple of songs. It was recorded
mainly at home over the last couple of years in the loft of our house on a laptop with an array
of instruments such as electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, bass, organ, vibraphone, toy
marimba and glockenspiel, melodica, mouth organ, squeezebox, kalimba, bells and various
percussion and human voices.”
Malin Head Imminent is a “reference to memories of childhood holidays in Donegal.” and “Great things can happen when you mess with the standard tuning on a guitar. In this case, I came up with the main riff and built layers around it. My favourite bit is the middle 8 where me and my wife Viv do the ‘ahhs’, which is influenced by Japanese composer Nobukazu Takemura’s track ‘Pendulum’” Damian.
an crann track listing:
01. Más O Menos
02. Malin Head Imminent
03. Tune for the Derry Ones
04. A Quare Visitation (Belfast ’65)
05. Lament for Loughlinisland
06. La Tengo
07. Manannán mac Lir
08. New Loft Trio
09. Waltz (Interlude)
10. We Want The Wesleys
11. Round and Round
DIMPLE DISCS
CD/ DEEDEE021CD/£7.95
LP/ DEEDEE021LP/ £14.50
To order / pre stream an crann and get the first track “Más O Menos” click here
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
