Though shes from Massachusetts, Aoife ODonovans second solo album is a beautiful reflection on childhood summers spent in Ireland with her grandfather. Its partly a tribute to him he died while she was writing the songs. (He also sings on ambient traditional song Donal Og.)
In producer Tucker Martines hands (hes worked with Neko Case, Punch Brothers, the Decemberists and Laura Veirs), ODonovans music sounds light and atmospheric, her folk freed up by billowing electric guitars and sensitive percussion. Her collaborators (Sarah Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Punch Brothers Chris Thile) continue to play traditional instruments.
The music sets ODonovans scenic descriptions, mostly of seaside scenes from long-ago summers, into immediate relief. Its a record about memory, spurred on by grief. In The Magic Hour gently hints at the big picture: time and mortality and where we fit into all of it. On the standout title track, ODonovans voice is strong and buoyant the sound of someone moving through a great loss.
Top track: Magic Hour
