Haunting beauty in new work by esteemed Irish artist
CELEBRATED Irish artist Mary Black's Stories from the Steeples is her first studio recording in six years, and a revelation. An ethereal synthesis of the melancholic and upbeat, its principal themes are time and the emotions. The fourth track, 'Faith in Fate', evokes love as a serious commitment, and the fear of imminent loss, rather than romanticizing the past (“Put the past away/Save it for a sunny day/Right now it just seems so obscene to imagine you without me”). 'The Night Is On Our Side' eschews threat as a typical connotation of darkness (“The night is on our side/To wipe the tears from our eyes”), evoking sentiment rather than the gothic. Perhaps the standout piece, 'The Night Was Dark and Deep', describes repressed feelings on a family car journey, with hypnotic chords illustrating the virtue of the repetitive. A remarkable album, meditating perceptively on realism and aspiration.
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