Isthmus (album)
| Isthmus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 October 2022 | |||
| Recorded | 2022 | |||
| Genre | Neoclassical new-age music | |||
| Length | 26:30[1] | |||
| Label | Ghost Home Recordings[2] | |||
| Producer | Seamus O'Muineachain | |||
| Seamus Ó Muíneacháin chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Spectrum Culture | 73/100[3] |
Isthmus is the sixth studio album by Irish ambient musician Seamus Ó Muíneacháin.[4]
Background and release[edit]
Isthmus was recorded after O'Muineachain returned to Ireland from the Czech Republic, and was inspired by the landscape of the Erris region.[5] The album features field recordings and collaborations with cellist Akito Goto.[6] The album had its radio premiere on The Stephen McCauley Show on BBC Radio Ulster on 30 August 2022.[7] The lead single "Lost Fishermen" was broadcast on KEXP,[8] An Taobh Tuathail,[9] KXCI,[10] BBC 6 Music,[11] and Açık Radyo.[12] The album premiered on It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine on September 27.[13]
Reception[edit]
Mike Mineo of Obscure Sound wrote: "There’s an immediate charm to the album’s scenic and lush composure."[14] Nialler9 wrote that the album was "delicately poised and reflective in nature."[15] Raffael Russo reviewed the album positively in the Italian music magazine Rockerilla.[16] In their New and Notable section, the website Bandcamp wrote: "Seamus O’Muineachain takes us to his hometown of Belmullet, Ireland through patient, pensive ambient composition."[17] Writing for Spectrum Culture, Pat Padua said "The EP takes less than 27 minutes to tell its story, but that brief time is used to communicate the patient appreciation of a dreamlike existence on the other side of the world."[3] Simon Lewis of Ptolemaic Terrascope called the album "a gentle, unhurried set of songs which demand to be taken as a whole and when done so prove to be a balm for the soul."[18] It was included on Star's End list of significant releases of 2022.[19]
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Seamus O'Muineachain
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Two Bays" | 2:16 |
| 2. | "Lost Fishermen" | 3:05 |
| 3. | "Mouth of the Isthmus" | 2:37 |
| 4. | "Conches" | 2:06 |
| 5. | "Sound" | 3:19 |
| 6. | "Fields of Fog" | 2:13 |
| 7. | "We Went Beachcombing" | 1:29 |
| 8. | "Almost an Island" | 3:47 |
| 9. | "Meet Me at the Pier" | 2:04 |
| 10. | "Haar" | 3:32 |
Personnel[edit]
- Seamus O'Muineachain – piano, guitar, keyboard, synth, percussion, dulcimer, field recordings, production
- Akito Goto – cello
References[edit]
- ^ "Isthmus on Musicbrainz". Musicbrainz. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ "Seamus OMuineachain Isthmus(Ghost Home Recordings)". jazziz.com. 16 August 2022.
- ^ a b Padua, Pat (October 2022). "Seamus O'Muineachain: Isthmus". spectrumculture.com. Spectrum Culture.
- ^ O'Connell, Cian (18 August 2022). "Multi-instrumentalist draws inspiration from west coast". connachttribune.ie. Connacht Tribune. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ Archived from the original McGovern, Oisin (29 September 2022). "A Simple Ebrace of Space". The Mayo News. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
For its part, the wild, unspoilt majesty, of the Erris landscape is hard to ignore. Little wonder then that it provided the material for Séamus's latest work, which was inspired after he returned home from 18 months in the Czech Republic.
- ^ Allen, Richard (6 September 2022). "Fall Music Preview ~ Modern Composition". A Closer Listen.
- ^ "The Stephen McCauley Show on BBC Sounds". BBC. 30 August 2022.
- ^ "Lost Fishermen on KEXP". kexplorer.com. KEXP. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ "An Taobh Tuathail 23rd August 2022". RTE. 23 August 2022.
- ^ Castelli, Dominic. "Elysian Fields". KXCI 91.3FM Tucson AZ.
- ^ Maconie, Stuart (4 September 2022). "Experimental Explorations with Elodie Lauden". bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "23 Eylül 2022 tarihli program kaydı". 13melekradyo.com. 23 September 2022.
- ^ "'Isthmus' by Seamus O'Muineachain Album Premiere". It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine. 27 September 2022.
- ^ Mineo, Mike (7 October 2022). "Seamus O'Muineachain - 'Isthmus'". Obscure Sound.
- ^ "12 great new Irish songs you should hear this week". Nialler9. 25 August 2022.
- ^ Russo, Raffaello (October 2022). "SEAMUSOMUINEACHAIN". musicwontsaveyou.com. Rockerilla.
- ^ "New & Notable: Seamus O'Muineachain takes us to his hometown of Belmullet, Ireland through patient, pensive ambient composition". twitter.com. Bandcamp. 28 September 2022.
- ^ Lewis, Simon. "Rumbles Spring 2023". terrascope.co.uk.
- ^ "2022 Review STAR'S END". starsend.org. September 2022.
