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The third studio long-player from the Irish singer/songwriter, the aptly named At Swim is a beguiling collection of aqueous and often elegiac indie folk ballads that seep syrup-slow into your bones, inducing both goosebumps and a teeth-chattering chill. Despite being written after a severe bout of wanderlust and writer's block that saw Hannigan globe-trotting for inspiration, the ten-track set is her most galvanized offering to date; a languid river of song that transcends its myriad watery metaphors via an adjacent undercurrent of morbidity and existential angst that suggests a real sea change. Produced with terrific restraint by the National's Aaron Dessner, At Swim is awash in plucky banjo, ethereal strings, offbeat percussion, and isolated, heavenly piano motifs that drop down into the drink like a kingfisher collecting its quarry. As per usual, it's Hannigan's otherworldly voice that provides the anchor, effortlessly shifting from smoky lows to crystalline highs like a precision sports car on a twisty mountain test drive. Standouts like the torchy "Prayer for the Dying," which pairs vintage Patsy Cline production with a brooding melody that comes off like a mash-up of "What a Wonderful World" and Radiohead's "Creep," the bucolic "Ora," and the softly propulsive, Kate Bush-esque "Undertow," utilize Hannigan's gifts for both range and economical poetry -- never one to bloviate, she has the Irish knack for distilling the vastness of misery, heartache, and shame into tidy couplets such as "Oh we the wrong, we the sewed up and long gone, were we fallen all along." However, that emerald touch can also transmute despair into comfort, which is ultimately what makes At Swim such a compelling listen. This is an album to listen to in front of a crackling fire, with a very strong drink, at the end of a very arduous day.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo
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Joe Henry, ComposerLyricist - Lisa Hannigan, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Logan Coale, Double Bass - André de Ridder, Violin - Aaron Dessner, Producer, Guitar - Universal Music Publishing, MusicPublisher
(C) 2016 Hoop Recordings (P) 2016 Hoop Recordings
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Lisa Hannigan, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Logan Coale, Double Bass - André de Ridder, Violin - Dave Nelson, Trombone - Aaron Dessner, Producer, Guitar, Vocals - Thomas Bartlett, Piano - Ross Turner, Drums - Clarice Curran, Cello - Cormac Jensen, Cello
(C) 2016 Hoop Recordings (P) 2016 Hoop Recordings
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Lisa Hannigan, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Logan Coale, Double Bass - Aaron Dessner, Producer, Guitar - Ross Turner, Drums - Josh Kaufman, Guitar - Yuki Numata Resnick, Violin - Cormac Jensen, Hammond Organ
(C) 2016 Hoop Recordings (P) 2016 Hoop Recordings
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Lisa Hannigan, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Aaron Dessner, Producer, Guitar, Piano, Drum Programmer, ComposerLyricist - Thomas Bartlett, Piano - Ross Turner, Drums - Josh Kaufman, Guitar - Cormac Jensen, Synthesizer
(C) 2016 Hoop Recordings (P) 2016 Hoop Recordings
Iain Archer, ComposerLyricist - Lisa Hannigan, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Aaron Dessner, Producer, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Piano, Drum Programmer - Ross Turner, Drum Programmer - Universal Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Ray Rizzo, Drums
(C) 2016 Hoop Recordings (P) 2016 Hoop Recordings
Lisa Hannigan, Vocals, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Logan Coale, Double Bass - Clarice Jensen, Cello - André de Ridder, Violin - Aaron Dessner, Producer, Piano, ComposerLyricist - Ross Turner, Drums, Drum Machine - Universal Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Yuki Numata Resnick, Violin - Cormac Curran, Synthesizer
(C) 2016 Hoop Recordings (P) 2016 Hoop Recordings
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Lisa Hannigan, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Logan Coale, Double Bass - Dave Nelson, Trombone - Aaron Dessner, Producer, Guitar, Piano - Ross Turner, Drums - Cormac Curran, Piano
(C) 2016 Hoop Recordings (P) 2016 Hoop Recordings
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Lisa Hannigan, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Aaron Dessner, Producer - Seamus Heaney, Lyricist - Zoe Randell, Vocals - Faber Publishing, MusicPublisher - Katie Fallon, Vocals
(C) 2016 Hoop Recordings (P) 2016 Hoop Recordings
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Lisa Hannigan, Vocals, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Aaron Dessner, Producer - Zoe Randell, Vocals - Katie Fallon, Vocals
(C) 2016 Hoop Recordings (P) 2016 Hoop Recordings
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Lisa Hannigan, Vocals, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Logan Coale, Double Bass - Aaron Dessner, Producer - Ross Turner, Drums, Drum Machine - Cormac Curran, Piano
(C) 2016 Hoop Recordings (P) 2016 Hoop Recordings
Lisa Hannigan, Vocals, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Dave Nelson, Trombone - Aaron Dessner, Producer, Electric Guitar, Organ, ComposerLyricist - Universal Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Bryan Devendorf, Drum Machine
(C) 2016 Hoop Recordings (P) 2016 Hoop Recordings
Album review
The third studio long-player from the Irish singer/songwriter, the aptly named At Swim is a beguiling collection of aqueous and often elegiac indie folk ballads that seep syrup-slow into your bones, inducing both goosebumps and a teeth-chattering chill. Despite being written after a severe bout of wanderlust and writer's block that saw Hannigan globe-trotting for inspiration, the ten-track set is her most galvanized offering to date; a languid river of song that transcends its myriad watery metaphors via an adjacent undercurrent of morbidity and existential angst that suggests a real sea change. Produced with terrific restraint by the National's Aaron Dessner, At Swim is awash in plucky banjo, ethereal strings, offbeat percussion, and isolated, heavenly piano motifs that drop down into the drink like a kingfisher collecting its quarry. As per usual, it's Hannigan's otherworldly voice that provides the anchor, effortlessly shifting from smoky lows to crystalline highs like a precision sports car on a twisty mountain test drive. Standouts like the torchy "Prayer for the Dying," which pairs vintage Patsy Cline production with a brooding melody that comes off like a mash-up of "What a Wonderful World" and Radiohead's "Creep," the bucolic "Ora," and the softly propulsive, Kate Bush-esque "Undertow," utilize Hannigan's gifts for both range and economical poetry -- never one to bloviate, she has the Irish knack for distilling the vastness of misery, heartache, and shame into tidy couplets such as "Oh we the wrong, we the sewed up and long gone, were we fallen all along." However, that emerald touch can also transmute despair into comfort, which is ultimately what makes At Swim such a compelling listen. This is an album to listen to in front of a crackling fire, with a very strong drink, at the end of a very arduous day.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 00:39:30
- Main artists: Lisa Hannigan
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Hoop Recordings
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
(C) 2016 Hoop Recordings (P) 2016 Hoop Recordings
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