''The Gloaming 2'' (also referred to as "''2''") is the second studio album by the contemporary Irish/American music group The Gloaming. It was released on February 26, 2016 on

Real World Records Real World Records is a British record label specializing in world music. It was founded in 1989 by English musician Peter Gabriel and original members of WOMAD. A majority of the works released on Real World Records feature music recorded at ...

, and on

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in America,

Justin Time Records Justin Time Records is a Canadian record company and independent record label founded in Montreal by Jim West. It was established in 1983 and specialises in jazz and blues. Although Justin Time initially recorded Canadian musicians such as Olive ...

in Canada, and Planet Records in Australia. The album debuted at No.1 in the Irish Album Chart and was met with critical acclaim.

Background and recording

In an interview with

the Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

in August 2014, fiddle player and band founder Martin Hayes said that the quintet were all eager to begin work on new material. In December 2015, The Gloaming entered

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, England to record material that had mostly been written and previewed during the group’s 2015 touring schedule. Commenting at the time on the recording sessions, vocalist Iarla Ó Lionáird felt that a “stronger” record was being made to the band’s 2015 debut, and that while the group had not become completely removed from its “initial creative area”, something of a departure had been made. Hayes, meanwhile, said that the album had “more feeling” than its predecessor because the five individuals in the band had bonded more deeply in terms of a shared aesthetic in the interim period. Hayes added that the music on ''The Gloaming 2'' possibly had a euphoric and joyful quality, a sentiment shared by bandmate and fellow fiddle player Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh. Lyrically and musically, the group drew from age-old sources just as they had on their debut LP. For example, “The Pilgrim's Song” comprises two extracts of poems by the mid-20th century Irish poet

Seán Ó Ríordáin Seán Pádraig Ó Ríordáin (3 December 1916 – 21 February 1977), sometimes referred to as an Ríordánach, was an Irish language poet and later a newspaper columnist. He is credited with introducing European themes to Irish poetry, and is wi ...

– “Oilithreacht Fám Anam” and “A Sheanfhilí, Múinídh Dom Glao”, both taken from ''Eireaball Spideoige'' (1952). “Fáinleog”, meanwhile, uses a traditional lyric extract from ''Na Laoithe Fiannuidheachta'' as well as a traditional Irish jig called “The Holly Bush”. “Oisín's Song” also used a traditional lyrical motif from ''Na Laoithe Fiannuidheachta'' called “The Dialogue of Oisín and Pádraig”. "Casadh an tSúgáin" was dedicated to the memory of the traditional Irish musician

Mícheál Ó Domhnaill Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (; 7 October 1951 – 7 July 2006) was an Irish singer, guitarist, composer, and producer who was a major influence on Irish traditional music in the second half of the twentieth century. He is remembered for his innovativ ...

. The album was recorded in just five days, with pianist Thomas Bartlett producing and Patrick Dillett (assisted by Patrick Phillips) on mixing duties. In an interview, Ó Lionáird said that the music on their second record had been recorded with very few

overdubs Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...

in favour of a looser and more spacious live approach. Guitarist

Dennis Cahill Dennis Cahill was an Irish missionary priest working in western Maryland, USA, in the late 1700s, where he founded several Catholic parishes in the Potomac River valley area. History Cahill was involved in the founding of several Catholic paris ...

also remarked that a natural feel was sought by the group on this record, and a decision had been made not to “overwork” the compositions by playing them over and over again. Like their debut, ''The Gloaming 2'' was mastered by UE Nastasi at Sterling Sound. Its album sleeve was designed by Marc Bessant, with the cover art image – entitled 'Flying Lesson' – created by US conceptual photography duo Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison

Release and reception

''The Gloaming 2'' was released in February 2016 to positive reviews. It has a score of 84 on

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, indicating "universal acclaim". The album debuted at No.1 on the

Irish Album Charts The Irish Albums Chart is the Republic of Ireland, Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). The charts were previously compiled on behalf of IRMA by Chart-Track, and have ...

. Robin Denslow of ''

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'' and Eamon Carr of '' Irish Independent'' praised the vocals and instrumentation on the album. Siobhán Long of

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

called the album, "a richly textured thing of beauty". The album was included in end-of-year lists of the ''Irish Independent'', ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' and

fRoots ''fRoots'' (pronounced "eff-Roots", originally ''Folk Roots'') was a specialist music magazine published in the UK between 1979 and 2019. It specialised in folk and world music, and featured regular compilation downloadable albums, with occa ...

. A five-night residency in Dublin’s

National Concert Hall The National Concert Hall (NCH) (An Ceoláras Náisiúnta) is a national cultural institution, sometimes described as "the home of music in Ireland". It comprises the actual concert hall operation, which in various chambers hosts over 1,000 ...

was timed to coincide with the release. The group subsequently toured in Europe and North America.

Track listing

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. Information in brackets indicates individual tunes featured on a track.

Personnel

;Music * Thomas Bartlett – piano *

– guitar * Martin Hayes – fiddle * Iarla Ó Lionáird – vocals * Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh – Hardanger d'Amore ;Production * Thomas Bartlett – production * Patrick Dillett – mixing, engineering * Patrick Phillips – assistant engineering * UE Nastasi – mastering at Sterling Sound * Marc Bessant – design * Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison – cover art * Rich Gilligan – photography * BARQUE LLC – management

Accolades

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2016 albums The Gloaming albums Real World Records albums Brassland Records albums