''The Gloaming 2'' (also referred to as "''2''") is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by the contemporary Irish/American music group

The Gloaming The Gloaming is a contemporary Irish/American music supergroup. Its members are fiddle player Martin Hayes, sean-nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, hardanger fiddle player Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, and pianist Thomas Bartlett. Guitarist Denni ...

. It was released on 26 February 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 R ...

, and on Brassland Records 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 Oliver ...

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 was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

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,

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 Iarla Ó Lionáird (born ) is an Irish singer and record producer. He sings in the traditional Sean-nós singing, sean-nós style. He was a member of the Afro Celt Sound System and is a member of the Irish-American supergroup (music), supergroup ...

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 (born 28 August 1979) is a fiddler, born in Dublin, Ireland, who attended Trinity College Dublin, becoming a scholar in Theoretical Physics (1999) and earning a first-class BA degree (as the top student of his class) in 2001. He is known for d ...

. 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 innovat ...

. The album was recorded in just five days, with pianist Thomas Bartlett producing and

Patrick Dillett Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

(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 a ...

in favour of a looser and more spacious live approach. Guitarist Dennis Cahill 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 George Marino (April 15, 1947June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He attended ...

. 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

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. Robin Denslow of ''

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'' and Eamon Carr of ''

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'' 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 was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

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

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'' and

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. A five-night residency in Dublin’s

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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 * Dennis Cahill – guitar * Martin Hayes – fiddle *

– vocals *

– Hardanger d'Amore ;Production * Thomas Bartlett – production *

– 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