POOR CREATURE – All Smiles Tonight – LP – Black Vinyl

Description

LP – Standard Edition Black Vinyl.

Poor Creature is comprised of Ruth Clinton, Cormac MacDiarmada and John Dermody, all three are members of other bands (Landless and Lankum respectively) who have built a large following on re-interpreting songs from the past. Songs that have existed for centuries can seem immutable and anchored to time. A new generation of Irish musicians are keen to acknowledge that musical legacy, while reimagining the songs within a contemporary context.

Poor Creatures sound particularly in the context of contemporary Irish folk offers something unique. Theres the gauzy, underwater, almost psychedelic seams of Bury Me Not and Adieu Lovely Erin. All Smiles Tonight and Hicks Farewell nod to the influence of American folk/bluegrass acts like Doc Watson and the Louvin Brothers. These shifting sounds are made possible by producer John Spud Murphy, who has produced all of Lankums albums, and worked with Junior Brother, XN, Pretty Happy, Ye Vagabonds as as well as the final two albums by The Jimmy Cake, with whom John has played for over 20 years.

Theres something about the everyday and the fantastical, being entangled, which I think Irish music does so well. This also sums up All Smiles Tonight, moving through stories and loss and history to create an otherworldly and timeless album for the ages.

Tracklist:

Side A
1. Adieu Lovely Erin
2. Bury Me Not
3. The Whole Town Knows
4. Lorene

Side B
1. An Draighnen Donn
2. All Smiles Tonight
3. Hicks Farewell
4. Willie-o