There was a solar eclipse a few days ago and during that time when the sky darkened I was not outside watching with the rest of my compatriots but rather inside, watching the windows of my apartment darken as though storm clouds were fast gathering above in the sky, and listening to the simple purity of Cloves the second album from Belmullet, Ireland minimalist composer Seamus O'Muineachain. As it happened it was simply in the roster and I put it on not yet knowing what it was, or rather what it would become, which is a minimal masterpiece of meditation.
Seamus O'Muineachain intended Cloves to be the musical equivalent of the herb which has been used as a remedy for relaxation and calmness. Each piece is different, experimental and quiet in its own way but yet there is a common thread of calm that links all these songs together. It’s a very moving record, one that as it relaxes you and calms you also lets you begin to feel again in a much deeper way than you may have previously. This was precisely Seamus O'Muineachain’s intention for the record. It was meant to, as he says “Cloves is intended as a meditation on the simpler sides of life. It was created with the intention of comforting the listener, much like cloves would in a more literal sense.” Cloves opens with the haunting wisps of piano keys that sound as though they are being pressed down at times by drops of water; they are so soft and mesmerizing. There is a haziness to the melodies, the notes are allowed to flow out and float away at their leisure as though borne upon a wind. This cascades into the closer and gentler feeling piano piece “Sometimes We Fly.” It’s a sound and feeling that reverberates throughout Cloves on such simple and moving tracks as “The City from her Bedroom” and the Nick Drake-like “Moonfire.” Trying to describe the songs on Cloves I found really doesn’t do them justice. This is a tangible record that unfolds as slowly as a blooming flower and gives off different reactions and feelings with subsequent listens. If you feel you need to unwind or your simply just a fan of ethereal and meditative piano-led compositions then you need to add this masterwork to your collection.
1 Comment
Katherine
8/30/2017 04:46:55 pm
so cool and different. good bedtime music
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