Irish Roundup

Happy St. Patty’s Day!  Otherwise known as the day everyone is just a little bit Irish.  I don’t think my last name could be any more English rather than Irish, but I’d like to believe that it’s possible I have some very distant Irish relatives.  Anyway, the main purpose of the day is to celebrate Irish culture (and drink, in some cases).  I’ve rounded up some good Irish music to listen to over at Jamendo.com.

• I Am Not Lefthanded – Time To Leave – Doesn’t really “sound” Irish but still tagged as such.
• Crete Boom – Them Bones Need Oxygen – The group is from Ireland, and has a predominant blues sound, but there are hints of Irish roots that peek through. “A Guide to Olde English” includes audio from a famous Simpsons Halloween special.  I’m not sure why it’s there, though.
• Aislinn – Aislinn – A band from France that creates a traditional Irish sound; this is what you expect when you think of “Irish music”.
• 9Lies – Behind it All – Group from Belfast with a solid EP full of rock. It sounds good and is easy to listen to. It’s more of a pop rock sound, actually.
• Tony Bardon – The Lake of Innisfree – Beautifully rendition of WB Yeats’ poem; it may not be upbeat and contain numerous fiddles, but it is definitely an Irish song.
• Christopher Nolte – The Rocky Road – I was skeptical when I clicked on this – a German singing Irish folk songs? But I was pleasantly surprised. These are definitely in the traditional Irish style, and well-sung. Check it out for sure.
• Aqua Bucket – Aqua Bucket – The tags list this as “metal, punk, nonsense, nerdcore, and irish”. I believe only two of those tags apply (Irish and punk). Good stuff – and you can hear the Irish accent in the lead singer’s voice. Good guitar work, too.
• Shadow Era – Death Country EP – If there is one item on this list that is almost the complete opposite of traditional Irish music, this is it. It’s a three-minute heavy metal track from a group out of Belfast.
• Dublin Duck – Yykes Basket – Interesting sound to this one. It’s also tagged as “psychedelic” and “children”…Not entirely sure how that works, but I did enjoy the music.

PS I greatly enjoy that the term “Irish diaspora” is used in the Wikipedia article for St. Patrick’s Day.