The Best Irish Albums, 1999 to 2009
As voted by the CLUAS Writers
30: Tycho Brahe
'This is the Tycho Brahe'
(2003)
Circa 2002, the Irish music scene seemed to be divided into two main factions. There was the cult of the Ginger One locking themselves into Whelan's and being sensitive and tuneless and the knee jerk reaction to that, a smattering of abortive garage rawk bands who wanted you to believe they were already in the throes of heroin addiction and mental breakdown. Probably. Well, that's the way I remember it anyway, I'd lost interest and too busy being anoraky and getting enthusiastic about Schneider TM records or something to notice. In the middle of this, one Irish band managed to capture my imagination, the Tycho Brahe (later renamed Tychonaut) who seemed to take path that followed neither extreme really. I guess that's because it was a path at least two thirds of the Tycho Brahe had been following as The Plague Monkeys years earlier. "This is..." retained many of the elements that made the Plague Monkeys great, mainly Carol Keogh's sublime voice and a certain bookish charm, but it was more playful in nature. The most striking thing about this album is how unforced and unaffected it sounds - beautiful and intelligent as it is unpretentious. It's a shame it flies by in a mere forty minutes. Binokular
29:
U2
'How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb' (read
the original CLUAS review of this album)
(2004)
28: Gemma Hayes
'Night on my Side' (read
the original CLUAS review of this album)
(2002)
Long before MGMT's debut offering went global last year, the David Fridmann effect once had an eye-opening Irish twist. With Fridmann on production duties for her debut album Night On My Side, Hayes emerged as one of the last great No Disco-introduced Irish artists. From the hazy acoustica of 'Back Of My Hand' to the Whipping Boy-esque frenzied rock of 'Let A Good Thing Go' via impossible-not-to-like lead-single 'Hanging Around', Hayes presents a polarised range of dabblings in personal pop, alt-country, and even shoegaze-rock in the case of 'Tear in My Side'. Although Hayes pursues a self-absorbed approach to the lyrics throughout, she succeeds in doing so in a non-whiney fashion, where many have failed. In fact, the raw and masculine edge in many of the songs balances with the introverted and feminine aspects of the album to give it the universal appeal that many albums from the singer/songwriter sorority lack. A modern Irish classic. Ronan Lawlor
27: Wilt
'Bastinado'
(2000)
Rising from the grunge-tinged ashes of Kerbdog, Wilt adopted a more pop-friendly guise in 2000 with the release of debut album, 'Bastinado'. (Interestingly, the album takes its name from a form of torture which involves foot whipping; a warning to potential detractors, perhaps?) The album has several melodic singles replete with tight vocal harmonies. 'It's all over now' and 'No worries' are two of the catchiest and enjoyed considerable radio play on Phantom FM back in the day. Proving they weren't a one trick up-tempo pony, Wilt also admirably tackled acoustic ballads with songs such as 'Open Arms' and 'Goodnight', leading to a well balanced album that more than holds up to repeated listening. Máire Robinson
26: Ten Speed Racer
'10 S R'
(2003)
Ten Speed Racer imploded too soon. When I interviewed the band's former guitarist Pat Barrett earlier this year for this site, he said the band decided to knock things on the head, as they were, in his words, 'tired'. It was a curiously prosaic reason to bring the band to a halt as things were just beginning to get interesting. They first came to my attention with the 'Girls and Magazines' EP, a lovely, bittersweet collection of guitar-based indie-pop that spoke of great things to come. And The Great Thing did come, in the shape of '10 S R' in 2003 - an album of rollicking, propulsive rock songs and slower, pensive mid-tempo tracks like 'Overcast' and the utterly gorgeous 'Fifteen' - their finest moment. Incidentally, the band's guitarist Joe Chester's debut album 'A Murder Of Crows' also made the top fifty while Pat's beguiling debut from last year 'Never Leave Anywhere', which he recorded under the moniker The Hedge Schools, should have made it in there, too. And then there was the excellent Dae Kim formed by the band's drummer, Terry Cullen. Come to think of it, a band with so many talented individuals on board had no chance of any sort of longevity so '10 S R' is one hell of a legacy to leave behind. Ken Fallon
25:
The Divine Comedy'Regeneration' (read
the original CLUAS review of this album)
(2001)
An apt title, Regeneration represented a stripping down of the Neil Hannon sound
– no room for 100 musicians here. What was left was a lovely selection of songs.
Lost Property is simply delightful (think melody by Air and vocals by
Thom Yorke).
Note to Self and Love What You Do are up there with the best the band ever
produced, but the sombre sound didn't appeal to listeners used to bombast and
catchiness. It was a commercial failure and, soon after, the band announced a
split. Which was a terrible shame as this album rewards a little devotion.
Stephen McNulty
24: Fight Like Apes
'Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion' (read
the original CLUAS review of this album)
(2008)
Much was expected of this album and it didn't disappoint. Although anyone with an ear to the Irish music scene will already have been familiar with many of the songs from previous releases, they were polished up and given a new lease of life for the Ape's debut release. "Give me my hook" screams May Kay on Something Global and indeed there's no shortage of hooks and catchy sing-along choruses on an album of delightfully off kilter pop/rock. There's more than a hint of Pavement with FLA, particularly with the enjoyably daft lyrics which veer from name checking Simple Kid and Yo La Tengo to barking mad rants about Humpty Dumpty and Little Bo Peep getting fired. An assured debut from a class act. Paul Brosnan
23: JJ72
'JJ72'
(2000)
For whatever reason , there was a lot of people who never liked JJ72. Maybe it was because it seemed a bit rich (if you pardon the pun), for the privileged boys and girl of Belvedere to be speaking of despair and isolation. Maybe it was because they were a little too pretty and arrogant. Maybe, just maybe, it was because their singer, Mark Greaney sounded a bit like a girl. But look beyond that, and what you'll find here is a bunch of songs, begging, nay screaming for attention. It's not a perfect album by any means, their youthful naiveté would attest to it. Yet listening to the melody of October Swimmer, the power of Long way South, the demented beauty of Oxygen, all delivered with Greaney's impassioned, if yes, quite girly delivery, it's hard to deny this band had something special. And whatever about inflicting upon us the travesty that is Concerto for Constantine, you've got to credit him for that. Mark Townsend
22: Lisa Hannigan
'Sea Sew'
(2008)
Sea Sew is the lovely debut album from Lisa Hannigan, which saw a highly anticipated release in September 2008. Famed for her collaborations with Damien Rice, this is an album that is entirely her own. Showcasing her instantly recognisable voice, the songs are relaxed and beautifully crafted with a definite eye on the overall feel of the album. "Ocean and a Rock" opens to make way for a strong set of multi-instrumental opening tracks and plenty of recurring references to the sea. Later come two other standouts, the lyrically memorable "I Don't Know" and pretty acoustic number "Lille". Given the homogeneity of the tracks on this album, it inspires some curiosity on what to expect from a follow-up - more of the same? Regardless, it is a polished and promising start. Christine Cooke
21: Simple Kid
'SK1'
(2003)
Following the demise of his former group, the glam rock styled Young Offenders; Cork's Kieran MacFeely withdrew from music for a period of reassessment. He later re-emerged as Simple Kid armed with a superior sound and a collection of versatile and enchanting songs. His debut album SK1 showcased a new musical depth, impressive production and a penchant for smart, well-crafted lyrics. A prime example of MacFeely's new found lyrical prowess can be found on the track 'The Average Man' in which he explores some of the realities of modern living. In fact, SK1 is heavily laden with moments of subtle pop genius such as the tracks 'Truck On', 'Staring At The Sun' and 'Drugs'. Without a doubt, SK1 remains a classic Irish debut record. Mark McAvoy
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