Description

The direction of a follow-up album can often be a hard thing to predict, and Clann Zú's second effort is no exception. Being the bastard child of cinematic instrumentalism (à la GY!BE or Rachel’s), electronic pop (à la Radiohead), and even celtic folk (à la Afro Celts), it was anybody's guess where we'd end up with these Irish/Australian innovators' second album, Black Coats & Bandages. Pools were formed, bets were hedged ... and we all lost.

Recorded over two weeks in Melbourne's Newmarket Studios in a completely analogue setting, Black Coats & Bandages ventures deepest into the territory explored least on their debut album, Rua - dark, funereal instrumentation and haunting, depressive melodies. In contrast to the layered recording of Rua, the stripped-down production, sparse composition, and lack of overdubs make Black Coats & Bandages truer to the live dynamic of the band.

Also gone is the traditional Irish and folk flavour of Rua; in its place, a heavier presence of the Irish language, including two songs sung entirely in Irish. Lyrically, vocalist Declan de Barra once again brings us devastating hopelessness, but also strident defiance. Exploring imperialism, war, and dispossession (There Will Be No Morning Copy, From Bethlehem To Jenin), the criminality of the Church and Theocracy (From An Unholy Height, Án Deireadh Scéal), and deeply personal anguish and affliction (One Bedroom Apartment, So Complicated Was the Fall). The title track itself speaks volumes to the feel and even the look of the record (Declan's artwork for the record was inspired by the Mexican 'Day of the Dead'). "The song Black Coats and Bandages is based on mental notes from a funeral procession and the surreal air around it," says De Barra. "Death past and present, hope and hopelessness. Degradation in present tense." Yikes.

Although drama can often be a simile for pretension, Clann Zú execute it genuinely and gracefully, managing to create a record that is both brutally honest and punishingly beautiful. If you believe that an abstract idea like "beauty" can actually punish you, that is. We'll leave this one up to you!