Joy Shannon is one of those rare artists unafraid to explore the unusual. Paired with her band, The Beauty Marks, the Irish multi-instrumentalist has carved out a unique niche for herself over six albums and the latest effort, ‘Mo Anam Cara’ is a subtle, frequently beautiful piece of work that draws upon her skills as a cellist and harp player not to mention her exquisite, soulful voice. A step into the album is a step into the unknown, where the plaintive tones of traditional folk meet abrasive guitar textures and combine to conjure up images of a lush, yet desolate, homeland swept by the wind and threatened by the looming onset of modernity.
‘Mo Anam Cara’ is not an immediate album by any means. For those interested in genres it’s classified in the press sheet as Celtic Pagan Folk, although such a description does little to describe the wonderfully diverse music within. Opening with ‘the winds of hel’, the album builds slowly with layers of cello and Celtic harp underpinning Joy’s beautiful and delicately layered vocal. It could be a piece of classical music only for a discordant guitar to appear amidst the scenes of tranquillity and things take a turn for the sinister. Like Ancient Vvisdom, the cruelly distorted guitars are used to add depth and texture with acoustic instruments very much leading the way and by the time the song has concluded you’ll be utterly bewitched by Joy’s gorgeous vocalisations. Perhaps the nearest comparison might be the similarly atmospheric music of former-Swans singer Jarboe who has a similar ability to weave a gossamer fine yet potentially deadly web around the listener. ‘Samhain’ opens in a disturbing minor key, Joy’s voice ringing out from the darkness only for a range of harmonies to be introduced as the piece progresses deeper into blackened forest of Joy’s imagination. The music is deeply atmospheric, conjuring unbidden images and complex emotions, the subtlety of the music belying its depth and perhaps the best way to consider this music is not in terms of loose genre specifications but as the soundtrack to an unwritten film exploring the darker recesses of Lothlorien. ‘Midwinter Ghost’ is a delicate lament that becomes increasingly deep as the guitars rise from the base of the mix like an evil mist, slowly obscuring the beauty and introducing an air of uncertainty. Its successor, the brief invocation ‘Imbolc Invocation to Brighid’ is similarly grounded in a sense of mystery whilst ‘Ostara Blodeuwedd’ has a lush pastoral feel that is somewhere between the World of Skin project and Sigur Ros.
With the music passing down the road less travelled, the feel of the album remains in the realms of the soundtrack so evocative is the music and ‘the fires of Beltaine’ is a haunting lament that once again utilises a subtle drone to underpin the superficial beauty of the music and introduce an undercurrent of deep melancholy. ‘Midsummer Witch Hunt’, dealing with a subject that still conjures feelings of dread and loathing within the pagan world, is dark and earthy and recalls Nick Cave with its ominous and threatening message of guilt and oppression. ‘Lughnasdh Maeve (the one who intoxicates)’ is no less sinister as it threatens to enrapture the listener with its pagan charms whilst a buzzsaw guitar harries the nerve-endings deep within the heart of the otherwise lovely music. Soft and sad, ‘Finuilas’ steps away from the fevered darkness of the previous two tracks and takes the form of a broken-hearted ballad recalling the tragic sense of loss that so consumed Ophelia and then the album draws to a close with ‘Mabon Airmid (bring back the dead)’, a quiet summoning of lost and loved ones that never fails to break the heart.
Joy Shannon and the Beauty Marks make music out of time and out of style. There is nothing beyond the simple beauty and complex web of emotions to be found in these rich and detailed songs and, for that reason, ‘Mo Anam Cara’ is an album that will be sought out by those who have the interest and desire so to do and largely overlooked by those whose love of music is nothing more than a superficial appreciation of whatever is popular of the moment. From the opening notes to the closing bars it is clear that Joy Shannon makes music first and foremost for herself, and the result is an album that is beautiful, personal and magical. There is darkness and beauty here alongside love, lust and vengeance and the album takes the listener on a journey that is fraught with danger and mystery and which is all the better for it. If you enjoy exploring the wonderful world of music for its deepest and most hidden treasures, then ‘Mo Anam Cara’ is an album you should track down at all costs. Mysterious, tragic, beautiful and bold, it defies categorisation and offers a rare glimpse into an otherwise lost world.
