Lisa Hannigan - At Swim
Lauded and celebrated in her native Ireland, and with success in the United States, many of us in the UK still remember Lisa Hannigan as the singer from Damien Rice's band. Harsh, considering she released two critically acclaimed solo albums after her appearance back in 2006 on Rice's album 9. Sea Sew, released in 2008, was a raw and creaky collection of songs recorded in the Irish countryside. Passenger, the 2011 follow-up was a fuller, more rounded affair with lyrics referencing an itinerary of emotional voyages.
Now, five years on, we have At Swim, a moody undulating collection produced in collaboration with The National's Aaron Dressner. It opens with Fall, the rueful start of a journey that frequently references loss and isolation via tracks like Prayer For The Dying and Undertow. But it is also an album that is unmistakably about love, and Hannigan's voice takes on a beauty and a velvety richness that reminds at times of Sharon Van Etten – bewitching and golden, and deliciously moreish. This is an intentionally capricious collection that leads you deep into the forest yet emerges into sunlit clearings ready to bathe you in the warmth and richness of late summer evenings. Gorgeous.
8/10
