lullahush - Ithaca

A Closer Listen

Traditional Irish folk music has withstood the test of time. Its origins predate written records, and many of the basics of the genre’s form have remained since before the 17th century. Some aspects have changed to accommodate evolving audiences and tastes, i.e. The Clancy Brothers and Flogging Molly, but the heart of the music’s heritage lives on. Daniel McIntyre, also known as lullahush, gives traditional Irish music its most innovative update yet. The artist takes a headfirst plunge into the bracing waters of Galway Bay with his new album Ithaca, which keeps the historical soul of Irish folk music intact while adding a contemporary electronic twist. 

The lead single, “Maggie na bhFlaitheas” (Maggie of the Heavens) rehomes the tune of a classic Irish reel, setting tin whistle against a backdrop of electronic rhythms. The fast-paced reel, a form originally meant to accompany an equally fast-paced dance, is in this case interjected with field recordings of several happy voices talking and cheering in celebration. The vigorous beats die down just enough to make out a more somber voice reciting a prayer about “the source of life,” but they promptly kick back in full-force as if to say, “enough of that, back to the party” – like an Irish wake (perhaps Maggie’s). Accompaniment again cuts out towards the very end, allowing a solo flutist to bring the tune home. At this point, the single voice is heard loud and clear as it concludes the blessing: “the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.” 

“An Droghneán Donn” (The Blackthorn Bush) and “Jimmy an Chladaigh” (Jimmy of the Shore) are both elegiac love songs with female vocals that falter, sway, and bend in lovely and unexpected ways with electronic manipulation. The first is a traditional ballad sung in the Irish language, and the other a new composition in English. “Maija an Uisce” (Maija of the Water) features the same vocalist from Jimmy an Chladaigh, Maija Sofia. This time, she gives an impressively succinct yet informative lesson on how water ties into ancient Irish history. Light and mellifluous percussion underpins Sofia’s spoken words, giving life to descriptions of sparkling rivers and waterfalls.

Irish culture has long been steeped in dualism. This album depicts how the playful can accompany the gravely serious, the ways in which traditions established hundreds of years ago can seamlessly blend with new music technology, and a feeling of national belonging that doesn’t contradict globalization. Daniel McIntyre, who was born and raised in Ireland, now resides in Athens (hence the album’s title) due to the housing crisis in his home country. Of course, Irish people have quite a long history of leaving Ireland due to poor economic conditions. Circumstances have changed drastically since the beginning of the Irish diaspora, but Ithaca illustrates how the country’s people, even spanning generations and spread across the globe, remain more united than divided through their shared heritage and enduring communal spirit. (Maya Merberg)