THE DARK DANCE

Irish duo TIR NA NOG came to prominence as a part of the Irish folk revival in the late '60s, and during some hectic years in the early '70s they established themselves as a popular and influential band as recording artists as well as a live band, opening for artists such as Jethro Tull and ELP in a hectic and ongoing tour schedule, and also developing their material to a more progressive rock oriented sound along the way. Some time after their third album "Strong in the Sun", released in 1973, the project disbanded. While they would reform occasionally, it wasn't until a few years ago that the band decided to reform as an ongoing venture again. "The Dark Dance" is their first studio album since that event took place, and was self-released by the band in 2015.

A new studio album by Tir Na Nog is an event. Perhaps first and foremost for those with an interest in folk music and progressive folk music, but any band with a certain status '70s that release an album after a 42-year long pause from releasing new material will cause an interest from this as an event in itself. In this case it is a successful album as I regard it, with one half catering for those with an interest in the more advanced material of the band and one half with a stronger focus on the more purebred folk material, both sides coming across as well worked out and with a sustainable quality to boot. An album well worth checking out by those with an interest in the folk music-oriented part of the progressive rock universe.

In Irish mythology and Scottish mythology, Tír na nÓg ("Land of the Young") is one of the names for the Celtic Otherworld. It is also the name of a somewhat mythical Irish folk band formed in 1969 by Leo O'Kelly and Sonny Condell, who were received huge critical acclaim for their three studio albums before calling it a day in 1974. Over the years they have continued to perform sporadically, and a new generation of fans discovered their original albums, plus some new live and demo collections. But in 2015 the unthinkable happened, O'Kelly and Condell released their first new studio album as a duo in more than 40 years.

A short three years later and I am playing it, and then comparing it back to their debut from 1971. They may have mellowed slightly, and have a warmer sound, but there is no doubting that this is a direct continuation from their earlier works. They were rightly seen as one of the most important bands coming out of the folk scene, alongside contemporaries Incredible String Band and Fairport Convention, and here show that they have lost none of their desire for experimentation as they happily sit between folk and prog folk, and fans of either genre would find this to be indispensable. Throwaway numbers such as the whimsical "I Pick Up Birds At Funerals" sit happily alongside the more forceful "Ricochet", resulting in the important question of "Why haven't you been releasing more albums in the last forty plus years??!!" They may have taken far too long to get back into the studio, but they have come back with something which is an absolute delight that is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of listeners.