Gaelic Storm
By Colleen Taylor
Gaelic Storm is able to churn out upbeat, witty albums like some kind of whimsical Irish cotton mill.
I admit I’m indulging my own whimsy with that simile: their latest album on the market is entitled “Matching Sweaters,” a name whose logic I can’t quite understand but when it comes to Gaelic Storm, I don’t think logic has any relevance.
Irony, parody, innuendo, and cheekiness are more appropriate frames of reference for this band.
Their hallmark is the witty, somewhat goofy modern Irish drinking song.
While Gaelic Storm wants their fans to have fun with their albums, they are also able to accomplish a real sophisticated level of wit and irony in their lyrics and plain feel-good melodies in their composition.
You can always count on Gaelic Storm to make you smile.
It’s hard to believe Gaelic Storm has been around for nearly two decades, especially because they don’t seem tired at all.
As energetic as ever, “Matching Sweaters” is arguably their most ambitious album yet.
The band has come a long way from the traditional “Titantic Set” that made them famous in the “Titanic” motion picture.
“Matching Sweaters” bridges a wide array of genres. It starts in Ireland, makes its way to the American South with some bluegrass and country influences, and foregrounds rock and contemporary pop music to boot.
As someone who appreciates the cleverness of language, I am immensely impressed with the lyricization in “Matching Sweaters.”
Original band members and songwriters Patrick Murphy and Steve Twigger indulge some self-conscious cultural parody with the opening track “Another Stupid Drinking Song.”
The chorus line “You know you’re in the middle of an Irish drinking song” is wonderfully meta and satiric.
Anyone who has spent a night out in Galway will be laughing out loud with “Girls’ Night In Galway.”
Murphy and Twigger evoke the spectacle of the lads on one side of the pub and ladies on the other, and the mayhem that unfolds.
Gaelic Storm is able to maintain the balance of poking fun at Irish culture and celebrating it at the same time—they never tip over into over-satirizing, or deification for that matter.
Their songs demonstrate Irish pride while not taking that pride too seriously.
It’s a fine line, but Gaelic Storm stays squarely on it.
“Matching Sweaters” is measuring up to be one of my favorite Gaelic Storm albums yet, and that’s not owing to the lyrics alone.
Their traditional sets sound even better than I remember.
They’re more exploratory as well, involving some new bluegrass and roots influences that add a real flare to their traditional music.
The song “If You’ve Got Time” sounds more like Johnny Cash than the Clancy Brothers. In fact, it even features a trombone and some harmonies that remind me of the Beach Boys.
They have gone full-blown American melting pot with this song and a few others like “Whiskeyed Up and Womaned Out” and “Six of One.”
“Narwhaling Cheesehead,” on the other hand, ventures into Scotland with some bagpipe sets.
This musical multiculturalism might be owing to the fact that Gaelic Storm is aiming to branch out from the Irish-American sector.
Of course, they’ll always be steadfast figures at Irish music festivals, especially in the Midwest, but at this point in their career, the band wants to reach out to new markets as well. They are playing bluegrass festivals, rock festivals, and country festivals to introduce themselves to new communities of music fans.
But don’t get me wrong—this album is Irish at its core and in its lineage.
Murphy and Twigger explain that the inspiration for a number of their original songs came from absurdities they uncovered in Irish history and everyday life.
The songs incorporate the textures of conversations overheard in pubs today as well as allude to strange anecdotes handed down over the centuries.
For instance, the song “The Rustling Goat Gang,” which sounds entirely made up, is not. It recounts an article the songwriters uncovered about an actual goat herd that went missing in Waterford.
Irish history has a place in Gaelic Storm’s community of influences.
It seems I’m not the only one enjoying “Matching Sweaters.”
iTunes chose the album as one of its “Best of World Music” records for 2015.
Considering the competition (the rest of the world), that is no small accomplishment.
Despite the hard efforts that clearly went into the making of “Matching Sweaters,” Gaelic Storm is still going nonstop.
They’re gigging across the country this Spring and even hinting at another album in the works.
In fact, the band will be making their way to the East Coast in just a month’s time.
Gaelic Storm will be at New York’s Gramercy Theatre on April 28th and Tarrytown Music Hall on May 7th.
They will be stopping off in Connecticut and New Jersey along the road as well. Find out about tickets and get your matching sweater at gaelicstorm.com.
