Our Record Of The Week this week is a reissue of a 1982 album, originally released on Bruce Gilbert & Graham Lewis of Wire’s Dome label, from a world-wandering, eccentric Irish busker named Michael O'Shea (1947-1991).
It was the only album he ever made, and it's a unique masterpiece. On it he conjures gorgeous experimental drone-folk from a homemade, hybrid electric dulcimer-zelochord-sitar of his own design (it had 17 strings, played with chopsticks).
Celtic, North African and Asian folk musics (and more) are filtered through O'Shea's special DIY improv/electronic instrumental aesthetic... just lovely! Worth the price of admission for the first side's fifteen minute "No Journeys End" alone, a hypnotizing track of gentle but percussive melody, wreathed in echo.
It's certainly cause for celebration that this has just been remastered and reissued on vinyl for the first time by Dublin record shop/label All City, via their Allchival sub-label.
Although, if you can find the out-of-print Michael O'Shea collection put out on cd by WMO in 2001, it includes a few extra tracks not on the original (or reissued) vinyl. It's a bit pricey on Discogs, however (twice what this LP will cost ya).
I see it's also been reissued on CD by Allchival, yay: https://www.discogs.com/Michael-OShea-Michael-OShea/release/13688018
ReplyDeleteNo bonus tracks included, though.