Eamonn Hehir: The Flag Listeners

This is just the second album in over a decade from the Limerick musician and former frontman of highly-rated ‘80s outfit Toucandance. The Flag Listeners blends a heady mix of guitar pop, dreamy soundscapes and poetic lyrics. A multi-instrumentalist – he plays guitars, banjo, keyboards and drums – Hehir has a way with a soaring melody. ‘The Angel’s Share’, for example, wouldn’t sound out of place on a Lightning Seeds record. Meanwhile textured ballads such as ‘Dry Land’ and ‘That Cold Year’ weave their way into the consciousness coming across like Van Morrison-meets-Prefab Sprout. Elsewhere, the low-key ‘Almost Drowning’ boasts a lovely keening melody and a sound that recalls ‘70s notables such as Al Stewart and Roy Harper. Some of the songs – ‘Gigs & Funerals’ and ‘Restless Kind’ for instance – are a tad over-arranged and could do with less instrumental adornment. Overall, though, this is a worthy collection.