Mis-Showbusiness

Dacianos is a moniker for a languid and loose line-up who base their work on subtle piano and acoustic arrangements.

Opener 'Muse' sets the tone of swirling violins and tingling pianos that eerily accompany Barry Kavanagh's impassioned vocals. There is a lovely live session feel to these recordings, perfectly befitting their spontaneous and open approach to using musicians and broadening the canvas of their compositions.

'Never Going Home' is awash with sharp, strong strumming and lead vocals from guitarist Darragh O'Grady. John McMahon's understated piano perfectly compliments O'Grady and Eamon O'hAinin's strident chords. It all gels to form a mysteriously archaic and bizarrely familiar little ballad.

'Underwater' sees the Dacianos expand to a quintet (or sextet if you include the underwater sound courtesy of Dr. Jon C. Goold from the Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Wales!). The sea effects are in no way a gratuitous sound bed, and beautiful embellish Dacianos' deep and dreamy sound. "The value of this world is in dreams", intones Kavanagh on the gently lilting 'Dreams', and on Mis-Showbusiness, the listener has all the pleasure of sharing them.