Songwriter Eoin Glackin is best known for his song (not included here) about the death of Brian Murphy after a street-fight. Many of the songs on this, his promising debut, are similarly inspired by real-life events and his reflections on this bad world, including his native Dublin. ‘Wild Liffey Tune’ is a case in point, name-checking the Customs House, and decorated with a low whistle. ‘Carlisle Bridge’ is a fine evocation of the town too, referencing the smells of Samson’s Lane and the holes in the GPO. The observant ‘Heart of Heart’ describes a town (London?) as a “hollow hole” where he fears “the Muslims talking on the train”, while the doomy ‘Barabbas Walked Free’ uses the crucifixion story to castigate the world, and a lover’s ribs are imaginatively compared to the rosary in ‘Nothing New (To You)’.
Musically, Glackin is not as inventive, ploughing the stylistic furrow worn by Springsteen (especially the exuberant ‘Young Man’s Beat’ and ‘Carlisle Bridge’). ‘Hello Caroline’ is straight out of The Waterboys’ canon, and the lengthy, anthemic ‘Carlisle Bridge’ could be a U2 outtake. The production (by Ian Grimble of Manics and Travis fame), the musicianship, and Glackin’s commanding vocals are impeccable, but a musical risk or two would not have gone amiss, and the absence of a track listing doesn’t help.
KEY TRACK: WILD LIFFEY TUNE