Review:'Bring Your Own Hammer Presents' 'My Grief On The Sea'
- Label: 'Dimple Discs/Bring Your Own Hammer'
- Genre: 'Blues'
- Release Date: '6.6.25.'
Our Rating:
My Grief On The sea is a new project about Irish emigration and immigration put together by Bring Your Own Hammer and Dimple Disc with Dr Richard McMahon curating the project alongside Dr Niall Whelehan with a focus on 19th century migration stories being re-interpreted from historical records, letters and books, the project is dedicated to the memory of Cathal Coughlan who lost his long battle with cancer after recording his contribution for this record.
The album opens with the rather downbeat slow thoughtful My Grief On The Sea sung by Michelle O'Rourke a lament for a lost love, one who was lost at sea, the super sparse keyboards allow Michelle's vocals to pour out her emotions for that loved one whose left to go to America.
Golden Streets, Bitter Tears is by Adrian Crowley and Brigid Mae Power has a hushed reverence to this tale of perdition and suffering Adrian hopes to relieve by leaving home for pastures new.
A Pair of Packed Valises (Before The Dunbrody) 1849 by Carol Keogh has dream like qualities, memories of the journey those valises were part of unfolds, wistful regrets, pulsed sounds and a mixture of hope for the future and regret for the past.
Old Oak Road by Mike Smalle with Cathal Coughlan and Jah Wobble is full of imprecations to follow that Old Oak Road that has similar magical qualities to the Yellow Brick Road, in that it is a one way only, once you've gone down that road you won't be coming back home again. Beautiful instrumentation and close harmonies make clear you’ll never reach home again.
The Man With Open Arms by the late great Cathal Coughlan and Linda Buckley is about that rarest of friend the one that welcomes you with open arms rather than opprobrium and distrust, Cathal carefully enunciates this sad tale of surviving contagion in the hope for a better life.
The Female Cabin Boy By Eileen Gogan and Neil Farrell is a tale of needing to be a drag king to get a job as Cabin Boy that will allow you to escape famine, finding a way towards a life worth living on the high seas, before she becomes a maid on shore, her captain just wants her back to help him, once more lost in love with that Female cabin Boy he is.
Embarkation (Float Away) by Agu and Tony Higgins has joined a boat sailing towards Liverpool and beyond, the ambient sea scape threatens to engulf them, they float away from the pain and sorrow at home.
Over The Ghosts by Mike Smalle and Wally Nkikita is rather lush trumpets and strings elegiacally taking them to Baltimore a city that will allow them to exorcize their ghosts along the wharves.
The Oscillating Sea by Mike Smalle feels like a far calmer voyage than the title might suggest, the ship is slowly sailing through thick fog hoping to emerge into the clear, before they find land or other ships.
The album closes with The Weight Of Water by Michael J Sheehy sparkling strummed acoustic guitars, that Michael narrates this last sad lament over, hoping to find happiness by the close of day, the sea's power to turn your tatters into fine threads if luck is on your side.
Find out more at https://bringyourownhammerpresents.bandcamp.com/album/my-grief-on-the-sea https://ffm.to/byohammer https://byohammer.com/
