Lankum – False Lankum (2xLP)

Anyone who has ever been to a Lankum gig knows the energy this band can generate. The unmistakable drone sound that runs through their work, as on their best-known tracks "The Wild Rover" (from "The Livelong Day," 2019) and "What Will We Do When We Have No Money" ("Between the Earth and Sky," 2017) has the power to pull the rug out from under you, creating a unique sound in the process.

"The Livelong Day" was the album that broke Lankum out of the pigeonhole of traditional Irish folk music. It paved the way for both media and commercial success, earning them the RTE Choice Music Prize in 2019 and leading to their shows at Dublin's venerable Vicar Street concert hall selling out in just 20 minutes. The new music also brings new voices and this is the first time that Cormac Dermody sings an entire song on a Lankum album.

Combined with his special pitch, he creates a poetic power that enriches the sound of Lankum. "False Lankum" moves the bands into the unknown, an album driven by the wild and often strange beauty of pain and joy, of heaven and hell. It is equally an album of contradictions and unison, and certainly one of the most exciting productions to come out of Ireland in recent times. Only those who dare boldly will win hearts - "False Lankum" is the key.

Reviews

"...oppressive moods. As a listener, you resist them - and then succumb to them in the end." (STEREO, May 2023)