Aoife O'Donovan: Age of Apathy
Aoife O’Donovan is a Grammy award-winning artist whose career has spanned twenty some-odd years, and whose musical diversity extends from playing with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma, to appearing on Prairie Home Companion, and even writing music for HBO’s True Blood.
Indeed, diversity seems to be a key component of O’Donovan’s upcoming 11-track release, Age of Apathy. While her Irish heritage and childhood summers peep through the lilting musical arrangements, the descriptive lyrics and phrasing belie her influences of early folk legends Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.
One song, “Galahad,” combines these elements, and incorporates a nod to Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the Victorian poet. The song leads the listener on a watercolor dream journey of unrequited love between a modern dreamer and her legendary, possibly imaginary, complement, chiding him in the end for being too late to act.
Other songs on the album showcase O’Donovan’s ability to fold an unlikely reference into lyrics. “Passengers,” previously sneak-peeked on O’Donovan’s social media, combines astrology, astronomy, and classical mythology references into a fun upbeat tune on the surface. After a couple spins, however, a deeper message about being Passengers in Life begins to emerge.
“B61” is a particular favorite for this listener so far. From the gentle intro to the earthy beat of the chorus, the music and lofty vocals have a timeless James Taylor appeal. The lyrics speak to an old lover, or perhaps a missed connection, a la ‘An Affair to Remember,’ with the last few lines of the song lamenting
How will I know if I’m the last one alive? / For forty one days and as many nights / I’ll be standing where we stood / under an indigo sky / watching flames jump from firewood
O’Donovan’s northeastern background is on display in the title track “Age of Apathy,” with imagery of a New England autumn and the Hudson Valley. The idyllic picture is juxtaposed with the narrator wondering when she and her generation became irreversibly affected - or disaffected - by the trauma of world events, here represented by 9/11.
Aoife O’Donovan’s Irish heritage is apparent in the instrumental arrangements and Gaelic percussion cadences that are felt as much as heard, but this is not off-putting by any means. The record as a whole could be equally at home in Americana, Folk, Adult Contemporary or Light Jazz genres. For this listener, the Age of Apathy album is a treat for both the ear and the mind’s eye and is a highly anticipated release in the most current incarnation of O’Donovan’s already diverse and prolific catalog.
Age of Apathy is set for release on January 21, 2022.
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