“Daithi – Embrace E.P.
I first came across Daithi (I’m reasonably ashamed to say) on The All-Ireland Talent Show. He did stand out for me however in one important respect: he had talent. He came out with just his fiddle and repeaters and created music that was genuinely new and exciting. He has, as such, been a name I’ve kept an eye for since.
And now, having served his time on the local indie scene, the Galwegian has come out with his debut E.P. Embrace.
Despite what you may think given his instrument of choice (although he has added a keyboard into the mix) the sound he comes out with has more of an electro feel than a traditional one. Even on the tracks which have a trad based, title-track ‘Embrace’ for example, it’s trad in a manner you’ve never heard before. New-age traditional, if you’ll excuse the oxymoron.
The fiddle sounds are perfectly layered over the span of the E.P. to create seven very original tracks. In fact, on many of the tracks, you’ll hardly even know that he’s playing the fiddle. For example, ‘Sleep Like a Stone’, probably standout track on the E.P., sounds more like Dan Deacon than anything traditional.
Those of you looking for profound lyrics should look elsewhere as this is an instrumental fare save a spoken word story over the last track, ‘The Dog’. Perhaps it could do with some as it needs something extra to save it from the two stools of atmospheric and uplifting between which it occasionally falls.
Ultimately though, it is a strong debut. The sounds are unique and are layered with rare invention. There is no undoubted talent here with brilliance seemingly bubbling below the surface. Let’s hope there’s bigger and better to come.”