duncan ó ceallaigh

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in the same week as [ parvoart ] label ‘boss’ (and tea boy and everything in between) duncan ó ceallaigh released his third EP psalms 4AD band the mountain goats released the life of the world to come, both of which share a somewhat unusual premise – all the tracks on both releases are named after passages in the bible. that’s probably just about where the similarities end however, for while john darnielle bases his songs on “twelve hard lessons the bible taught me, kind of“, ó ceallaigh attempts to convey sentiments expressed in king david’s lyrics in a more elliptical, abstract manner.

the inspiration for this approach comes from an artist outside of the musical idiom that ó ceallaigh has admired for some time – japanese american painter makoto fujimura. almost uniquely, fujimura has tackled religious, and more specifically christian, themes in the visual realm using a blend of abstract expressionism and traditional nihonga styles. “his art, while largely abstract, is never remote or cold. rather, it always brushes against the edge of mystery, inviting us in, asking us to trust that there is order behind chaos, grace behind pain.“ this key inspirational quote about his work became the yardstick to which psalms aspired.

as with ó ceallaigh’s previous releases, careful attention has been given to making the music accessible without needing to be aware of the context – the listener can, and often does, create their own. the concept is designed not as a weighty intellectual exercise but simply as an aid in appreciating the music as the artist intended.