TONY CLAYTON-LEA casts a critical eye over the ten Irish albums that will battle it out to nab the award of Best Album of 2024.
Fontaines D.D. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)FONTAINES D.C.: ROMANCE (XL Recordings)
The creative reach generated over the past five years by Fontaines D.C. has been little short of remarkable: four albums that have witnessed the development (in music terms, almost in real-time) of one of the most interesting and exciting bands to have swooped out of the Irish music scene. Of course, it’s one thing to be prolific, but the band’s quality control matches their output. Romance is an adventurous addition to the band’s catalogue: from woozy psychedelia and chiming guitars to vibrant indie and languorous West Coast pop, the album has already consolidated its status as a stone-cold classic.
Chances of winning: It’s difficult to see any other album on the Choice list beating this. Stranger things have happened, of course. We’ll see. (ODDS: 10/10)
NIAMH REGAN: COME AS YOU ARE (Faction)
A bit of a conundrum is Niamh Regan, as she is one of the few songwriters on the list who proverbially wears her heart on her sleeve. The songs investigate (indeed, interrogate) numerous examples of her lifestyle and personal options in particularly minute detail. Diary-like they may be, but Regan is clever enough (and we mean naturally clever, not smarty-pants clever) to clothe her words in layers of folk, pop, rock, and deft fusions of the same.
Chances of winning: If there was a prize for clear-cut journal entries set to some of the loveliest melodies, then Come as You Are would romp home. Quiet folksy/pop music, however, tends not to win. (ODDS: 8/10)
Kneecap (Photo by B. Cremel/AFP via Getty Images)KNEECAP: FINE ART (Heavenly Recordings)
What a year 2024 was for Belfast’s bilingual hip-hop trio. Just when you thought they couldn’t win another award, along came the gongs thick and fast (including the selection of their self-titled biopic as the Irish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards). The movie is one thing, the album another, but what binds both together is a sense of fun — however divisive that might be — , a political ideology (equally divisive) and a batch of songs that jump around like a jack-in-the-box on particularly tight springs.
Chances of winning: Another genuine contender for the prize. Seconds away – round one! (ODDS: 9/10)
RÓIS: MO LÉAN (Self-Released)
One of the best aspects of the Choice Music Prize is its occasional unearthing of an artist and an album that the majority of people (outside clued-in, avid fans of Irish music) have never heard of before. Fermanagh’s Róis (Rose Connolly) and Mo Léan are perfect examples of what could be filed under ‘Not for Everyone’. The music is a blend of keening, traditional Irish music, sean nós, and electronic soundscapes, while themes of grief and catharsis permeate throughout.
Chances of winning: The album/extended EP will most assuredly not be played during most daily hours of the day by Choice Prize’s main sponsor, but that’s hardly the point. What’s important is that music like this – however one feels about it - deserves its time in the spotlight. That said, if it wins, it will be a tsunami-like surprise. (ODDS: 6/10)
A LAZARUS SOUL: No Flowers Grow in Cement Gardens (Bohemia Records)
A walk along the Royal Canal and the Bog of Allen generated enough ideas and cleared enough brain fog for songwriter Brian Brannigan to fashion a batch of clear-headed songs – part folk, part rock - that blends poignancy and fierce passion with corresponding musical backing.
Chances of winning: There is a growing awareness of A Lazarus Soul being one of the best-kept secrets in contemporary Irish music. The album is terrific, but you won’t hear them on the radio too often, so they’re niche to all but the most curious and/or adventurous music fan. (ODDS: 8/10)
CURTISY: What Was the Question (self-released)
The debut album by Tallaght rapper Curtisy works on more than the usual levels. On the one hand, What Was the Question is an overview of post-Covid resolve, and on the other, it is an acknowledgement that life is always better when doubt, worry and a frantic lifestyle are balanced with joy. Another thing in the album’s favour is its sense of humour, which focuses on the rapper’s suburban environs.
Chances of winning: This is one of the best Irish hip-hop records of 2024, and as such, it deserves to win. Fingers crossed that Curtisy will join the likes of fellow rappers Kojaque and Nealo (and a few others) at the top table. (ODDS: 8/10)
ORLA GARTLAND: EVERYBODY NEEDS A HERO (New Friends Music)
All good things come to those who wait in the wings patiently and politely, and we can only hope that this is the year when Orla Gartland crosses over from “who’s that?” to “wow, she’s brilliant”. Judging by the numerous earworms on her second solo album – but particularly songs as superb as The Hit, Little Chaos, Late to the Party, and Kiss Ur Face Forever – that crossover point won’t be too far away.
Chances of winning: You know we said that it would take a titanium-strength album to beat Fontaines D.C.? Well, this is that album. Listen up. (ODDS: 10/10)
NEWDAD: MADRA (Fair Youth/Atlantic)
It has been said of NewDad’s debut album that mams and dads of a certain age like it because it reminds them of when they were teenagers bopping along to the likes of Ride, Mazzy Star, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, and Curve – all of whom were lumped in with a music subgenre known as ‘shoegaze’ (so named after the musicians’ tendencies to look down onto stage floors rather than engage in eye-to-eye contact with audiences).
Chances of winning: Although there isn’t a bad song to be heard, Madra may be too much in thrall to its influences to sway the judges. (ODDS: 7/10)
SILVERBACKS: EASY BEING A WINNER (Central Tones/Cargo]
Silverbacks’ third album establishes them as no longer newbies on the block but rather a band with a decent back catalogue of late-‘70s/early-‘80s-inspired post-punk music that fans of Television, Talking Heads, and The Fall would easily admire. There is, also, a distinct nod to classic-era Thin Lizzy’s surging multi-guitar attacks (which Silverbacks cutely describe as ‘guitarmonies’) that are very easy on the ear.
Chances of winning: Will the album title help? Maybe! (7/10)
SPRINTS: LETTER TO SELF (City Slang)
Everyone loves the occasional sound of inflamed guitars, fierce guitar riffs, and stabbing guitar solos. It helps, however, when proficient melodies are welded onto the battering, and to say that Sprints’ debut album contains an abundance of all of the aforementioned is a potentially illegal understatement. The songs? Cries of self-purging, actual grinding of teeth, and rejoicing in being alive. Yes, humanity writ large.
Chances of winning: As we said, everyone loves great, loud rock music, and Sprints have delivered exactly that. (ODDS: 8/10)
The RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2024 will be announced live from Vicar Street, Dublin, on RTÉ 2FM, 7pm-11pm on Thursday, March 6th. The show will feature live performances from several of the shortlisted acts. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.ie
See More: Irish Albums, Music
