1. Secrets and Lies
2. Marta’s Always Going Home
3. Back to You
4. Godspeed
5. Darling Please
6. Leaving What You Know
7. Only My Frown
8. Show Me the Woman
9. Deep Blue Sea
10. Into Your Sun
Nuclear Family is a sophomore album by Steafán Hanvey who is a singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland. It is filled with beautiful arrangements and quirky sound effects which are evident in the opening track Secrets and Lies and moving onward. He has a definitive folk voice. His lyrics are introspective and full of social commentaries. They are also biographical in nature.
I love his way of composing melodies. His songs remind me a bit of Scottish band Travis. But his solo career goes all the way back. He doesn’t release albums often. The stretch between albums can take years. He came from a family with strong background in traditional Irish music.
The involvement of several talents are reasons enough to pick up Nuclear Family. These the guest appearances by Liam Ó Maonolaí [Hothouse Flowers], Bertrand Belin & again the Papenfus brothers, Carl & Ken of Relish.
Songs in this albums teeter between the soft and the draconian. In Goodspeed, the track is littered with almost UFO sounds and also the huge drum attack. Same thing happens to the next song Darling Please. I also love the string arrangements because they make the Nuclear Family sound cinematic. There are heartfelt moments as in the case of Only My Frown. The instruments are superb! This is an album your would definitely like to listen to as you stare at the ceiling and let the time pass by.
He is touring New York so you might catch him when he is nearby. Great guy. Great tunes and fantastic album!
Buy the CD or MP3s on Amazon
Buy the album on iTunes
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