The biography and the info sheets that came across with this record alone were more interesting and entertaining than 50% of the records that ever hit my desk for reviewing purposes. I don’t care whether the things Declan de Barra writes about himself are true or not. We all should have the freedom to write our own biographies anyway. But what he writes marks him as a real poet, a poet whose poetry is life itself.
You can hear some of his Irish upbringing in his music but also the road, the away-from-home. His voice reminds me of Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons sometimes. Declan is able to produce almost the same ethereal aura yet lacks the overall brokenness. Not to say his music would be positive or happy or something it just is a little less fragile. While Antony Hegarty’s music is a flower that could only bloom under the protection of the city that of Declan de Barra could fight a pack of wolves in the wilderness.
The beautiful artwork and extraordinary format of the cover sleeve complete the impression of a record that everyone who is into all this rather freakish folk stuff should at least give a try.
[jan]
www.declandebarra.com
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