One of the most vital forces in modern Irish music releases a fantastic solo album. Out Friday the 13th of November on Rough Trade Records.
We will never forget our introduction to Lankum. Having heard multiple reviewers wax lyrical we searched them up on YouTube and clicked on the first thing that came up, ‘Go Dig My Grave.’ It was a massive TV and both the sound and images were extraordinary. Hairs were literally standing up on backs of necks. This was art at its highest level. False Lankum was an incredible creation. We bought a ticket to the next show they were doing in the area and that was even more amazing than we could have expected. They might just be the best band on the planet. Amongst all this the vocals of Radie Peat always stood out as one of the most exceptional elements, though are used quite sparingly throughout their work. It always left you wondering why they didn’t use that resource more, this solo outing gives you all the pros and cons of that what if.
Radie Peat joined Irish doom-folk outfit Lankum in 2013. A group of Irish folk-music geniuses, who have grown more outlandish with every offering, culminating in False Lankum in 2023. They are close to competing a new album but Peat is a workaholic and never sits still. She also produces music through side projects ØXN and Rue. She has guested on a number of tracks, including one on each of Kneecap’s last two albums.
No Human Tongue Can Tell will not seem alien to anyone familiar with her other output. The strongly intense, emotional vocals are there, aligned to a range of traditional Irish and other folk tunes reimagined. The packaging varies greatly. Many are deceptive in seeming simple, whilst actually being heavily layered. ‘Hares On The Mountain’ is a traditional American ballad that puts Peat’s voice out front and centre. ‘The Moon And Stars’ is based on a track that goes all the way back to 1684. Despite traditional instrumentation there is something incredibly modern about it all, like Radiohead had made a folk record. Over its near seven minute run time it takes you on quite the journey. Peat is an impressive multi-instrumentalist and plays most of the music on these songs. There is a short support role-call beyond her own talents.
The tracks she has curated here, all repurposed older love songs, have in common strong female characters. ‘Willow Garden’ is a murder ballad, the like of which you could imagine getting Nick Cave hot under the collar. It has a history in Ireland but mostly survived in the American Appalachians. Many of these are favourites of hers, tracks that have appeared in one shape or another, in recordings of her different groups and different shows, going back over the last decade, here given final form and purpose.
There are some incredible vocal performances. The level of control Peat possesses is almost other-worldly. A couple of the tracks nearly feel a little bit too drone based, however the absolute emotive punch elsewhere more than makes up for it. ‘Dark Horse On The Wind’ makes for a gob-smacking centrepiece. Other than a background note held impossibly long, Peat’s voice is the primary instrument, rising to impossible heights. This one will likely be the showstopper when performed live. It is proper shivers down the spine stuff. ‘Still I Love Him’ follows on and is almost equally devastating.
The final track is an incredible musical triptych. The first piece is ‘Cailín Deas ag Crúite na mBó’, which translated means ‘Nice girl milking the cows.’ The second part part is an American traditional ballad about a woman dying of syphilis,‘When I was a Young Girl.’ The third piece is called ‘Sally in the Garden’ and is a favourite old-time tune of Peats.
This album confirms that Peat is absolutely essential to the genius that makes Lankum such an incredible band. There are moments here that match any of their best output. There is though something to be said of their less is more approach. Some of the slower tracks here are resolutely slow. You may find yourself yearning for the more explosive moments and twinklings of horror that the full band generate. Despite these minimal niggles, Ireland remains one of the most incredible places for the generation of new music right now and Peat is riding high on the crest of that wave.
Essential Tracks: ‘The Moon and Stars,’ ‘Willow Garden,’ ‘Dark Horse On The Wind,’ ‘Still I Love Him.
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