Rollercoaster Records
David Murphy - Cuimhne Ghlinn: Explorations in Irish Music for Pedal Steel Guitar David Murphy
Pickup available at Dawson Street
Usually ready in 24 hours
David Murphy takes the pedal steel guitar outside the confines of its traditional roots with frequent ventures into a range of genres, spanning Americana and folk to ambient, experimental music and film soundtracks and is best known for his work with artists such as The Lost Brothers, John Blek, Ordnance Survey, Arborist, The Delines, Willy Vlautin, M.Ward and Jolie Holland amongst others.
2024 sees Murphy take his first steps out of the shadows as a solo artist with the release of his own full-length studio album 'Cuimhne Ghlinn: Explorations in Irish Music for Pedal Steel Guitar' on the Rollercoaster Records label. This continues his quest to expand the vocabulary of the instrument and take it in new and exciting directions.
Murphy’s all-instrumental debut album recasts ancient Irish harp tunes and historic airs by O’Carolan, O’Riada et al into the 21st century, voiced by the mysterious, emotive and swelling sound of the pedal steel guitar. Supported by an all-star cast of musicians from across contemporary, modern-classical and folk worlds, the pedal steel ably takes its place within an ensemble featuring cello, violin, piano, harp, uilleann pipes and lush electronic textures and synths. Across 40 minutes, the album conjures a palette of sparse, dreamlike, atmospheric soundscapes and stirring, cinematic takes of these culturally significant compositions and melodies from Ireland’s great harpers, composers and song collectors. This record promises to be a must-listen for fans of pedal steel guitar, atmospheric soundtracks, traditional Irish music, contemporary experimental, ambient and modern-classical music. It features a diverse cast of supporting musicians including Peter Broderick (Efterklang, Erased Tapes), Steve Wickham (The Waterboys, Sinead O'Connor, U2), Laura McFadden (Arborist), Aisling Urwin (Woven Kin), Alannah Thornburgh, Rory McCarthy (Notify), Mark McCausland (The Lost Brothers), Anthony Ruby, Cory Gray (The Delines, The Decemberists) and Graham Heaney (Saint Sister) amongst others. On his vision for the album, Murphy says: "The pedal steel guitar has unique timbre, tuning and tonal capabilities. It offers rich sustain, swelling glissando and the ability to bend expressive and mournful notes that merge seamlessly and elastically into changing chords. Its unmistakable, crying sound is identified on hundreds of acclaimed records in folk and country genres. In the 21st century, it has continued its evolution into electronica, ambient and experimental music realms. With this record, my objective was to take the instrument away from its excursions across well-worn roads through the dusty American south and southwest and deeper into a world much closer to home and, for the very first time, present it in a modern Irish framework."
"Irish traditional rendered ghostly by washes of pedal steel and almost subliminal piano... widescreen and structured, like an early Celtic Ólafur Arnalds... 8/10" UNCUT
"A sonic experiment of narcotic enchantment... blossoming with old world charm in luminous modernity." SONGLINES - ALBUM OF THE MONTH *****
"An intriguing proposition... very moving, at times oddly Balearic, the Hawaiian roots of his warm pitch-shifting instrument spangling through." THE GUARDIAN
"An incredibly confident debut album. Balanced against its elegance and the dreamlike sound of his pedal steel is a quietly adventurous spirit that is beautifully judged and unpretentious - an extraordinarily great album." KLOF MAGAZINE
"A brave and pioneering undertaking... a landmark in ambient Irish traditional music"
LONESOME HIGHWAY
"Gives a unique and new life to traditional Irish melodies, with ethereal effect"
IRISH EXAMINER
"Sensational... deliciously sun-drenched and weary"
BBC NIGHT TRACKS
“Murphy and collaborators have fashioned something new and authentic, building lush, full-band renditions around swelling, heart-aching reaches into Ireland’s musical psyche”
EVENING ECHO (TOP 10 IRISH ALBUMS 2024)
“TOP 5 IRISH ALBUMS 2024”
THE THIN AIR
“Contemporary classical compositions that bask in the pedal steel’s humming glow and bridge it comfortably into the Irish canon... totally at home in its expansion of traditional forms."
ANOIS, OS ARD
Track List
- Aisling Gheal (Sean O’Riada)
- Bridget Cruise (Turlough O’Carolan)
- Citi na gCumann (Trad Arr)
- Eleanor Plunkett (Turlough O’Carolan)
- An Draigheann (Peadar O’Riada)
- Cuimhne Ghlinn (David Murphy)
- Sean O’Duibhir a’Gleanna (Trad Arr)
- An Spéic Seoigeach (Edward Bunting)
Product information
Delivery Details
FREE REGISTERED POST FOR ORDERS OVER €75 WITHINROI*
*DOES NOT INCLUDE HI-FI or HARDWARE PRODUCTS-CHECK DELIVERY RATES FOR MORE DETAILS
Orders are normally dispatched within 12-48 hours of receipt of the order, and normal delivery times to your door are as follows
- Ireland 2-5 working days
- UK 5-7 working days
- Europe 10-14 working days
- U.S. & Rest of World 10-14 working days
Any delays are normally due to the postal service. Orders placed on a Friday will be dispatched on Monday. No orders will be dispatched over the weekend. If you have not received your order within the time shown above, you can check the status of your order. Please email your query to info@towerrecords.ie
CLICK & COLLECT ORDERS:
The service is available via our Website. The collection point is located in Dawson Street only
For more information, contact us at:
- email: info@towerrecords.ie
- email: personalshopper@towerreccords.ie
- phone: 01 671 3250
Refund and Returns Policy
If the product is in its original condition and unopened, we will accept its return within fourteen days from the day you received the item. You will receive a full refund to the value of the item* *Applies to Online orders only
Refund and Returns Policy Faulty or defective items:
In the unlikely event you receive an item from us that is either defective or faulty, please let us know so we can arrange collection of the item and dispatch a replacement as soon as possible. Please email us at info@towerrecords.ie to arrange the return of a defective item. If goods are being returned due to being defective or an error on our behalf, we will refund delivery charges resulting from the return of the original order. If you still have the original envelope, simply reseal it and return the item to the Sender, stating the fault. FAO Returns Dept. Tower Records 7 Dawson Street Dublin 2 D02 X688
Non-defective items:
If, for some reason, a customer wishes to return an item that is not defective, we will accept the item and issue a refund within 14 days from the day you received the item. If, for some reason, a customer wishes to return an item that is not defective, your item must be unused and in the same “as new” condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging. To complete your return, we require a receipt or proof of purchase. Items such as games, CDs or DVDs (any recordable media) that require a security seal must be returned with the seal intact in order to qualify for a refund. In the interest of hygiene, headsets and earphones may not be returned unless unopened and intact in their original packaging. You will receive a full refund to the value of the item* *Applies to online sales ONLY. FAO Returns Dept. Tower Records 7 Dawson Street Dublin 2 D02 X688
To return an item:
Please wrap the item and the package securely and send them to the address below. We do not accept liability for goods which are returned in faulty packaging. We recommend that you use a recorded or registered delivery service. Please ensure that you have included a note giving full details of the problem, the order number, return notification number and any other details that may be helpful to us in order to track your order down quickly and efficiently. FAO Returns Dept. Tower Records 7 Dawson Street Dublin 2 D02 X688