Irish harpist Joy Shannon is set to release her upcoming album, An Chailleach, on 1 November. The title, which is Irish for the crone or elder goddess, sees Shannon delving into the lore of the dark wintertime goddess of Ireland, with stark and stunning compositions. Ahead of this, Joy Shannon released her new single "Heather", featuring a collaboration with Osi And The Jupiter.
On this album, Joy Shannon collaborates with the dark folk band Osi and the Jupiter, the ambient artist Leila Abdul-Rauf, singer and guitarist Jessica Way from the ethereal metal band Worm Ouroboros, the folk metal band Aerial Ruin, the haunting singer and songwriter Emily Jane White and throat singer and shamanic practitioner Kai Uwe Faust of Heilung.
Joy Shannon comments about the new single "Heather": "Heather, a haunting duet between Irish folk singer Joy Shannon and guitarist and vocalist Sean Kratz from dark nordic folk band Osi And The Jupiter, puts to song, the Irish myth of lovers Gráinne and Diarmuid. Gráinne escaped an arranged marriage to the legendary, but elderly, Fionn, to seek true love with Diarmuid. It is said, as they escaped Fionn's pursuit, wherever the lovers hid, heather grew. Heather, that grows on the hills of Ireland, is now known as the symbol of soulmate love. This song imagines what Gráinne would have sung during this time, rejecting riches for soulmate love: "The only crown I can wear is the crown of love, made of heather"."
Joy Shannon is an Irish harpist and singer whose ethereal and haunting songs come from the depths of Irish folklore. Her melodies evoke images of witch's lairs in dark woods or the distant echoes of the voices of spirits in the ancient places of the Irish countryside. Link
An Chailleach tracklist:
01. Corr Bán
02. Cailleach (feat. Jessica Way)
03. The Crone of Loughcrew
04. The Spell (feat. Emily Jane White)
05. Mo Corra
06. Caer Ibormeith (feat. Osi and the Jupiter and Leila Abdul Rauf)
07. Airmid (feat. Leila Abdul Rauf)
08. Heather (feat. Osi and the Jupiter)
09. The Cannon Fire (feat. Aerial Ruin) (music and lyrics written by J. L. Fox of Fox and the Red Hares)
10. The Cailleach Well
11. Stupstock (feat. Emily Jane White)
12. The Flood
13. Leaving (feat. Leila Abdul Rauf)
14. Song of My Father
15. Corr Bán (Tar Árais Dom) (Feat. Kai Uwe Faust of Heilung)
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