Musicians Rónán Ó Snodaigh (Kíla) and Myles O’Reilly share their second album ‘The Beautiful Road‘, a soulful blend of folk, traditional, and ambient crossover, Friday 28th July via Claddagh Records.
Video: ‘Níl Aon Easpa Orm’
Video ‘King of the Kingdom’
Rónán Ó Snodaigh is a songwriter, composer, musician, poet and founding member and lead vocalist in the musical group Kíla.
Myles O’Reilly is a musician, composer and former member of the band, Juno Falls; he’s also a prolific video and filmmaker. Since first lifting a camera in 2010, multitasking O’Reilly has filmed, directed, and edited over 100 music video promos and 20+ music documentaries of Irish and International musicians, some of which include Sinead O’Connor, Glen Hansard, Villagers, Lisa O’Neill, Ye Vagabonds, Lisa Hannigan, Amiina, Janelle Monae, and The Staves.
Following the success of Rónán and Myles’ debut album Tá Go Maith, which was warmly received by audiences after its release in 2021, the duo have been playing numerous shows at home and abroad, showcasing their unique sound to an ever-growing fanbase.
Having written and developed new songs while touring, the duo decamped to a log cabin in Roscommon and a farmhouse in remote West Cork to work on ‘The Beautiful Road’. Recording one song every day, surrounded by countryside and inspired by nature the pair set out to create a soothing listening experience by focusing on higher frequencies, inspired by the calming effects of bird song, wind, rain, and sea. They also sought to counter the increased levels of intrusive ambient “white noise” caused by traffic, machinery, and other unpredictable sounds arising from the worlds post pandemic return to frenzied norms. Noises that so often overwhelm our ears and inner filters.
The result is a collection of songs that experiment with a variety of comforting sonic elements, including bells, breaths, brush-stroked rhythms, halftime beats, and ambient melodies, to create a sonic massage that relaxes the ears and settles the soul.
To accompany different moods and settings, Rónán and Myles carefully selected times and frequencies for each song, considering not only the tune but also the listener’s potential physical posture. From head-nodding paces and cheek-to-cheek melodies for seated listeners, to enough swing to keep dancers on the floor and enough room to drift off for those who prefer to unwind by walking or lying down, this album offers a range of sonic experiences for everyone. A musical refuge from the stresses of everyday life.
Speaking about the album, Rónán says “This is a process of encouraging, uncovering, and bringing the best out in each other.”
Myles adds: “Perhaps this analogy explains best my feelings about collaborating with Rónán on this new album.
Every time we record a new track, it’s another meter up the hill. We’re facing forward, and with each song, we’re watching our feet, traversing a similar tapestry of swollen bog, stone walls, hedgerows, and sheep-shorn grass. A new horizon always revealing itself up ahead. After a song has been tracked, we turn around to view how more elevated and removed we are from the valley below and the lives we live down there, independent of each other.
Every beautiful pause promises a next level to ascend. So this new album (The Beautiful Road) is such a natural continuation of Tá Go Math because we’re both still making our way, at our own pace, up that same mountain. It’s evident from our surroundings, in the places we record, the venues we play, and the reactions we’ve been experiencing and enjoying from the people we meet. It’s a journey we’re very happy to make on behalf of those who are listening, who have made their appreciation known.
Rónán carries burning embers of chants, rhythms, and stories; I’m carrying a bale of kindling and a lighter, and on up the slope, we climb, with a goal to bring as many people up the hill with us… and light a fire.”
‘The Beautiful Road’ by Rónán Ó Snodaigh and Myles O’Reilly is out now, Friday 28th July, via Claddagh Records.
Order on CD or vinyl at: https://claddaghrecords.com/collections/the-beautiful-road
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/album/7f5Ct9sLesQqmB7t48H623?si=_Stk7hH0QeilUfJ0OJ8n7A
LIVE DATES:
Sat Sept 2nd – Electric Picnic
Sat Sept 23rd – Waterville, Kerry https://www.eventbrite.com/e/663590425827
Sun Sept 24th – Connolly’s, West Cork https://connollysofleap.com/ticket/ronan-o-snodaigh-myles-oreilly-sunday-sept-24th/
Wed Sept 27th – Whelans, Dublin
Friday Oct 20th – Culdaff, Donegal
+ More to be announced
ALBUM CREDITS
All songs written, composed and arranged by Rónán Ó Snodaigh.
Recorded, Engineered and Mixed by Myles O’Reilly.
Produced by Myles O’Reilly, with Co-Production tips and tricks from Rónán.
Percussion, Guitar and Vocals: Rónán.
Moog, Piano, Mellotron, String Arrangements and Backing Vocals: Myles.
Backing Vocals on The Beautiful Road from Rhob Cunningham.
Bass Guitar and Ambient Bass by Dara Diffily.
Bass Guitar on Níl Aon Easpa Orm by Shay Fogarty.
Mastered by Sean MacErlaine.
We are grateful for the generosity of Martina’s men in Roscommon who gave us one of their Riverhaven log cabins to begin recording this album. Many thanks to our dear friend Rhob Cunningham who let us camp and continue to make noise in his living room in Malahide. Special thanks to Debbie and Victor from Camus Farm in Clonakilty who gave us their luxurious loft space for a week as we pursued the final leg of this recording, and thank you kindly Aideen Macken, Seamus and Noah for patiently accommodating the last few recording and mixing sessions in Arbutus Place, Dublin.
