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2
Studio album by The Gloaming
Released	26 February 2016 (2016-02-26)
Recorded	December 2015
Studio	Real World Studios, Wiltshire, UK
Genre	World, Folk, Irish traditional, Celtic contemporary classical, jazz, chamber, post-rock, minimalism
Length	1:09:44
Label	Real World Records (Rest of World) Brassland (North America) Justin Time Records (Canada) Planet Records (Australia)
Producer	Thomas Bartlett
The Gloaming chronology
The Gloaming (2014) 2 (2016) Live at the NCH (2018)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	84/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
Financial Times
The Guardian
The Irish Times
Paste Magazine	(8.2/10)

The Gloaming 2 (also referred to as "2") is the second studio album by the contemporary Irish/American music group The Gloaming. It was released on February 26, 2016 on Real World Records, and on Brassland Records in America, Justin Time Records in Canada, and Planet Records in Australia.

The album debuted at No.1 in the Irish Album Chart and was met with critical acclaim.

Background and recording

In an interview with the Irish Times in August 2014, fiddle player and band founder Martin Hayes said that the quintet were all eager to begin work on new material. In December 2015, The Gloaming entered Real World Studios in Wiltshire, England to record material that had mostly been written and previewed during the group’s 2015 touring schedule.

Commenting at the time on the recording sessions, vocalist Iarla Ó Lionáird felt that a “stronger” record was being made to the band’s 2015 debut, and that while the group had not become completely removed from its “initial creative area”, something of a departure had been made. Hayes, meanwhile, said that the album had “more feeling” than its predecessor because the five individuals in the band had bonded more deeply in terms of a shared aesthetic in the interim period. Hayes added that the music on The Gloaming 2 possibly had a euphoric and joyful quality, a sentiment shared by bandmate and fellow fiddle player Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh.

Lyrically and musically, the group drew from age-old sources just as they had on their debut LP. For example, “The Pilgrim's Song” comprises two extracts of poems by the mid-20th century Irish poet Seán Ó Ríordáin – “Oilithreacht Fám Anam” and “A Sheanfhilí, Múinídh Dom Glao”, both taken from Eireaball Spideoige (1952). “Fáinleog”, meanwhile, uses a traditional lyric extract from Na Laoithe Fiannuidheachta as well as a traditional Irish jig called “The Holly Bush”. “Oisín's Song” also used a traditional lyrical motif from Na Laoithe Fiannuidheachta called “The Dialogue of Oisín and Pádraig”. "Casadh an tSúgáin" was dedicated to the memory of the traditional Irish musician Mícheál Ó Domhnaill.

The album was recorded in just five days, with pianist Thomas Bartlett producing and Patrick Dillett (assisted by Patrick Phillips) on mixing duties. In an interview, Ó Lionáird said that the music on their second record had been recorded with very few overdubs in favour of a looser and more spacious live approach. Guitarist Dennis Cahill also remarked that a natural feel was sought by the group on this record, and a decision had been made not to “overwork” the compositions by playing them over and over again.

Like their debut, The Gloaming 2 was mastered by UE Nastasi at Sterling Sound. Its album sleeve was designed by Marc Bessant, with the cover art image – entitled 'Flying Lesson' – created by US conceptual photography duo Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison

Release and reception

The Gloaming 2 was released in February 2016 to positive reviews. It has a score of 84 on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim". The album debuted at No.1 on the Irish Album Charts.

Robin Denslow of The Guardian and Eamon Carr of Irish Independent praised the vocals and instrumentation on the album. Siobhán Long of The Irish Times called the album, "a richly textured thing of beauty". The album was included in end-of-year lists of the Irish Independent, The Daily Telegraph and fRoots.

A five-night residency in Dublin’s National Concert Hall was timed to coincide with the release. The group subsequently toured in Europe and North America.

Track listing

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. Information in brackets indicates individual tunes featured on a track.

Personnel

Music

• Thomas Bartlett – piano
• Dennis Cahill – guitar
• Martin Hayes – fiddle
• Iarla Ó Lionáird – vocals
• Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh – Hardanger d'Amore

Production

• Thomas Bartlett – production
• Patrick Dillett – mixing, engineering
• Patrick Phillips – assistant engineering
• UE Nastasi – mastering at Sterling Sound
• Marc Bessant – design
• Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison – cover art
• Rich Gilligan – photography
• BARQUE LLC – management

Accolades

Charts

References

1. ^ "CD: World/folk (She'Koyokh; The Gloaming)". The Australian. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
2. "CD: The Gloaming - The Gloaming". theartsdesk.com. The Arts Desk. 12 January 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
3. "Metacritic Review". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
4. Honigmann, David (19 February 2016). "The Financial Times". ft.com. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
5. Denselow, Robin (25 February 2016). "The Guardian". theguardian.com. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
6. Long, Siobhan (25 February 2016). "The Irish Times". irishtimes.com. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
7. Rosner, Ben (19 April 2016). "Paste Magazine". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
8. Gallacher, Alex (16 January 2016). "The Gloaming Announce Second Album – 2". folk & roots music webzine. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
9. Long, Siobhan (25 February 2016). "Album of the Week - The Gloaming 2: a richly textured thing of beauty". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
10. "2 by The Gloaming". iTunes. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
11. "The Gloaming: continuing adventures of a trad fusion supergroup". Irishtimes.com. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
12. ^ "In the studio with The Gloaming". Irishtimes.com. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
13. ^ "The Gloaming - The Making of The Gloaming 2". youtube.com. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
14. ^ 2 - The Gloaming (CD Digipak). Real World Records. 2016. CDRW212.
15. "Space, Time and the Science of The Gloaming". hilwhite.wordpress.com. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
16. "2 scores". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
17. "The Gloaming Awarded For Their Second Album '2'". Imro.ie. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
18. "The Gloaming 2 album review". Independent.ie. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
19. Denselow, Robin (25 February 2016). "The Gloaming: 2 review". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
20. "Album of the Week - The Gloaming 2". Irishtimes.com. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
21. ^ "Critics Poll 2014". fRoots. Archived from the original on December 19, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
22. ^ "The best Folk music albums of 2016". Daily Telegraph. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
23. ^ "The top 20 albums that defined 2016". Irish Independent. 18 December 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
24. "The Gloaming at NCH". dublinconcerts.ie. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
25. "Bio". thegloaming.net. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
26. "Discogs: The Gloaming - 2". Discogs. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
27. "Ticket Awards: the best Music of 2016". The Irish Times. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
28. "Songlines Music Awards: 2017". Songlines. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
29. "Ultratop.be – The Gloaming – 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
30. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 9, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 19 August 2016.

• 2016 albums
• The Gloaming albums
• Real World Records albums
• Brassland Records albums