The Goo 1
1,2,3 GO! The Murder Capital brought us their thi
rd album last month, and now Meljoann’s third offering ‘Status’ arrives in the month of March. Dan Hegarty highlights album number three from other Irish acts. Gemma Hayes - ‘The Hollow Of The Morning’ (2008) Released on her own label in 2008, ‘The Hollow Of The Morning’ captures Gemma’s growth both as a musician and songwriter. ‘Don’t Forget’ and ‘Out Of Our Hands’ are two of her finest songs, while ‘Home’ is a track that I’d overlooked at the time. Her 2024 album ‘Blind Faith’ is another superb record that’s worth visiting if you don’t know it. Snow Patrol - ‘Final Straw’ (2004) To think if things had gone differently, this album could have easily been Snow Patrol’s last. As hard as it is to believe ‘Final Straw’ was not an instant success. Once it did catch, it went stratospheric. It’s an album of 12 songs (43 minutes) that has become one of those iconic records that captures moments in time for its legion of admirers. U2 - ‘War’ (1983) U2 have had such an incredible career, you could be forgiven for not visiting certain parts of their early career as much as you should. Their third album ‘War’ brought us those anthems ‘New Year’s Day’ and ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’, but there’s so much more to this album. The rhythmic beauty of ‘Seconds’ is hard not to love, and lesser known songs like ‘Surrender’ and ‘Like A Song’ are pearls in a career that has brought us so many great moments. 30 Fight Like Apes -‘Fight Like Apes’ (2015) Predictable is something that Fight Like Apes could never be accused of. Equally adept at making beautifully bonkers songs like ‘Didya’, and supercharged pop gems like ‘Crouching Bee’, FLA’s song writing skills have been in some ways underappreciated. You could say the same for their third album; if you haven’t heard it, go and listen to it as soon as you can. Sinéad O’Connor - ‘Am I Not Your Girl?’ (1992) How do you follow an album that makes you one of the biggest artists on the planet? An album of covers was not what many would have expected. While the critical reaction was mixed, listening to it all these years later illustrates Sinéad’s ability and bravery to plot her own course. Her interpretation of ‘I Want to Be Loved by You’ is a joy, and her vocals weave perfectly within the sweeping instrumentation of ‘Secret Love’.