The Same Figure (Leaving) Rusted Rail***

Originally released on the French label Ruralfaune in early 2010, the second album by Westmeath's Eddie Keenan gets a new lease of life on home terrain. These nine songs are the perfect soundtrack to the ubiquitous bluster and dampness of Irish winters. Keenan's measured vocals tether the quiet clamour of songs such as Each Day Has Bettered Me Noneto the sodden earth without fuss or fluster. A number of guests join the fray and add to the occasionally electrifying ambience that's cultivated by the lo-fi crackle and unsettling screech of violin. Fans of Alasdair Roberts and James Yorkston will find much to love here, but comparisons aside, this is a fine example of understated folk, with elements of trad and hypnotic, haunting beats. See thedriftwoodmanor. bandcamp.com

Download tracks: You Have Mapped the Pathways, On the Corner of Athlone