SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TELEFÍS – A HAON

Telefís
a hAon
Dimple Discs

Calling your new project television using the English language would definitely imply you are copying the Tom Verlaine and co. legendary outfit, even though the project is made up of two quite well-known artists.

So, what do you do? Well, since both Cathal Coughlan (Microdesney, Fatima Mansions, and some excellent solo outings) and Garret “Jacknife” Lee (producer and songwriter for the likes of U2, R.E.M. Modest Mouse, The Killers and multitude of others) are both Irish, why not use Telefís, the Irish word for Television?

And then you move on into a multitude of other musical directions on a set of brilliant singles and your debut album a hAon (Number One in Irish). While the musical spread is wide and varied, there are certainly connecting factors here.

One is the impeccable melodic lines that were always Coughlan’s and Lee’s trademark. Another is a thin, continuing thread of electronics throughout those melodic lines that ties the music on the album into a sophisticated bundle. Yet, the key thread is thematic, through the 13 tracks here. Coughlan and Lee cover the social/political/religious scene of Ireland they remember from their younger days filtered through their current musical vision.

And it actually works like a charm both for the music and for the thematic background Telefís are trying to cover on a hAon.

Artist Links