Lisa Hannigan
At Swim
(ATO Records)
After a period of time off and writerâs block, Irish singer/songwriter Lisa Hannigan has returned with an album so cohesive that she makes it look effortless.
At Swim seems to be a darker, more mature, and more introspective record than 2008âs
Sea Sew and 2011âs
Passenger.
Heartache and isolation are themes that run throughout the record, and Hannigan frequently employs nature imagery to convey these feelings. âSnowâ depicts a lover overpowering her as she grows listless at the end of a relationship, while âUndertowâ evokes the power of a river when she wants to surrender herself to a manâs affections. âWe, the Drownedâ juxtaposes those lost to water to ashes, which are also a central image in the devastatingly catchy âLo.â Whether drowned or burnt away, the end result is destruction but also rebirth.
Hannigan no doubt took some inspiration for her writing from Seamus Heaney. The poetâs âAnahorishâ is here adapted in a subdued manner. Rather than add a complex score, Hannigan has instead layered her voice to beautiful effect.
If At Swim has one shortcoming, itâs that the record is too neat. Hannigan has a history of delightfully quirky instruments making their way into her songs, but other than a fun banjo line on âUndertow,â that isnât the case here. The songs on At Swim lock together so well that âFuneral Suitâ and âBartonâ fail to make much of an impression by the end. Still, it proves to be a beautiful album, and thereâs certainly nothing to dislike about having Hannigan back on the scene.