#4 • prayer for tears • the olllam
The musical equivalent of diving into a relaxing Irish romance novel
the olllam only ever recorded one record that we know of, and boy was it magical.
Their self-titled album first graced our ears in 2012, but I discovered it only recently through Spotify radio’s wizardy.
Throughout this piece’s record 7 minutes and 19 seconds (the longest on the album), the three highly gifted musicians are in no hurry to show you just how pleasant their collaboration came out to be.
If you’re really listening, when Tyler Duncan’s uniquely calming flute comes in, the world might just melt away. He effortlessly weaves together a tale of lament, or perhaps of humble awe, a tale that sounds the way napping under a tree feels on a gently breezy summer day.
The tune hovers around your ears, disappears… then comes back with a vengeance as it melts into synth backgrounds, picking up for the climax until it culminates in a powerful message of emotion that softly melts away into nothingness. . . .
The entire arrangement is incredibly graceful in its simplicity, and reminds us that the best music rarely sounds complex—but it’s always incredibly well thought-out.
But the best part about the olllam? They’ve got a new album coming 2020. 😱
Listen on YouTube:
And watch the live performance in Dublin: (not great audio)
PS: Listen to the album on a loop, there’s an easter egg. 🙊