This summer alone I have had the pleasure of seeing Talos perform twice, once at the excellent Clonmel Junction Festivaland again at Indiependence Music and Arts Festival, and both time I was left in no doubt that I had just experienced one of the best bands in Irish music at the moment.

Talos is the brain child of Cork native Eoin French, and their debut album, Wild Alee, that came out in April of this year, was one of the standout releases of the year, a collection of thirteen intense and emotional compositions that investigate love, the concept of time, and life in a variety of different ways.

Live, Talos is a force of nature. French cuts a captivating figure on the stage as he prowls around when he is not treating us to that otherworldly falsetto vocal. But the former architect has also taken time to surround himself with a band who seem to intrinsically understand the sentiment and feel of each song.

Listening to the album is an enthralling experience with every listen showing a different idea or dynamic to the audience. This article will outline the stand out songs by the Cork outfit.

Contra

This song was one of the tracks released by Talos to promote the debut album and it is yet another example of French’s ability to create a sonic landscape in each of his songs. A song about wanting to protect something important while other things in your life are going wrong, it is instantly relatable to all listeners.

Your Love Is an Island

A song previously featured as #RandomSong of the week on this site, your love is an island was voted in the top 5 Irish songs of 2016 by esteemed music blogger Nialler9, it is very easy to see why. Your Love Is an Island is a ethereal  and atmospheric exploration of the darker sides of love. The closing number of any Talos live set, this song deserves its place in the pantheon of best Irish songs ever.

Runaway

This. Song. Does. Something. To. Me. I do not know if it’s the slow gradual build throughout the song that starts with those distorted guitar notes at the beginning, or is French’s fragile and introspective vocals and lyrics? Maybe it is just a culmination of everything about this flawless four minutes of music.

“Runaway child, this was only your mistake…”

Landscapes

The standout track on the album, and also from the discography of the band. This does not require any explanation or foreword, just listen…

MK