Joy Shannon is a woman of many talents. Not only is she an incredible tattoo artist — I have an entire forearm adorned with her work, with more to come when I can afford it — but she’s also an accomplished musician, having released a number of albums with a backing band under the moniker ‘Joy Shannon and the Beauty Marks’. An Chailleach is the second album released solely under her name, a more minimalist take on Celtic/dark folk led almost entirely by her haunting vocals and serene harp playing. The result is yet another beautiful and deeply personal album that’s a wonderful addition to her discography.

Chailleach refers to the elder goddess/crone of Gaelic myth, often associated with the landscape, storms, and the coming of winter — beginning with Samhain on November 1st, no doubt fitting for the release date of this album. Similarly fitting for the coming of winter is the more minimal instrumentation on An Chailleach; a vast majority of songs are comprised solely of Shannon’s vocals (often multilayered) and harp, with soft acoustic guitar, bodhrán drum, and Shannon’s own cello playing complementing as necessary. These melancholy songs are a far cry from what might normally come to mind when you think of traditional Celtic folk, but are by no means any less poignant and representative of Shannon’s Irish roots. Fitting with the theme of the season, it’s not hard to imagine these songs being performed by the titular goddess in dark, cold places deep in the Irish countryside, providing a clear light in the deep winter.

Joining Shannon on An Chailleach are a number of guest musicians: Sean Kratz of Osi and the Jupiter on two songs (most notably the love ballad “Heather”), vocalists Jessica Way and Emily Jane White providing their own beautiful vocal styles to complement and harmonize with Shannon’s, multi-instrumentalist Leila Abdul-Rauf providing eerie ambient textures, Erik Moggridge of Aerial Ruin (a must-have for any guest vocal spot), and Kai Uwe Faust of Heilung. The latter’s appearance providing ambient throat singing and tribalistic percussion on the closing track “Corr Bán (Tar árais dom)” brings Shannon’s music to another level in terms of atmosphere, and I’d love to see an expanded collaboration between the artists in the future. This most primal song hits especially hard — and seems to serve as a great release — after “Song of My Father”, easily the most personal song on the entire album.

With 15 tracks and a runtime over an hour, there is a bountiful harvest of beautiful music on An Chailleach in spite of the themes of winter and loss contained within. Joy Shannon’s voice and harp would provide a gorgeous experience all on their own, but are complemented tremendously by all the guest musicians featured throughout the album. Whether you’re looking for a deep, introspective experience or some soft, mellow music to complement the coming winter, you’ll no doubt experience something powerful on this release.

— Colin

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An Chailleach will be available November 1 through Royal Tea. For more information on Joy Shannon, check out her official website.