I Bhfad ar Shiúl is the debut album from Argentinian born, Galway based, musician and composer Agustina Taborda. Influenced by tango and cumbia music, and dosed with atmospheric spacey soundscapes, floating pianos, droning vocals, bandoneón and midi effects, the album features the talents of Cheryl Kelly, Aneta Dortová, Jamie Toomey and Marta Barcikowska. It was mixed and mastered in Yodel Studios by César Benzoni.
I Bhfad ar Shiúl is a triumph. It creates its own world, like the soundtrack to a Guillermo Del Toro fantasy or your own fevered dreams. Each song is a chapter, each voice a character and every melody a dance. In Agustina’s own words…
I Bhfad ar Shiúl is about words beyond any language, seeing a dream from inside, a song while in alienation, naive happiness in a new destination. I Bhfad ar Shiúl is somehow a postcard from Ireland, a big embrace striving to hold Argentinian and Irish worlds together…
Agustina Toborda
In the process of creating the album Agustina learnt to record herself, starting with acoustic sounds and slowly adding more electronic elements – as a result the album manages to sound warm and natural, exciting and new, enchanting and ethereal all at once. It is genuinely brilliant and one of the best of the year so far, no doubt.
Have a listen below or on bandcamp.
