The Gloaming

Formed in 2011, the Gloaming was a supergroup that fused traditional Irish music forms with rock and contemporary classical influences. The group won rapturous critical acclaim and several awards, including the 2014 Meteor Choice Prize for Irish Album of the Year, for its 2013 eponymous debut album. Released on Real World, it took as its starting point Irish traditional music, but sympathetically augmented it with pop/rock vocal stylings and stunningly beautiful piano arrangements in a post-classical vein. The group toured the world, played major festivals such as Womad, and sold out London's Barbican arts center. 2 followed in 2016, going deeper into the tradition but at the same time consolidating and expanding the Gloaming's unique style with subtle post-rock inflections. ~ John D. Buchanan