The official video by Tim Fromont Placenti for "Adoration",
off the recent "Immaculada" album, is now online.
10.05.2010 | "Immaculada" out today
Four
years past since "Madre, Protégenos", Duncan Patterson returns,
leading the entity known as Íon. On “Immaculada”,
the lone travelling musician has again collected instrumental and
vocal souvenirs from his numerous destinations to illustrate the
memoirs of his quest.
“Immaculada” was written in a period I was
travelling back and forth between Ireland and Greece. The album
documents personal experiences of that time, set to introspective
and reflective ballads.
Hypnotic and alluring, the album balances both the freshness
of Irish landscapes and the warmth of Mediterranean sunbathed
seashores, as its haunting Celtic vibe thrives and builds upon
tribal rhythmic patterns. Much like its predecessor,the
straightforward and minimalistic overall tone of the album is
misleading, as its layered complexity and resonant harmonies
reveal themselves at each listen, one mystery at a time, and
one step closer to the end of this spiritual quest.
Íon has gathered around it an enormous amount of talent,
both in the many musicians that have taken part in “Immaculada”
and in the group of singers that bring words to life, this time
lead by the Irish Lisa Cuthbert. Her heartfelt performances
are occasionally accompanied by her sister Aoife Cuthbert, with
Mark Kelson (of The Eternal) and gothic/alternative muse Vic
Anselmo, providing additional outstanding contributions to the
album, among other voices from Argentina, Mexico, Romania or
Brazil.
Mostly recorded in the Portuguese countryside and in Dublin
city, the intricate instrumental backbone is mainly constructed
out of traditional instruments. With the mandolin family taking
center stage, the tracks have been arranged to incorporate ethnic
instrumentation (flutes, uillean pipes) which contrast with
the sparse orchestration supplied by cello, violin, acoustic
guitars, keyboard pads and piano, supported by the earthbound
pulse of the percussion.
“Immaculada” is a collection of slow motion mysterious ballads,
balancing light and shade, salvation and loss, beautifully crafted
by gifted artists scattered over the world. Available next May 2010
in deluxe Digipak CD on Equilibrium Music.