I’m not gonna claim to be any kind of expert on the work of Tau or any of the various incarnations the Irish-rooted frontman Shaun Mulrooney has of it. I saw something so I’m saying something while I bother to investigate further. Tau and the Drones of Praise issued the four-song Seanóirí Naofa EP last month, and they would’ve been at Roadburn this year, but blah blah blah I’m tired of talking about the pandemic. The EP’s tracks vary somewhat in personality, but with the title-cut, there’s a particularly deep dive into Celtic folk and nature-worshiping psychedelia. And antlers. Lots of antlers. I don’t even mean just in the video. The song itself has antlers. How did they even do that?

Well, that’s the magic I guess, and that’s why I’m posting the video, because it’s easy to get swept up in it, and while this may not be the kind of heavy fare one expects around here all the time, consider the weight of Ireland’s history and consider the breadth of atmosphere being conveyed here and maybe that’ll give you some sense of where I’m coming from. Or maybe it won’t and it doesn’t really matter either way. If you dig it, dig it. If you don’t, well, I post five times a day most days and there are at least a hundred thousand other shitheel blogs out there, so do the math and you’re bound to find something that meets your stringent standards sooner or later.

Sorry. That one kind of took a turn.

Anyway, expand your horizons a little and get into it:

Tau & the Drones of Praise, “Seanóirí Naofa” official video

Title track Seanóirí Naofa (Sacred Ancestors) from the EP, Seanóirí Naofa out now.

Video is a collage and homage to the beauty of Ireland and our Sacred sites. Additional shots on tour in France and at La Briche Audio

Edited by Kyle McFerguson
Filmed by Haile MArie & Leo Lee

Seanóirí Naofa is the lead single from an EP of the same title by Tau & And The Drones of Praise.

This is the follow up to their second album released in February 2019, which garnered widespread acclaim.

In a flash of Imbas (inspiration) Seanóirí Naofa was written and recorded by the Berlin/Ireland based ensemble in just a few hours which gives the track its raw/ archaic immediacy. Opened stringed tunings and old instruments like the hurdy gurdy contains that signature Tau drone while maintaining a confident and contemporary, folky feel.

The mountain on the cover is Queen Maeve’s Cairn at Knocknarea, Co Sligo. The photograph was taken on Spring Equinox 2020, just as the world went into lockdown. The fiery warrior spirit and sovereignty which Goddess Queen Méabh represents so inspires the band, and is a reminder of our own inner fire and our own sovereignty.

Here, frontman Shaun Mulrooney retraces his ancestors’ footsteps, as his surname originates in County Sligo which is a stone’s throw from where he currently resides. Rory Nelson Mckee’s traditional guitar playing being at the helm on Seanóirí Naofa gives this work Tau’s most Irish sounding feel to date.

Tau and the Drones of Praise, Seanóirí Naofa (2020)

Tau on Instagram

Tau and the Drones of Praise on Thee Facebooks

Tau and the Drones of Praise on Bandcamp

Tags: Berlin, Germany, Ireland, Seanóirí Naofa, Tau and the Drones of Praise, Tau and the Drones of Praise Seanóirí Naofa

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2020 at 8:27 am and is filed under Bootleg Theater. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.