We sat down with Gerard O'Donnell after the release of his stellar new piece 'Solstice', to discuss what influences shaped his unique sound. Be sure to check out the single at the bottom and follow him on socials!
Cosmic Love - Florence and the Machine
For me, this was the breakthrough song for what I consider to be one of the most important artists of a generation. Florence Welch is an amazing lyricist as well as vocalist. Her performances are almost ritualistic, at times elegantly understated, at others stadium commanding operatic shows of musical prowess. Cosmic Love is daring and some 15 years later, it still resonates with me. I was living in Dublin at
the time it came out and I’ll always remember pulling my car in at the side of the road to listen to it as it aired. It’s the moody ambience that I look for in a song and it’s on every playlist I have.
The Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel
When I recorded Solstice I was initially annoyed at the sound of the piano’s pedal which is
detectable at the start and at the very end of it. After some consideration, I decided not to blend it out or cover it up. It’s part of the instrument and for me it speaks to the importance of authenticity in performance. My approach to this type of question when it comes to recording can be attributed to songs like The Sound of Silence. This anthem was written in 1964 but could have been so a hundred years earlier or just yesterday. It’s a poetic protest song as relevant to today as it is for when it first came out. The most impacting performance I’ve ever seen of it was when Simon and Garfunkel sang it at Madison Square Garden before thousands of people. The message of the song is clear but its the delicacy with which they perform it, those close harmonies, the simplicity of two voices and one guitar. I’m certainly not against electronics in music, but sometimes we lean a bit too much on tech to amp up our sound. The Sound of Silence stands as a quiet yet proud reminder that music will communicate most strongly when it comes from humans, sincerity and authentic intelligence.
In This Heart - Sinéad O’Connor
It's coming up on a year since we lost Sinéad and we are less because of it. This song is acapella and builds to a texture that any symphony orchestra would be proud of. It’s a masterclass in harmony, in lyricism and in driving emotion through song. It’s mantric and prayerful and leaves you in a different place each time you listen to it. Sinead means so much to so many people all over the world but especially in Ireland. We witnessed her growing up, falling over, getting up again, the door slamming, the picture ripping, the protesting, the many phases of the expression of her artistry and her beautiful inimitable self. She devoured and at times was devoured and generations of Irish people were represented by her and will continue to be.
Piano Concerto number 2 in C minor - Rachmaninov
Everything by Rachmaninov is outstanding but in his second piano concerto, we are lifted into a narrative between the piano itself and the orchestra where we see them conversing, arguing and roaring at each other the way few concertos manage. It’s written across three movements, each one with unique character yet when we listen to it we feel the relationship between them. This narrative is what I focus on in my own music. The power of storytelling frames so much of my work and there’s a great exchange when someone tells you what your music means to them or where they were transported, what they saw or felt.
Beat of Your Heart - Purple Disco Machine
I first discovered this while doing burpees at the gym but despite the association i still love it.
Beautiful lyrics, brilliant vocals and it will definitely be my summer anthem. A lot of people tar
classical musicians as snooty or aloof and I know there’s a lot of snobbery and gatekeeping from some of us out there but I find pop music very inspiring.
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