The Livelong Day
Studio album by
Lankum
Released25 October 2019 (2019-10-25)
GenreFolk
Length56:40
LabelRough Trade
Producer
  • John Murphy
  • Lankum
Lankum chronology
Between the Earth and Sky
(2017)		 The Livelong Day
(2019)		 False Lankum
(2023)

The Livelong Day is the third studio album by Irish folk music group Lankum, released on 25 October 2019 through Rough Trade Records. It received positive reviews from critics and peaked at number eight on the Irish Albums Chart. The album won the RTÉ Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2019.[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic94/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Guardian[4]
Hot Press10/10[5]
The Irish Times[6]

The Livelong Day received a score of 94 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[2] Q called it a "frequently unsettling listen, but never a joyless one", with Uncut also describing it as "dark, powerful and disquieting stuff that resonates long after its final note has subsided". Mojo felt that Lankum "approach the tradition with an awe and wonder that especially percolates into the instrumentals", calling the album "their most extreme statement yet".[2]

AllMusic's Timothy Monger wrote that "with a sizzling intensity that feels almost menacing, Lankum draw deeply from the well of Ireland's ancient music, transporting both familiar and long-forgotten tunes to surreal new heights while adding a handful of worthy originals to the canon", finding that the album's "dark majesty is well worth the engagement".[3] The Guardian's Jude Rogers remarked that "nothing less than a thorough exploration and devastation of folk's most conventional tropes is Lankum's impressive game" and how the band "redirect well-known folk songs is worth staying for".[4]

Lucy O'Toole of Hot Press found that aside from the dark moments, there is "a deep, resounding love encased within the music throughout the album – with Radie Peat’s tenderly earthy vocals embodying the Irish landscape and people to stunning effect".[5] The Irish Times's Siobhán Long stated that "fierce and fragile, this collection of eight songs clocks in at a hefty 56 minutes. Just shy of an hour of visceral music, this chillingly cohesive album is built on a wall of sound that rattles as many assumptions about what traditional and folk music can and might be as Phil Spector did in the 1960s".[6]

Track listing

The Livelong Day track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Wild Rover"10:14
2."The Young People"7:02
3."Ode to Lullaby"4:51
4."Bear Creek"5:31
5."Katie Cruel"9:17
6."The Dark Eyed Gypsy"7:38
7."The Pride of Petravore"4:56
8."Hunting the Wren"7:11
Total length:56:40

Charts

Chart performance for The Livelong Day
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Irish Albums (IRMA)[7] 8
Scottish Albums (OCC)[8] 35
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[9] 88
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[10] 11

References

  1. ↑ "Lankum win the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2019". Choice Music Prize. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Livelong Day by Lankum Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 Monger, Timothy. "Lankum – The Livelong Day Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 Rogers, Jude (18 October 2019). "Lankum: The Livelong Day review – the Irish folk songbook uprooted". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  5. 1 2 O'Toole, Lucy (8 November 2019). "Album Review: Lankum, The Livelong Day". Hot Press. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  6. 1 2 Long, Siobhán (25 October 2019). "Lankum: The Livelong Day review – A fierce and fragile masterpiece". The Irish Times. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Lankum". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  8. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  10. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
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