Kieran McGuinness and Emily Aylmer discuss how the coronavirus pandemic finally made it possible for them to collaborate on their debut album ‘A Kind of Dreaming’
Kieran McGuinness and Emily Aylmer may be looking to change that. The couple, who have three children and work together in music as Driven Snow, are set to release their debut album, whose songs express the intimacy of marriage yet are universal.
Both are relative veterans of the Irish music scene. He is the lead singer of Delorentos. She was in business in the Republic of Ruth.
their album, a kind of dream, looks like quite a labor of love, though McGuinness claims there was little effort in its creation. “I didn’t feel any pressure,” he says. “The world wasn’t waiting for a Driven Snow album!” As a result, the pair could simply work on a song together and release it if they liked it, and if they didn’t… well, no one needs to know There was no.
Mr McGuinness said the process was much more relaxed than usual. “I have this machine, which is Delorentos, as bait. Delorentos is great, but I had to write an album every two years,” he says. The couple had always said they would make an album together, but “finding the time was a problem.”
The pandemic has been a blessing in disguise. Normally, it would have been time to work on a new Delorentos album, but now that the world has changed its axis, it felt like the right time to make an album as close to home as possible. McGuinness and Aylmer had often toyed with the idea of recording new music together, but carving out the headspace for it proved difficult, especially since they were parents of young girls.
When the COVID-19 shutdown changed everything and new songs started percolating in McGuinness’ head, he thought about how they would work for him and Aylmer, not Delorentos. The songs sound quite different from his main band’s songs, and the songs featuring Aylmer’s lead vocals are especially captivating.
one of them, your flicker, the piece was inspired by the death of one of Aylmer’s friends from cancer. “She was one of my oldest friends,” she says. “It was five years ago, and there are very few people at this stage in their lives who aren’t exposed to this kind of story. [the couple are in their mid-40s]. She was a young mother and it turned our whole world upside down. ”
According to McGuinness, the song began life as “an old-fashioned ballad with a Delony-esque feel”. I had never written anything like that. ” He asked Aylmer to take a look. She went away and reinvented it. “She rewrote the lyrics, rewrote some of the melodies as well, and took the song about her friend to a completely different place. It was cathartic. Emily looked for a way to ‘explain’ what had happened. I was there. ”
They take a democratic approach to songwriting that prioritizes collaboration and minimizes conflict. McGuinness wrote the basics of her song and brought it to Aylmer when it was still in its infancy, just as she added her own touches and ideas. flicker for you.
“It’s to our benefit,” she says, adding that she’s happy to take a back seat when it comes to the basics of singing technique, since it’s McGuinness, not her, who has mastered the art over the years. . “I wasn’t that confident.”
It is no disrespect to Aylmer to point out that McGuinness is the better known of the two. Delorentos has released five albums and best of little sparks, which won the 2012 Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year. In addition to being one of the biggest bands on the domestic circuit, there have been several international tours, and the band has performed particularly well among Spanish audiences.
Aylmer has had an even more ups and downs journey through music. Shortly after she left school, she auditioned for an all-female Celtic music group. “It had a Celtic Sopranos vibe,” she says. “Then we signed with SonyBMG. We made huge strides, which we were very excited about at the time. I mean, we recorded at Abbey Road Studios with a proper orchestra. ”
Aylmer joined Republic of Ruth in 2006 and first met McGuinness that year. At the time, Delorentos was in its early stages, and their first album had not yet been released.There was a spark between the two of them from the off.
But soon the limits of her role became apparent. “That always felt a little jarring to me because I wasn’t writing music or anything like that. I recorded an album and was just about to shoot the album cover when the record company got taken over and went behind the scenes. It was all exposed. They spent £100,000 on this project and then they sacked us.”
A few years passed and she joined Republic of Ruth, one of the most talked about Irish bands of the 2000s. She joined her company in 2006 and met McGuinness for the first time that year. At the time Delorentos was in its early stages and her first album had not yet been released. Sparks flew between the two from the off.
“DeLorentos was supporting Ruth at the show in Dingle,” Aylmer recalls. Usually there are two or three backup singers, but that night I was the only one. Afterwards, we had a chat. ”
“Well, I was talking to her,” McGuinness interjected. “But she wasn’t feeling anything!”
Aylmer was in a relationship at the time, but that ended later that year and she and McGuinness started dating. “We met all the time on the track,” he added. Since they were a couple from the band’s early days, they had little chance to sow the wild oats that seem absolutely necessary for an all-male band.
Aylmer’s career took a completely different direction after Republic of Loose. She is an English and music teacher at a secondary school, and her backing vocals are featured on Delorentos albums.
McGuinness is keen to stress that Delorent is simply taking a break. There was no division. Lo Yuler, who shares lead vocals, is scheduled to release his solo debut album this year.
Despite supporting each other’s solo projects, the decision was made early on not to appear on each other’s albums. “We just wanted Driven Snow to be completely unique,” McGuinness says.
The Driven Snow album was recorded at Attica Studios in Donegal with esteemed owner-producer Tommy McLaughlin. Relatives of the couple also visited for the session, giving the proceedings a relaxed and happy atmosphere. That calm approach will be replicated in their live shows, which are centered around smaller venues. My friend Jeff Warner Clayton will provide piano accompaniment.
“It was all a lot of fun,” McGuinness says. “We’re doing this at our own pace, at our own rhythm, not at anyone else’s pace.”