The latest releases reviewed

JOHN MCSHERRY AND DÓNAL O'CONNOR Tripswitch Vertical Records ****

Tight as a drum and as louche as a bordello queen, Tripswitch is a collection for the wide open road, fuelling the miles long after the tank runs dry. John McSherry set the bar high on his 2001 album, At First Light, and his pairing with Dónal O'Connor while touring that album led to this collaboration. Tripswitch is a fire-breathing delight, gathering a melee of local and distant tunes within its generous ambit. O'Connor's bold borrowing of Old Dudeen from his father, Gerry, ably counters McSherry's visceral piping on Rose in the Gap. Áille's Arabesque is a standout, McSherry's composition casting light and shade on the pipes with the subtlety of a grand master in the making. A supremely confident collaboration. www.atfirstlight.net

Siobhán Long

ANÚNA Sensations Danú ***

Choral music is a hard sell, its spaciousness challenging our sound-clogged sensibilities to accommodate silence as readily as sound. Michael McGlynn and his 30-strong acolytes in Anúna have had an uphill battle to lure listeners into their somnolent soundscapes, but their 10th recording might just mark their crossover into mainstream. Sensation is an agile leap into the unknown, populated entirely by McGlynn's original compositions. The title track tries a little too hard to be liked (replete with a portentous reading of Rimbaud's lyric poem by Breton musician Gilles Servat), but elsewhere air and light penetrate Anúna's deep harmonies with almost aquatic ease. Soloist Sharon Carty's luminous rendition of Lux Aeterna is a particular treat, as is Anúna's more languid mood generally. A welcome loosening of the ties that once bound them to the past. www.anuna.ie

Siobhán Long