To me, there are three distinct ‘eras’ of Clannad’s music. There’s the early traditional folk years (Clannad to Fuaim), the Celtic pop/rock years (Magical Ring to Sirius), and the Celtic ‘New Age’ (or perhaps World) years (Anam to Landmarks). The common thread through all of their music is its foundation in the band’s Irish roots, and that indefinable ‘Clannad sound’. It’s just something about the combination of Moya Brennan’s voice with their lovely melodies. You simply can’t describe it – you have to hear it.
It might seem strange for me to pick Sirius to post about. When it was first released in 1987 the music press branded the album ‘too American,’ ‘too polished,’ ‘too bland’ – some reviews went as far as saying Clannad had ‘sold out.’ Why all the hate? It probably stems from the fact that, yeah, Sirius is much more ‘produced’ than their previous work. The songs are slick and polished – but not to the detriment of the music. Sirius is simply another facet of the ‘Clannad sound.’ For: https://deannalikespop.wordpress.com/2007/07/18/clannad-sirius-1987/
