Decades is an EP of 4 pieces of music made up of two instrumentals. one spoken word piece, and one song. The overarching theme explores the idea of drawing upon previous versions of ourselves from both the distant and recent past, in search of inspiration and learning.

All tracks composed by Sharon Murphy

Engineered and programmed by Alvin Sweeney
Vocals, piano & duduk by Sharon Murphy
Violin by Anna Sweeney

Available as a digital download here: https://sharonmurphymusic.bandcamp.com/album/decades

A Hidden Door Production, supported by KCC Arts Service

DECADES EP - Sharon Murphy

The Not the Sea EP has been supported by KCC Arts Service, and has been a whole family project. I'm very lucky to live with a bunch of very talented people: my husband Alvin Sweeney has engineered and mixed the tracks, with our son Leon playing guitar on two, and our daughter Anna playing violin on two.

Our space within the world and our relationship with various stages of our lives is a running theme, with nostalgia for the past, finding beauty in the present,  and fears for the future all being explored.

The EP can be ordered on BandCamp here: sharonmurphymusic.bandcamp.com/album/not-the-sea

All songs written by Sharon Murphy

Engineered, programmed & mixed by Alvin Sweeney
Vocals, piano, duduk & percussion by Sharon Murphy
Guitar by Leon Thomas Sweeney
Violin by Anna Sweeney

A Hidden Door production, supported by KCC Arts Service.

© Sharon Murphy 2023

Not the Sea EP - 2023

Where to Begin is a simple song paying tribute to those that walk alongside someone who finds daily life a struggle. It honours those that do their best to remind us that good times can and will return.

Music & Lyrics: Sharon Murphy © all rights reserved

Engineer: Alvin Sweeney
Vocals: Sharon Murphy
Guitar: Leon Thomas (https://soundcloud.com/leonthomas03)
Strings: Anna Sweeney

Photograph: Brian Fitzpatrick Photography

Recorded at Hidden Door

Where to Begin

'She' is the only song on my forthcoming  EP Decades, the other tracks being instrumentals. It's a reflection on an individual creative journey; on the concept that we can look to previous versions of ourselves for inspiration, and that in recognising the things that at one time came as second nature to us, we can invite them to come to the fore once again.

Written by Sharon Murphy

Engineered and programmed by Alvin Sweeney
Vocals, piano and duduk by Sharon Murphy

The EP can be preordered on BandCamp here: https://sharonmurphymusic.bandcamp.com/album/decades

A Hidden Door production, supported by KCC Arts Service.

© Sharon Murphy 2022

Twice Remembered is the second release off my new EP Decades, but the first in the running order. An instrumental, it explores the idea of reminiscence as storytelling, addressing the question of how much trust we should place in our distant memories, and how the present can oftentimes colour the shaping of the stories we tell both ourselves and others about our past. 

Written by Sharon Murphy 
Engineered and programmed by Alvin Sweeney
Piano, percussion and duduk by Sharon Murphy

The EP can be preordered on BandCamp here: sharonmurphymusic.bandcamp.com/album/decades

A Hidden Door production, supported by KCC Arts Service.

© Sharon Murphy 2022

Twice Remembered

Second in the running order of the DECADES EP, Sea Change draws heavily upon classical influences. The haunting harmonic space and ethereal sounds used attempt to capture the feelings we experience when coping with sudden difficult events in our lives. The piece explores the liminality of those particular moments where we are being propelled forward in a direction we never expected.

Written by Sharon Murphy
Engineered and programmed by Alvin Sweeney
Piano and vocals by Sharon Murphy
Violin by Anna Sweeney

A Hidden Door production, supported by KCC Arts Service.

© Sharon Murphy 2022

Sea Change

This piece is dedicated to and inspired by our daughter Anna, a wonderful musician in her own right. It emerged from a voice memo idea that she and I recorded together that reminded us a little of our favourite film Arrival, and its incredible soundtrack composed by the late Jóhann Jóhannsson. It ended up being about Anna's arrival into the world, and all that I didn't know then.

Engineered and programmed by Alvin Sweeney
Vocals, piano and duduk by Sharon Murphy

The EP can be preordered on BandCamp here: sharonmurphymusic.bandcamp.com/album/decades

A Hidden Door production, supported by KCC Arts Service.

© Sharon Murphy 2022

Arrival (for Anna)

Hello music lovers!

This is the title track off my EP.
Not the Sea is a song about letting go of the past and slowly coming to terms with the present through engagement with the natural world all around us. I hope you like it. 

A digital release of the EP can be ordered on BandCamp here: https://sharonmurphymusic.bandcamp.com/album/not-the-sea

Written by Sharon Murphy

Engineered and mixed by Alvin Sweeney
Vocals and piano by Sharon Murphy
Guitar by Leon Thomas Sweeney

A Hidden Door production, supported by KCC Arts Service.

© Sharon Murphy 2023

Not The Sea

Remember Nothing is a song full of nostalgia and memories of those who played a starring role in my life during my teenage years into my early twenties; a time of life that is full of intensity and adventure.

A digital copy of the Not the Sea EP can be ordered on BandCamp here: sharonmurphymusic.bandcamp.com/album/not-the-sea

Written by Sharon Murphy

Engineered and mixed by Alvin Sweeney
Vocals and piano by Sharon Murphy
Guitar by Leon Thomas Sweeney
Violin by Anna Sweeney 

A Hidden Door production, supported by KCC Arts Service.

© Sharon Murphy 2023

Remember Nothing

Sleepwalking is a punchy funeral march of sorts, wondering what it is we are blindly walking towards if the use of Artificial Intelligence isn't regulated soon and well!
That said, it's a fun song that makes me laugh when I listen to it now!

A digital copy of the EP can be ordered on BandCamp here: sharonmurphymusic.bandcamp.com/album/not-the-sea

Written by Sharon Murphy
String arrangement by Anna Sweeney

Engineered and mixed by Alvin Sweeney
Vocals, piano & percussion by Sharon Murphy
Violin by Anna Sweeney

A Hidden Door production, supported by KCC Arts Service.

© Sharon Murphy 2023

Sleepwalking

The Way you Live was inspired by a quote from Irish writer Anne Enright, who suggests that it's better to have a breakdown early on in life, learning the tools to put yourself back together again, rather than walking an eternal tightrope. Great advice I think!

A digital copy of the Not the Sea EP can be ordered on BandCamp here: sharonmurphymusic.bandcamp.com/album/not-the-sea

Written by Sharon Murphy

Engineered, programmed & mixed by Alvin Sweeney
Vocals, piano & duduk by Sharon Murphy

A Hidden Door production, supported by KCC Arts Service.

© Sharon Murphy 2023

The Way You Live

Can't Catch Polly is an indie-blues song exploring the theme of movement and our connection to our bodies.
I was lucky to spend a lot of time working alongside dancers and engaging with movement in 2023, and was further inspired by seeing PJ Harvey live and being as mesmerised by her movements as I was by her voice.
Ths song starts from this awestruck perspective, but the 'she' referred to by the last verse could be any one of us.

A digital release of the song can be purchased at : https://sharonmurphymusic.bandcamp.com/track/cant-catch-polly

Released November 3, 2023
A Hidden Door production.

Written by Sharon Murphy
Vocals & piano by Sharon Murphy
Violin by Anna Sweeney
Strings arranged by Anna Sweeney
Recorded & mixed by Alvin Sweeney

Ⓒ Sharon Murphy 2023

Can't Catch Polly

Digital purchase here: https://sharonmurphymusic.bandcamp.com/album/persevere-another-year-with-bonus-demo-track-not-a-love-song

Not a Love Song (a demo) is a New Year offering, and is very much for those who are missing a partner or would like to have a partner, but are heading in to the new year without one. It's hopeful and romantic, and is written in the style of early 20th century popular songs, but it definitely has a cheeky one-night-stand twist!

Due to Covid interruptions, it has ended up being a demo version, with me playing guitar instead of an actual guitarist!

Engineer: Alvin Sweeney
Vocals, guitar, piano and pieces of paper: Sharon Murphy

Released 31/12/223
A Hidden Door production.

Ⓒ Sharon Murphy 2023

Not A Love Song - Demo

This is a cover version of The Beatles song Julia, chosen as part of our Songs my Father Loved project, something that is keeping myself and my family busy during the Covid 19 crisis. I went on to contribute the track to Embrace Music's Calming Covers charity album also, details below. Myself and my dad gave this song a spin many times at home. I think the song spoke to him as he really identified with John's grasping at memories of his mother having lost his own father when he was just 7. We loved recording this one. The seaside sounds evoke memories of our lovely childhood holidays on many a beach around Ireland. 

https://embracemusicireland.bandcamp.com/

Recorded and Mixed by: Alvin Sweeney 
Vocals: Sharon Murphy 
Guitar: Leon Thomas

Julia

This is a song that I wrote in 1999 with the Biffco Production team, written with a certain tiny pop Princess in mind.  She did indeed record a demo version. It's the only song written to a brief for another artist that I bonded with to the extent that I went on to record my own version. We were trying to channel the vibe of Air's classic album Moon Safari. We had some fantastic musicians helping us out on this version. Dermot Byrne of Altan fame and the amazing Dublin guitarist Mal O'Brien.

Programmed and engineered by: Alvin Sweeney
Vocals: Sharon Murphy
Guitar: Mal O'Brien
Accordion: Dermot Byrne

Falling Backwards

Has To Be A Way

Out of Mind's Way is my first attempt at creating music to aid relaxation, an area I have become more intersted in through my work as an arts & health practitioner. If people find they like to listen to it for pleasure, or even better, they use it as a tool for meditation, yoga, or movement, I may do some more in 2021. 

The title is from a poem I wrote many years ago about trying to escape my own racing thoughts and find some silence.

The photograph was taken in Mannix Point, Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry in the summer of 2020, one of my favourite places to find some peace and space.

Engineer:   Alvin Sweeney
Guitar:        Leon Thomas
Vocals:       Sharon Murphy

Out of Mind's Way

I am a songwriter, musician and arts & health practitioner from Ireland.
My most recent output has been the creation of Embrace Music’s song cycle 'Murmurations' with my colleague Sadhbh O’Sullivan, as part of an Irish Hospice Foundation initiative, a 2022 EP of piano instrumentals called 'Decades', and my 2023 EP of songs Not the Sea

https://sharonmurphymusic.bandcamp.com/follow_me

Sharon Murphy

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