Adrian Crowley
Encyclopedia
Adrian Crowley is a singer–songwriter
from Galway
but based in Dublin. Despite being born in Sliema
, Malta
, much of his success has come in Ireland.
Beginning his career at the age of 25, Crowley has released five albums, with his debut A Strange Kind arriving in 1999. He followed this with When You Are Here You Are Family (2002), A Northern Country (2004), Long Distance Swimmer
(2007) and Season of the Sparks
(2009). He has performed on TV shows such as Other Voices and Ceol Ar An Imeall and is also curator of the Homelights Festival in Dublin.
In a 2005 Rolling Stone
interview, Ryan Adams
cited Crowley when asked "Who's the best songwriter that no one's heard of". The Irish Times
placed this artist at number eight in a list of "The 50 Best Irish Acts Right Now" published in April 2009.
Crowley has won the Choice Music Prize
for Irish Album of the Year on one occasion for Season of the Sparks and been nominated on another occasion for Long Distance Swimmer. After winning the award for Irish Album of the Year 2009 he was among the first acts to be announced for Electric Picnic 2010
.
suburb of Sliema
in Malta
but reared in Galway
. Crowley's parents met in Southern Africa
but moved to Crowley's grandmother's home in Malta due to political turmoil in Sierra Leone
. His mother rescued a drowning swimmer from the Mediterranean Sea
when she was pregnant with him. After his birth they departed Malta for Cameroon
. Crowley has been based in Dublin since the 1990s but has also spent a year living in France
. He is married with two children.
Crowley released his debut album A Strange Kind independently in 1999. The song "Capricorn" was played regularly on No Disco
that year. When You Are Here You Are Family followed in 2002, being recorded at the Electrical Audio studios of one of his heroes, Steve Albini
, in Chicago
. This successful spell in the United States
inspired him to begin communicating with American record labels.
He joined the label Ba Da Bing who were keen to produce his next two albums. A Northern Country was due for release in on 2 July 2004, though was delayed before appearing on a smaller label with little publicity. Crowley later referred to A Northern Country as "the least ceremonious album of them all".
Long Distance Swimmer
was released as soon as it was recorded as, according to Crowley, he became "fed up waiting". It was recorded with engineer Stephen Shannon. The record received positive reviews and was nominated for the Choice Music Prize. The NME
said it was "a lo-furnished, snug, auburn-tinged folk album which calls to mind Bill Callahan, Johnny Cash
, and Edwyn Collins
". The Irish Independents John Meagher named it his favourite album of 2007 and sixteenth best Irish album of the decade, while his colleague Eamon Sweeney suggested Crowley's record was one of the few Irish albums preventing that year from being "an absolute stinker". It was around this time that Crowley began working with The Fence Collective
and members of Halfset. He featured on the 12 March 2008 edition of the sixth series of Other Voices. Also that month, he performed a residency at Whelan's
.
Season of the Sparks
was released on 24 April 2009 and featured an expanded palette of instruments including marxophone, shruti box, upright harmonium, viola de gamba, baroque viola. It was generally well-received by critics in both and Ireland and the UK, and, so pleased was the reviewer with the French magazine Les Inrockuptibles
that he wrote a letter of thanks to Crowley. Crowley featured on TG4
music series Ceol Ar An Imeall and returned to perform on an episode of the eighth series of Other Voices, both broadcast in 2010. He was also one of the first acts to be announced for Electric Picnic 2010
.
Memorial Tribute Show in Dublin on 19 January 2004. He has performed with James Yorkston
on several occasions. The pair have recorded an eight track mini-album as a tribute to Daniel Johnson
. Crowley also curates the Homelights Festival in Dublin.
Crowley's style has been compared to that of Badly Drawn Boy
, Bill Callahan, Nick Drake
and Tim Buckley
, while Irish Independent
reviewer Eamon Sweeney has said the singer is "a master of understatement". The vocals of Noah and the Whale
's Charlie Fink are said to be reminiscent of Crowley's. As well as singing Crowley plays the electric guitar
and the Rhodes piano
; he never plays the acoustic guitar
. He experiences music while he sleeps:
placed Crowley at number eight in a list of "The 50 Best Irish Acts Right Now" published in April 2009, noting his "majestic songs, rich voice and subtle blend of atmospherics and master-level wordplay".
In a 2005 Rolling Stone
interview, Ryan Adams
cited Crowley when asked "Who's the best songwriter that no one's heard of".
's Super Extra Bonus Party LP
.
Season of the Sparks won the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2009. Crowley received a prize of €10,000 cheque. He described himself as "totally flabbergasted", adding "I didn't really think it was the sort of record that was going to win awards". Crowley promised to use the money to fund his music. He was one of eight nominees who performed at the awards ceremony. He is a friend of fellow nominee Valerie Francis.
|-
| 2008 || Long Distance Swimmer
|| Irish Album of the Year 2007 ||
|-
| 2010 || Season of the Sparks
|| Irish Album of the Year 2009 ||
|-
Singer–songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
from Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
but based in Dublin. Despite being born in Sliema
Sliema
Tas-Sliema is a city located on the northeast coast of Malta. It is a centre for shopping, restaurants and café life. Tas-Sliema is also a major commercial and residential area and houses several of Malta's most modern hotels. Tas-Sliema, which means 'peace, comfort', was once a quiet fishing...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, much of his success has come in Ireland.
Beginning his career at the age of 25, Crowley has released five albums, with his debut A Strange Kind arriving in 1999. He followed this with When You Are Here You Are Family (2002), A Northern Country (2004), Long Distance Swimmer
Long Distance Swimmer
Long Distance Swimmer is the fourth studio album released by Irish singer-songwriter Adrian Crowley. It was recorded during a one week period in the home of Crowley's sister in the suburb of Foxrock, County Dublin, was released on the Tin Angel record label, and features contributions from other...
(2007) and Season of the Sparks
Season of the Sparks
Season of the Sparks is the fifth studio album released by Irish singer-songwriter Adrian Crowley. On March 3, 2010 it was announced as the winner of the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2009 at Vicar Street, Dublin....
(2009). He has performed on TV shows such as Other Voices and Ceol Ar An Imeall and is also curator of the Homelights Festival in Dublin.
In a 2005 Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
interview, Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
cited Crowley when asked "Who's the best songwriter that no one's heard of". The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
placed this artist at number eight in a list of "The 50 Best Irish Acts Right Now" published in April 2009.
Crowley has won the Choice Music Prize
Choice Music Prize
-Establishment:It was established by journalist Jim Carroll and manager Dave Reid in 2005. as an alternative to the industry-dominated Meteor Music Awards. The Choice Music Prize is modelled after the Mercury Prize which is awarded each year to the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland...
for Irish Album of the Year on one occasion for Season of the Sparks and been nominated on another occasion for Long Distance Swimmer. After winning the award for Irish Album of the Year 2009 he was among the first acts to be announced for Electric Picnic 2010
Electric Picnic 2010
Electric Picnic 2010 was the seventh edition of the Electric Picnic festival to take place. The three-day event took take place on the weekend of Friday September 3, Saturday September 4 and Sunday September 5 at Stradbally Hall in Stradbally, County Laois, Ireland...
.
Early life
Crowley is from a multicultural background. He was born in the VallettaValletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
suburb of Sliema
Sliema
Tas-Sliema is a city located on the northeast coast of Malta. It is a centre for shopping, restaurants and café life. Tas-Sliema is also a major commercial and residential area and houses several of Malta's most modern hotels. Tas-Sliema, which means 'peace, comfort', was once a quiet fishing...
in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
but reared in Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
. Crowley's parents met in Southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
but moved to Crowley's grandmother's home in Malta due to political turmoil in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. His mother rescued a drowning swimmer from the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
when she was pregnant with him. After his birth they departed Malta for Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
. Crowley has been based in Dublin since the 1990s but has also spent a year living in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He is married with two children.
Career
Crowley was a late developer as a musician, having originally spent time on other pursuits, such as studying architecture, painting and photography. Alongside this he wrote songs but did not perform his first show until the age of 25, some days after finding material he had written in the early 1990s in his attic. He departed from a career in photography around 2004 to enter the music profession on a full-time basis.Crowley released his debut album A Strange Kind independently in 1999. The song "Capricorn" was played regularly on No Disco
No Disco
No Disco was RTÉ's flagship music television programme, broadcast on Irish television channel, Network 2, from 1993 - 2003. It was presented by Donal Dineen, Uaneen Fitzsimons and, following the death of Fitzsimons, Lawrence "Leagues" O'Toole...
that year. When You Are Here You Are Family followed in 2002, being recorded at the Electrical Audio studios of one of his heroes, Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
, in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. This successful spell in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inspired him to begin communicating with American record labels.
He joined the label Ba Da Bing who were keen to produce his next two albums. A Northern Country was due for release in on 2 July 2004, though was delayed before appearing on a smaller label with little publicity. Crowley later referred to A Northern Country as "the least ceremonious album of them all".
Long Distance Swimmer
Long Distance Swimmer
Long Distance Swimmer is the fourth studio album released by Irish singer-songwriter Adrian Crowley. It was recorded during a one week period in the home of Crowley's sister in the suburb of Foxrock, County Dublin, was released on the Tin Angel record label, and features contributions from other...
was released as soon as it was recorded as, according to Crowley, he became "fed up waiting". It was recorded with engineer Stephen Shannon. The record received positive reviews and was nominated for the Choice Music Prize. The NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
said it was "a lo-furnished, snug, auburn-tinged folk album which calls to mind Bill Callahan, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, and Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Stephen Collins is an Ivor Novello Award winning Scottish musician, playing mostly electric guitar-driven pop. Collins formed the musical group Nu-Sonics in 1976, which later became Orange Juice...
". The Irish Independents John Meagher named it his favourite album of 2007 and sixteenth best Irish album of the decade, while his colleague Eamon Sweeney suggested Crowley's record was one of the few Irish albums preventing that year from being "an absolute stinker". It was around this time that Crowley began working with The Fence Collective
Fence Records
Fence Records is a record label based in Fife, Scotland which is owned and run by musicians King Creosote and The Pictish Trail...
and members of Halfset. He featured on the 12 March 2008 edition of the sixth series of Other Voices. Also that month, he performed a residency at Whelan's
Whelan's (music venue)
Whelan's is a small music venue in Dublin, Ireland, located on Wexford Street.The venue and pub was initially started by Gary Whelan and Ian Keith in 1989 and ten years later was bought by Frank Gleeson. Local musicians and actors frequent it...
.
Season of the Sparks
Season of the Sparks
Season of the Sparks is the fifth studio album released by Irish singer-songwriter Adrian Crowley. On March 3, 2010 it was announced as the winner of the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2009 at Vicar Street, Dublin....
was released on 24 April 2009 and featured an expanded palette of instruments including marxophone, shruti box, upright harmonium, viola de gamba, baroque viola. It was generally well-received by critics in both and Ireland and the UK, and, so pleased was the reviewer with the French magazine Les Inrockuptibles
Les Inrockuptibles
Les Inrockuptibles is a French cultural magazine. Started as a monthly magazine in 1986, it became weekly in 1995. The name is a play on "Les Incorruptibles", the French title of the American television series The Untouchables...
that he wrote a letter of thanks to Crowley. Crowley featured on TG4
TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
music series Ceol Ar An Imeall and returned to perform on an episode of the eighth series of Other Voices, both broadcast in 2010. He was also one of the first acts to be announced for Electric Picnic 2010
Electric Picnic 2010
Electric Picnic 2010 was the seventh edition of the Electric Picnic festival to take place. The three-day event took take place on the weekend of Friday September 3, Saturday September 4 and Sunday September 5 at Stradbally Hall in Stradbally, County Laois, Ireland...
.
Other work
Crowley collaborated with Estel on "Electric Eels", a track from the 2003 album A Guide in Time of Great Danger. He performed at the Elliott SmithElliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
Memorial Tribute Show in Dublin on 19 January 2004. He has performed with James Yorkston
James Yorkston
-Music career:A native of Fife, James Yorkston was an integral early member of the Fence Collective whose reach across contemporary music continues to lengthen: King Creosote, The Aliens, KT Tunstall, The Beta Band...
on several occasions. The pair have recorded an eight track mini-album as a tribute to Daniel Johnson
Daniel Johnson
Daniel Johnson may refer to* Daniel Johnson , English buccaneer* Daniel Johnson, Sr. , politician, leader of the Union Nationale party and Quebec premier, 1966–1968* Daniel Johnson, Jr...
. Crowley also curates the Homelights Festival in Dublin.
Style
Crowley is renowned for his serious songwriting style, a reputation which has not fazed him. He has spoken about his future hopes to entertain with his music, once saying: "I've always been cast as a very sombre performer, but I don't really care. There's very little you can do after you've been stamped as earnest or serious early on in your career".Crowley's style has been compared to that of Badly Drawn Boy
Badly Drawn Boy
Damon Gough is an English alternative music singer/songwriter. He was born on 2 October 1969, in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. He grew up in the Breightmet area of Bolton, Lancashire, England....
, Bill Callahan, Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
and Tim Buckley
Tim Buckley
Timothy Charles Buckley III was an American vocalist, and musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years; his first album was mostly folk oriented, but over time his music incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul, avant-garde and an evolving "voice as instrument," sound...
, while Irish Independent
Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
reviewer Eamon Sweeney has said the singer is "a master of understatement". The vocals of Noah and the Whale
Noah and the Whale
Noah and the Whale are an English indie folk band from Twickenham, London, England formed in 2006. The band consists of Charlie Fink , Tom Hobden , Matt "Urby Whale" Owens , Fred Abbott , and Michael Petulla .-Early years and Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down...
's Charlie Fink are said to be reminiscent of Crowley's. As well as singing Crowley plays the electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and the Rhodes piano
Rhodes piano
The Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
; he never plays the acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
. He experiences music while he sleeps:
Discography
Adrian Crowley has released five albums.- A Strange Kind (1999)
- When You Are Here You Are Family (2002)
- A Northern Country (2004)
- Long Distance SwimmerLong Distance SwimmerLong Distance Swimmer is the fourth studio album released by Irish singer-songwriter Adrian Crowley. It was recorded during a one week period in the home of Crowley's sister in the suburb of Foxrock, County Dublin, was released on the Tin Angel record label, and features contributions from other...
(2007) - Season of the SparksSeason of the SparksSeason of the Sparks is the fifth studio album released by Irish singer-songwriter Adrian Crowley. On March 3, 2010 it was announced as the winner of the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2009 at Vicar Street, Dublin....
(2009)
Band members
The following have performed with Crowley.- Jeff Martin — GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Steven Shannon — Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Cillian Mc Donnell — DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Kevin Murphy — CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Marja Tuhkanen Gaynor — ViolaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, viola de gamba, violViolThe viol is any one of a family of bowed, fretted and stringed musical instruments developed in the mid-late 15th century and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The family is related to and descends primarily from the Renaissance vihuela, a plucked instrument that preceded the... - Adem Ilhan — HarmoniumHarmoniumA harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
, vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Kate Ellis — Cello
- Thomas Haugh — Drums, zitherZitherThe zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
- Andrew Bushe — Drums
- Sarah Fox — Bass guitar, double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, vocals - Emma Smith — Violin, vocals
- Vince Sipprell — Viola
- Cameron Miller — Bass guitar, double bass, vocals
- Sarah Jones — Drums
- Christopher MayoChristopher MayoChristopher Mayo is a Canadian composer of contemporary classical music.Born in Toronto, Mayo studied at the University of Toronto where he was awarded the Glenn Gould Composition Prize and the William Erving Fairclough Scholarship and earned an Honours Bachelor of Music Degree...
— Bass guitar - James YorkstonJames Yorkston-Music career:A native of Fife, James Yorkston was an integral early member of the Fence Collective whose reach across contemporary music continues to lengthen: King Creosote, The Aliens, KT Tunstall, The Beta Band...
— ConcertinaConcertinaA concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
, guitar, vocals - Alex Neilson — Drums
- Otto Hauser — Drums
- Jesse Sparhawk — Bass guitar
- Viking Moses
Awards
The Irish TimesThe Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
placed Crowley at number eight in a list of "The 50 Best Irish Acts Right Now" published in April 2009, noting his "majestic songs, rich voice and subtle blend of atmospherics and master-level wordplay".
In a 2005 Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
interview, Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
cited Crowley when asked "Who's the best songwriter that no one's heard of".
Choice Music Prize
Long Distance Swimmer was nominated for the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2007 but lost to Super Extra Bonus PartySuper Extra Bonus Party
Super Extra Bonus Party were a Choice Music Prize winning indie-electronica band, formed in November 2005 and based in Kildare, Ireland. Their music spanned various genres such as electronica, indie and hip hop...
's Super Extra Bonus Party LP
Super Extra Bonus Party LP
Super Extra Bonus Party LP is the title of Super Extra Bonus Party's debut Choice Music Prize winning album. It was released on April 13, 2007. It has received much critical acclaim in Ireland and has been called "the most inventive Irish album this decade" and "contender for Irish album of the...
.
Season of the Sparks won the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2009. Crowley received a prize of €10,000 cheque. He described himself as "totally flabbergasted", adding "I didn't really think it was the sort of record that was going to win awards". Crowley promised to use the money to fund his music. He was one of eight nominees who performed at the awards ceremony. He is a friend of fellow nominee Valerie Francis.
|-
| 2008 || Long Distance Swimmer
Long Distance Swimmer
Long Distance Swimmer is the fourth studio album released by Irish singer-songwriter Adrian Crowley. It was recorded during a one week period in the home of Crowley's sister in the suburb of Foxrock, County Dublin, was released on the Tin Angel record label, and features contributions from other...
|| Irish Album of the Year 2007 ||
|-
| 2010 || Season of the Sparks
Season of the Sparks
Season of the Sparks is the fifth studio album released by Irish singer-songwriter Adrian Crowley. On March 3, 2010 it was announced as the winner of the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2009 at Vicar Street, Dublin....
|| Irish Album of the Year 2009 ||
|-