Best songs of 2021 #5

The Celt’s Seamus Enright, Thomas Lyons, Eddie Butler, Linda O’Reilly, and Damian McCarney, sift through the releases of the last year and rank their top 10.

5. Zen Arcade: Wallflower

We were obviously first introduced to Ross, Evan and Pete with the Strypes and they brought us blistering tunes, brimming with melodies and delivered at the speed of light. Sam Geraghty and Becky Walsh have brought more textures to this recipe, particularly with their harmonies. In Wallflower Zen Arcade tick all these boxes and more put in an ultra tight performance, shot in a homage to the Old Grey Whistle Test for Cavan Day. Sounding like a latter-day Stiff Little Fingers in post-punk pop mode it has the great lyric: "I'm a hanging basket who cannot speak."