Good afternoon! Conas atá tú? The Meista here with a pairing that is "brewed" from my Irish roots... "The Fine Art Of Surfacing" by The Boomtown Rats and a Harp Lager from Guinness Ltd.!
Released on October 9th, 1979, "The Fine Art Of Surfacing" is the 3rd studio album by Irish new wave rockers The Boomtown Rats. A bit of a departure musically from their more punk roots, "The Fine Art Of Surfacing" was a huge commercial success for the band and helped them break into the American market, particularly as a result of the success of song "I Don't Like Mondays". Pulling from multiple musical influences (punk, glam rock, Irish folk, R&B, and rock), the album showed the diverse musical talent of the band and Bob Geldolf's strong songwriting prowess. It has a very Talking Heads feel to me. A prevailing theme on the album is American society (viewed sometimes seriously, sometimes critically, and sometimes humorously). Prior to writing the album, Geldolf had spent a significant time in the States learning about American culture and the music industry. Along with the great "I Don't Like Mondays", other notable tracks include "Someone's Looking At You", "Diamond Smiles", "Having My Picture Taken", "Nothing Happened Today", and "When The Night Comes". Personnel on the album: Pete Briquette (bass guitar and backing vocals), Gerry Cott (guitar), Simon Crowe (drums and backing vocals), Johnnie Fingers (keyboards and backing vocals), Geldof (lead vocals and saxophone), and Garry Roberts (guitar and backing vocals).
The Harp Lager is what is considered a Euro Pale Lager. Similar to the evolution of German Munich Helles, this style of lager became popular in the U.K. in the early 1900s as a response to the flooding of the market by Czech Pilsners. The Harp Lager pours a clear, light gold with a frothy white head that holds good retention. The nose is rather mellow and characterized by aromas of crackery grains and grassy hops. There is also some more subtle aromas of toffee, biscuit, and apple. The mouthfeel is crisp and smooth with some sharpness from the high carbonation. The flavor, like the nose is fairly mellow. There are notes of grassy hops initially that give way to sweeter malt flavors like toffee, biscuit, and apple cider. The finish is crisp and dry with a faint lingering sweet note.
Sláinte... Saol fada chugat!
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