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The final shamrock n’ roll song for March was a tough call. I debated whether to go with something more traditional sounding or something contemporary. I know you’re probably all amazed that I made it through an entire month—ten artists—and not a single song from U2. Maybe you're even grateful. It's very uncharacteristic of me, I know. I even had the song ready. A “deep cut” from their second album October. And I’ll leave it at that. Anyway, rather than revisit a band I’ve already written about—many times in the case of U2—I decided to finish out the month by introducing yet another new band from Ireland. Unfortunately, my interest and enthusiasm is, once again, a day late and a dollar short. After seven years of (apparently) pointless critical acclaim, Gary Harding and James McGuire have decided to call it quits and go their separate ways.
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Darling hail(ed) from Dublin and they record(ed) as a duo but perform(ed) as a four-piece. That's been going on since 2013, but surprise-surprise, this is probably the first time/place you’ve ever heard of them. That is an absolute crying shame; especially if you’re a fan—like I am—of the synth speckled, indie guitar drenched pop-rock that swept through England in the 80s. Information is pretty sketchy—even with the internet—but from what I can tell, Darling managed to record several EP’s and then compiled the best of those recordings all on one eponymously-titled album. So it pretty much plays like a greatest hits collection with one single-worthy track after another. I like the way this band sounds a whole lot, and I’m disappointed they couldn’t find a way to get brilliant songs like “Life is What You Make of It” heard outside of Ireland and the small (but mighty) distribution radius of the Happy Medium Song of the Day. 
​(Please use the comments box to share your thoughts.)
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Gary Harding and James McGuire