Sean MacLeod
Beautiful Star
Sean T MacLeod has been active in Irish music for a long time, first as a founding member of the Dublin band Cisco. Their album No 1 earned solid reviews and brought interest from outside Ireland, giving the band a brief but notable run before they eventually split.
Since then, MacLeod has moved at his own pace as a solo artist. He has released a steady stream of singles along with three full albums of original material. His writing draws heavily from the classic pop era of the sixties, especially the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Motown catalogue. Alongside those sounds he also brought together folk, classical and more experimental influences to give his work a much broader range than a simple retro approach.
Building his music around clear melodic lines with familiar chord progressions, there is a recognisable structure to Sean's sound although the lyrical content often heads in a different direction. Instead of opting for the safe option and sticking to straightforward themes, he tends to lean into more reflective, philosophical and at times spiritual themes. This contrast between accessible music and more questioning subject matter has become a recurring feature of his work.
Since then, MacLeod has moved at his own pace as a solo artist. He has released a steady stream of singles along with three full albums of original material. His writing draws heavily from the classic pop era of the sixties, especially the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Motown catalogue. Alongside those sounds he also brought together folk, classical and more experimental influences to give his work a much broader range than a simple retro approach.
Building his music around clear melodic lines with familiar chord progressions, there is a recognisable structure to Sean's sound although the lyrical content often heads in a different direction. Instead of opting for the safe option and sticking to straightforward themes, he tends to lean into more reflective, philosophical and at times spiritual themes. This contrast between accessible music and more questioning subject matter has become a recurring feature of his work.
In spring 2025 he will release New Start, a new full-length record that continues his run of self-written material. Alongside it, he is also preparing We Don’t See What We Don’t See, an album that moves into experimental territory. The two projects show different sides of his writing with one focused on songcraft, the other on exploring less traditionally structured ideas.
For fans who've followed Sean's work since the Cisco days, the upcoming releases mark yet another step in an already incredible musical journey. For those that have just discovered Sean's music, this is a great starting point to start looking back on his impressive back catalogue.
For fans who've followed Sean's work since the Cisco days, the upcoming releases mark yet another step in an already incredible musical journey. For those that have just discovered Sean's music, this is a great starting point to start looking back on his impressive back catalogue.