They are contemporaries of fellow Celtic artists Enya and Clannad; however, Iona's works are also influenced heavily by jazz-fusion, prog-rock and ancient Christian themes.
For Iona's 1990 debut album, the band added: drummer Terl Bryant, bassist Nick Beggs (former bassist of Kajagoogoo) and several studio musicians -- Fiona Davidson (Celtic harp), Peter Whitfield (strings), Troy Donockley (Uillean pipes) and Frank Van Essen (tuned percussion). The self-titled album received very little press, even in their home country, though a Dutch network compiled a documentary based on Iona, the band and the island.
Two years later, Iona returned with "Book of Kells", and the album was praised by North American critics
as well as those of the British Isles. David Fitzgerald left in 1992 to pursue a degree in music and, as a result, Iona lost much of its jazz influences by the following year's Beyond These Shores. The group made up for Fitzgerald's absence, however, by inviting Robert Fripp to guest on the album. Both albums also featured former Kajagoogoo bassist/stickist Nick Beggs. A contract with England's Alliance Music led to "Journey into the Morn"; the album was released in 1996 in the U.S. and Canada, and was listed among the top five folk albums in Q Magazine's Year End Review. "Heaven's Bright Sun", a live album, came the following year, then "Woven Cord" in 2000, and "Open Sky" in 2001.
Their latest release, new to 2007, is called "The Circling Hour".
iona has been a Leipzig, Germany based postrock-band from 2005-2010 that now reemerges as The Yuki Rush. https://ionanoise.bandcamp.com/album/a-noise
There is also a Romanian experimental / hip hop band who also go by the name "Iona",
Songs of Ascent Part 1
Iona Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And faith like a strong arm around me lies
And life is beginning like springtime in flower
My soul is awakened with truth to astound me
My soul, a cavern for Your sea
And You are the flowering bough of creation
From You cascades music like a million stars
And here in the purest light of the heavens
Mysteries revealing in songs that surround me
An emptiness for You to fill
My soul, a cavern for Your sea
An emptiness for You to fill
My soul, a cavern for Your sea
An emptiness for You to fill
My soul, a cavern for Your sea
The lyrics to Iona's song "Songs of Ascent Part 1" speak about the arrival of mercy and faith in the singer's life. The arrival of these elements is compared to the arrival of springtime in full bloom after a long winter. The language used to describe the arrival of these elements is striking, with "mercy" being compared to softness in the sky, and "faith" being compared to a strong arm. The culmination of these elements causes the soul of the singer to experience a profound awakening that allows them to see the truth that surrounds them.
The lyrics also speak to the singer's desire to be filled with emptiness. The soul is described as being a cavern for the "sea" of the divine. This imagery seems to suggest that the singer is open and receptive to the presence of the divine in their life. The imagery of the flowering bough and the cascading music create a sense of wonder and awe that is reflective of the singer's feeling of being surrounded by mystery and beauty.
Overall, the lyrics to Iona's "Songs of Ascent Part 1" convey a sense of wonder and awe at the arrival of the divine in the singer's life. The language used is floral and poetic, creating a sense of ecstatic joy and renewal.
Line by Line Meaning
When mercy comes to me as soft as the sky
When I experience mercy in a gentle and calming way, like the beauty of the sky
And faith like a strong arm around me lies
And my faith is powerful and supportive, surrounding me like a strong arm
And life is beginning like springtime in flower
And my life is blooming and blossoming like a field of flowers in the springtime
My soul is awakened with truth to astound me
My soul is stirred and awakened by profound truths that amaze me
An emptiness for You to fill
I have an emptiness inside me that only You can fill
My soul, a cavern for Your sea
My soul is like a deep cavern that can contain the vastness of Your being
And You are the flowering bough of creation
You are the beautiful and abundant source of all creation
From You cascades music like a million stars
From You flows music that is as numerous and grand as the stars in the sky
And here in the purest light of the heavens
And in this pure and divine setting
Mysteries revealing in songs that surround me
Mysteries are being unveiled in the songs that envelop me
An emptiness for You to fill
I still have a void inside that only You can satisfy
My soul, a cavern for Your sea
My soul is still like a vast and open space that can store the entirety of Your being
An emptiness for You to fill
I continue to have a space within me that only You can complete
My soul, a cavern for Your sea
My soul remains like a great expanse that can encompass Your entire essence
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alyson Kelly
on Revelation
Revelation
by Iona
____________________________________________________
Waiting for the Spirit of Truth to tell
Power on Earth to stand in the face of hell
Waiting for the sky to clear
Waiting for the Son to appear
Waiting to see you
Waiting to hear you
Waiting for vision
To see your, your
Revelation
Learning the purifying flame
Regeneration after the growing pain
Longing for the words to flow
Longing for the world to know
Waiting to see you
Waiting to hear you
Waiting for vision
To see your, your
Revelation
Waiting to see you
Waiting to hear you
Waiting for vision
To see your, your
Revelation
Waiting to see you
Waiting to hear you
Waiting for vision
To see your, your
Revelation
Waiting to see you
Waiting to hear you
Waiting for vision
To see your, your, your, your
Revelation