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",
Wave After Wave
Iona Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the water falls
And the line is drawn
Wave after wave rolls in
And the line is gone
Where my feet have been
Hills that I know are there
Light shining through the grey
Turns the water deep shades
Of lilac blue
Music in every sound
Light beyond each cloud
Hope in every dream
Songs like a healing breeze
Every breath inhale
And the goodness feel
I witness the power
Great mystery telling
In every moment
With every swelling wave
I feel the depth of your love
And devotion
My heart like the bird
That dives into this ocean blue
Lanes that have brought me here
Framed in season flowers
Lined in summer green
Music in every sound
Light beyond each cloud
Hope in every dream
Songs like a healing breeze
Every breath inhale
And the goodness feel
Rise from the bird above
From the flower below
In a song of love
Music in every sound
Light beyond each cloud, hope in every dream
In "Wave After Wave," Iona beautifully captures the power of the ocean and its ability to wash away the past and bring in the new. The lyrics speak of the waves rolling in and taking away the lines where the singer's feet have been, as if offering a clean slate to start anew. The hills are hidden by a misty air, further emphasizing the idea that the past is out of sight and out of mind. Despite this cleansing, the light shining through the grey of the sky and the lilac blue of the water represent hope and new life. Music can be heard in every sound, and hope is present in every dream.
The bridge of the song speaks of the singer feeling the depth of someone's love with every wave that washes over them. The metaphor of the heart being like a bird that dives into the blue ocean represents a sense of freedom and joy in feeling the love that surrounds them. The following lines speak of the beauty that can be found in the present, with lanes framed in seasonal flowers and lined in summer green.
Overall, "Wave After Wave" is a song about the power of the present moment, the beauty of nature, and the hope that exists even in the darkest times. It speaks of the ocean as a metaphor for washing away the past and bringing in the new, all while remaining steadfast and powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
Music in every sound
I hear beauty in every noise around me
Light beyond each cloud, hope in every dream
Amidst cloudy situations, when hope seems unimaginable, I see light and possibility within my dreams
Wave after wave rolls on
The motion of life never stops, it continues persistently like the waves in the ocean
And the water falls
Water keeps moving downward incessantly
And the line is drawn
Like the waves that create a line on the beach, marking temporary existence
Wave after wave rolls in
Life keeps bringing new experiences just like the waves keep arriving at the shore
And the line is gone
Just like the line created by waves on the beach is erased, so are the marks of the past on our journey
Where my feet have been
Looking back at the path where I have walked and the experiences that have brought me to this point
Hills that I know are there
Reminded of the challenges that await in the future
Hidden from my view by the misty air
The future is clouded, making it difficult to see the obstacles that lie ahead
Light shining through the grey
Nevertheless, there is a glimmer of hope, a chance that good things can come through despite the darkness
Turns the water deep shades
The light that shines upon the water reveals deeper shades of beauty
Of lilac blue
The water appears a beautiful lilac blue color in the light
Songs like a healing breeze
The songs that uplift me can offer a healing and rejuvenating breeze
Every breath inhale
Take in a deep breath and experience the beauty of the world around us
And the goodness feel
As we breathe in and out, we can feel the goodness of life surrounding us
I witness the power
I see the immense power of nature and the world that surrounds me
Great mystery telling
I witness a compelling and mysterious force telling a story
In every moment
This force is present in every instance
With every swelling wave
Just like the waves of the ocean bring new experiences, there is something to be learned in every moment
I feel the depth of your love and devotion
The depth of someone's love and commitment is felt through both the positive and negative experiences in life
My heart like the bird
My heart is light like a bird, ready to soar
That dives into this ocean blue
I am diving and experiencing everything that life has to offer
Lanes that have brought me here
My experiences have brought me to this place and time
Framed in season flowers
The beauty of nature frames my journey through life
Lined in summer green
The season of growth and possibility surrounds me on this journey
Rise from the bird above
Like the bird that rises above, I will rise from any obstacles thrown my way
From the flower below
Just as the flower grows out of the darkness, I too will grow and flourish
In a song of love
All these experiences are weaving together to create a beautiful, intriguing story of love
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DAVE BAINBRIDGE, FRANK T. VAN ESSEN, TROY DONOCKLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kiwiroos
From someone who listens to metal and hard rock on any day of the week, it always feels good coming back to quality music like this, from artists who are extremely talented and who convey such a strong sense of spirit and love for God. Anyone else agree?
M. A. Simione
Me too... totally with ya!
cheycaster
AMEN!
Graham Long
Known this band for along time brilliant have you tried dam the bard band look up January man 😊
John Freeman
I've literally only just found Iona. This was through seeing that Troy was playing with them (big Nightwish fan). I have no religious belief but love Iona's music. Being a drummer I can appreciate their drummers art. Just watching him you can see he is playing to the song and feeling every beat; just as it should be. Lovely lead and bass guitar work, Troy is stand out as ever. Then we come to the vocalist..............Beautiful voice, beautiful tone, wonderful.
An amazing band. I only wish I'd found them sooner, would loved to see them live.
cheycaster
Congrats!!!!! They are AWESOME
Richard Connold
If you think that this guy is a good drummer (and he is), check out Iona's records, with Terl Bryant.
Deborah Strickland
John Freeman Their Book of Kells album is incredible.
Fay McDade
John, check out their live album "Woven Chord" done with the All Souls Orchestra, it's awesome, esp the 12 minute "Encircling" (it's here on youtube, I've just listened to it again) - total masterpiece! Every single member through the years (and I've been a fan for a long time, so gone through the member changes) has been absolutely outstanding and I wish they would perform again, as I never got to see them live.
I only found out last week that Troy was with Nightwish, after seeing the vid of them performing Ghost Love Score live - wow! blown away ...Joanne of Iona is one of my favourite female voices, but Floor....?! Oh my lordy, what a voice! I'd seen a vid of her singing Phantom of the Opera, with a Dutch opera singer guy, a few months ago & she was totally mesmerising, so that brought me to looking into Nightwish. I'm not a metal fan at all, more rock, but I don't think that song is probably typical? I might have a go listening to some of their other stuff. Enjoy catching up with all the Iona songs..Matthew, The Man is another favourite of mine. :)
Dolphena1
This woman has a voice of an angel. So clean and pure.