Via various links around the Tumblrsphere I discovered this great WFMU post on Sister Irene O’Connor, the “post punk nun,” who dropped a drum machine and some echo effects behind some Catholic jams to ignite the holy spirit.

Among the sea of sound-a-like private-pressed Catholic lps that came out in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Sister Irene O’Connor’s 1976 album stands out with its primitive drum machine and spooky, echo-laden vocals. Released in 1976 on the ‘Alba House’ label, the dual-titled Fire of God’s Love/Songs to Ignite The Spirit lp features several haunting and remarkable songs, including the three below.  In particular, the title track “Fire of God’s Love” strikes me as so otherwordly and uniquely eerie that I wonder how far Sister Irene’s O’Connor’s seeming solipsism extended beyond music.

(Songs linked in the post!)

(WFMU: Two Australian Nuns Turn on Drum Machine to Ignite the Spirit)