• Arab Strap – 20 Songs for 20 Years

    October 10, 2016 - By 

    Six albums isn’t a lot by some bands’ standards, but for one as consistent as Arab Strap, it’s difficult to narrow that down into a “best of”. Without any drastic stylistic reinventions, the duo gradually evolved over their decade long career from fairly lo-fi beginnings, taking in elements of slowcore, folk, electronic music and more thanks to Malcolm Middleton’s impressive musicianship, all anchored by Aidan Moffat’s sung or spoken tales of misery and debauchery in his unmistakable thick Scottish accent. After their amicable split in 2006 they didn’t bother attempting that best of, instead releasing the aptly titled Ten Years of Tears compilation, a ragtag collection of…

  • Pixies – Head Carrier

    October 7, 2016 - By 

    Let’s get this out of the way right away – Pixies are obviously one of the greatest bands of all time. During their original run from 1986 to 1993, they amassed one of the most perfect discographies any band has ever managed. That includes the sometimes wrongly overlooked Bossanova and Trompe le Monde, which easily match up to their predecessors, and even the B-sides collection is pretty solid. So in a way it’s understandable that for years after their 2004 reunion, fans were apprehensive about the idea of any new material, particularly in the wake of that year’s now rightly forgotten one-off single ‘Bam Thwok’. Kim…

  • Chemistry, Friendship and Respect: An Interview With Redneck Manifesto

    September 18, 2016 - By 

    Ahead of their only show of 2016 at Debarra’s as part of Clonakilty International Guitar Festival on Sunday, September 18, Cathal McBride talks to Matthew Bolger of Dublin instrumental heroes The Redneck Manifesto about new material, the importance of friendship to the band’s dynamic, failed attempts at writing over the internet and what the future holds in store. Hi guys. How’s the new material coming along? The new material is coming together very quickly at the moment. We’ve written 6 new songs in the last 4 months. It’s really amazing to get back in a room with everyone again. We really missed playing together and…

  • Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree

    September 16, 2016 - By 

    Skeleton Tree isn’t the first Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds album born out of personal turmoil. The melancholy of albums like Your Funeral, My Trial in the 80s was inspired by Cave’s worsening heroin addiction, while 1997’s The Boatman’s Call was one of those classic breakup albums, famously considered – until now, that is – to be Cave’s most emotionally affecting work. But that must pale into insignificance for Cave now, ever since his 15 year old son Arthur last year fell to his death from a cliff near their home in Brighton, an event he describes in the album’s accompanying film One More Time With Feeling…

  • August Wells – Madness is the Mercy

    September 9, 2016 - By 

    Over 20 years since his emergence with shoegaze band Rollerskate Skinny (with none other than Jimi Shields, brother of My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin) and a CV that includes stints fronting New York alt-rock band Favourite Sons and his own solo project Kid Silver, Dublin native Kenneth Griffin shows no sign of letting up from his multifaceted musical pursuits, with his latest venture August Wells – formed in 2012 with New York pianist John Rauchenberger – recently signing to Cork’s FIFA Records (Forever In Financial Arrears) for this second LP. Griffin’s impressive croon is the first thing you hear at the start of opener ‘Here in the…

  • Inbound: Rory Grubb

    September 2, 2016 - By 

    Rory Grubb may be a singer-songwriter, but he isn’t exactly the kind of artist that term brings to mind. Third album Water House, his first in seven years – apparently “pieced together in rural Kilkenny between 2010 and 2012, over two very cold winters, in buildings without insulation” but only now seeing the light of day – amplifies the idiosyncrasies of previous album Sketches From The Big Sleep and brings them closer to the surface, as he mixes acoustic and electronic instrumentation along with homemade instruments like his impressive electric ceramophone – an array of ceramic pots spanning the musical…

  • Exploded View – Exploded View

    August 19, 2016 - By 

    Formed in somewhat Atoms For Peace-esque circumstances, Exploded View came together in 2014 when ‘UK-born, Berlin-based political-journalist-turned-musician’ Anika put a band together in Mexico to tour her solo work there, before finding that her and her new group, made up of local musicians and producers Martin Thulin, Hugo Quezada and Amon Melgarejo, had a natural chemistry that deserved to be committed to tape. The resulting self-titled album, released on the ever reliable Sacred Bones label, is cut from similar cloth to Anika’s 2010 solo album – a collaboration with Portishead side project Beak – but is infinitely more accomplished and…

  • Popicalia 22: Squarehead, Land Lovers & Ginnels @ Bello Bar, Dublin

    August 2, 2016 - By 

    At one stage, Popical Island’s regular Popicalia nights were such a staple of Dublin’s indie scene that Retarded Cop even wrote a song about it (found on the Popical Island #2 compilation), so its return with a stellar lineup – and an invitingly colourful poster courtesy of Ruan Van Vliet – after a 2 and a half year hiatus was always going to attract a hefty crowd to its new home in the cosy surroundings of Bello Bar. Ginnels (below) opening set sees Mark Chester add a new violinist to the lineup, adding an extra layer to the infectious indie pop…

  • Holy Fuck – Congrats

    May 26, 2016 - By 

    Far from being just another band with a sweary name, Holy Fuck were founded on an enticing principle – to make electronic music without the use of modern digital electronic methods (programming, sampling, laptops etc), core members Brian Borcherdt and Graham Walsh instead utilising various mini keyboards, effects pedals and even film reel and toys (a Speak & Spell being a particular favourite) to create a cacophony of sound, all accompanied by bass and drums. While they’ve always been a must-see live act, even earning the praise of a certain Lou Reed, their ability to progress over their first three albums without straying far from those methods…

  • Distorted Perspectives Day Two: Hookworms w/ Twinkranes @ Regional Culture Centre, Letterkenny

    May 3, 2016 - By 

    For non-Irish acts, Letterkenny probably seems like a strange date to include on a tour. But with Distorted Perspectives now in its third year, having previously brought names like Moon Duo and Damo Suzuki to the town it might not stay that way. This year, the festival’s biggest draw is Leeds psych quintet Hookworms, making their debut Irish jaunt along with a show in Dublin’s Whelans the night before. From the outside, the RCC looks like much too large a venue for this sort of gig, but thankfully the performance space is perfect –  a small black room with a…