• Everything Sucks #009: Garth Brooks

    July 8, 2014 - By 

    So, the news has just broke that country-pop superstar and apparent one-man economic stimulus package Garth Brooks has decided that the cash-in he was offered from a willing fanbase, that queued up for days in some cases and doubled occurrences of carpal tunnel syndrome refreshing their browsers, wasn’t good enough. After having two shows pulled owing to the objections of residents who have better things to do than have their front yards pissed in, the man himself issued an ultimatum that it was all the money he was initially offered, or he’d find some other backwoods to warm up for…

  • No Good Trying: A Syd Barrett Playlist

    July 7, 2014 - By 

    “I wasn’t always this introverted. I think young people should have a lot of fun. But I never seem to have any.” So said Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1971. Three years on from parting with Pink Floyd – a band he co-founded and named – Barrett had just released his second and final studio album, Barrett, before withdrawing from the limelight, a visionary, plagued genius; victim of psychedelic consumption. Tales of his heavy LSD use and notoriously erratic behaviour are well documented, agonisingly revealing the birth and decay of arguably psychedelia’s brightest star, a beatific songsmith, equally entrenched and liberated by his…

  • Latté Pappa: Öresunds Festival

    July 7, 2014 - By 

    Öresunds festival is held every year at the end May in the southern town of Malmö, Sweden. It’s purpose is to showcase, exclusively musicians coming from Sweden and Denmark. The countries are connected by the Öresunds bridge, hence the festivals name. Music on offer is a mix of electronic, pop, rock, reggae, R&B and soul. Five venues host the festival over two days at a cost of only 325 SEK (€35). It starts in the early evening and keeps going until 4am. Underage get in for cheaper. This was my second time attending and I think it is getting better…

  • Inbound: The Clameens

    July 4, 2014 - By 

    Currently in the studio recording their debut EP, Derry four-piece The Clameens have made a strong impression at home and further afield over the last twelve months, not least for the infectious pop-rock of singles ‘Don’t Judge’ and ‘Follow’. In the latest installment of Inbound, we talk to the band’s frontman, Sean Breslin, about their formation in the Creggan area of Derry, abiding to a very particular songwriting mantra and the band’s stance on living for the moment, whilst striving towards the future. Hi Sean. You’ve had quite busy last few months playing shows and getting your music out there to new…

  • Classic Album: The Sisters of Mercy – Some Girls Wander By Mistake

    July 2, 2014 - By 

    Incredibly, the Sisters of Mercy have not released any new music for twenty-one years. Their last release was a compilation entitled A Slight Case of Overbombing back in 1993, which featured one new song, and since then they’ve been silent. However, unlike My Bloody Valentine or Guns ‘N’ Roses, who also left epic gaps between records, creating a mystique that sustained them, The Sisters of Mercy have disappeared into the realm of myth or legend, forgotten by all but the most devoted few. But a cursory look at the period they were active shows that they were a Big Deal,…

  • Choice Cuts: The Best Tracks of… June

    July 1, 2014 - By 

    June saw the release of a plethora of hard hitting hip-hop and rainy day jazz music, and perhaps more suitably, a wealth of breezy summer jams to dig your teeth into. Below are ten of the month’s best (sifted from a great many more,) culminating in the top three. J Mascis – Every Morning (Sub Pop) No one can deny the impact J Mascis had on rock and punk music in the 80s and 90s, and its nice to see the Dinosaur Jr veteran continuing to release great music. His new track ‘Every Morning’ is a fairly stripped down acoustic…

  • Interview: New Secret Weapon

    June 26, 2014 - By 

    Ahead of playing this year’s Sea Sessions in Bundoran at the weekend, we talk to Dublin prog-tinged alt-rock trio New Secret Weapon about their guerrilla-style live shows, breaking free from songwriting conventions and recording their long-awaited self-titled debut album with Solar Bears’ Rian Trench.  Hi guys. You said you formed “in the aftermath of KnockanStockan Festival 2007”. What was the catalyst for formation there? There were many catalysts but the best one was probably the fact that the three of us had never played music together before and we played as if we’d been playing together our whole lives. Seven years on,…

  • Electric Picnic 2014: Must-See Acts

    June 25, 2014 - By 

    Electric Picnic is possibly one of the most eclectic festivals in the country. Each year the line up strives to provide something for every palate. In the picturesque surroundings of Stradbally, Co. Laois it began as a daylong event with Groove Armada in 2004 and has grown each year since. So what has this summer’s weekend event got in store? Headlining are Portishead, Outkast and Beck with each artist representing different aspects of the musical spectrum. In recent years, Portishead have almost leant toward noise music with their most recent album Third. The aforementioned Third is a far cry from…

  • Classic Album: The Divine Comedy – Promenade

    June 25, 2014 - By 

    I’m none too smart, a sumo-intellectual at best, but people often assume I am clever because of my large forehead, glasses and the fact that I talk far too much. My learning is skin-deep and a mile wide but I have a felicitous ability to put random things together in a manner that would answer Lautremont’s dictum: I can’t get any of my dissecting done as the whole place is lousy with sewing machines and umbrellas. But mostly what I like doing is showing off. And this is a record that really shows off. It is, if you like, a…

  • Track Record: Caoilian Sherlock (The Shaker Hymn)

    June 27, 2014 - By 

    In the latest installment of Track Record – a feature looking at the record collections of Irish musicians and artists – photographer Brid O’Donovan shoots Caoilian Sherlock, lead singer and guitarist for Cork alt-rock four-piece The Shaker Hymn choosing and selecting some of his all-time favourite records, everything from legendary West Coast rappers and local psych-rock masters. The Clash – London Calling This is the only Clash album I actually like. When myself and my friend Oran were fifteen we went to Kerry for a holiday and we had two albums. Oran was the first person I met that knew about records…