• Stream: Goodtime John – Hang On/Black Sunrise

    June 11, 2020 - By 

    Exactly a year on from releasing one of the Irish albums of the year, Beauty & Chaos, Goodtime John (AKA J. Cowhie, GOODTIME) is back with a stellar brace of gently-rolling, psych-inflected pop. Featuring long time collaborators including Richie Egan aka Jape and Ross Turner (Lisa Hannigan, Villagers) ‘Hang On’ and ‘Black Sunrise’ are equally emphatic efforts that place deft harmonies and refrains center-stage. “These songs have never quite fit on an album to my mind, but have always felt to me that they go hand in hand,” John said. “Cut from the same cloth as it were. In the current…

  • Stream: Denise Chaila – Down

    May 1, 2020 - By 

    ‘Leigh anois go curamach / Can’t define who I am with a Trocaire box’ Back in February, we featured Limerick-based Zambian-Irish rapper and poet Denise Chaila as one of a handful of Irish acts we’re convinced are set for huge things in 2020 and beyond. A few weeks and breathtaking set at Other Voices Ballina later, Chaila has knocked it out of the park with new single ‘Down’. Produced by MuRli, it’s a slick and instant classic. Denise’s independent label, narolane records, said, “It may be called ‘Down’ but the energy is all the way up on this one. A…

  • Stream: James Joys – Kink (Double A-Side)

    April 27, 2020 - By 

    The scope and intent of James Joys‘ output knows no bounds. One-third of Ex-Isles, one-half of The Night Guild, and a forward-pushing, consistently unpigeonholeable musician in his own right, the Belfast artist and composer – otherwise known as Jamie Thompson – no doubt revels in defying expectation to excavate new sonic spectacles. New double A-Side is a double-pronged triumph of disentangling techno. The clubs may be closed, but across 10 minutes, Joys proposes some pure-cut escapism via this perfectly pupil-dilating brace. KINK (Double A-Side) by James Joys

  • Stream: Dugout – Topsoil

    April 17, 2020 - By 

    It’s been a couple of years since we’ve heard from Belfast quartet Dugout. Making themselves heard in such a supersaturated indie scene, their carefully-crafted indie rock is equal parts fiercely melodic and masterfully economical. A sub-three minute, starry-eyed burst of stellar refrains and =W=-worthy twin guitar harmonies, new single ‘Topsoil’ is a welcome return penned and recorded over the last few weeks in lockdown. Fingers crossed for more of the same in the not-so-distant future. Topsoil by Dugout

  • Stream: The Sky at Night – You’re So Cool

    April 14, 2020 - By 

    From the Altered Hours to DIY LK and far beyond, many Irish artists and collective are digging deep to raise funds for Irish charities that need a helping hand more than ever. Among them is Out on a Limb Records. With all proceeds going to Pieta House, the Limerick imprint today re-releases ‘You’re So Cool’ by Kilkenny-based musician Tim V. Smyth aka The Sky at Night. Originally released back in 2013, it’s a quietly spectral gem that marries lullaby-like refrains with drones that burrow deep. Stream/pay-what-you-like below. You’re So Cool by The Sky At Night

  • Stream: Squarehead – Radiation Vibe (Fountains of Wayne cover)

    April 2, 2020 - By 

    Among the many tributes pouring in for Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger, who has tragically passed aged 52 from coronavirus, Roy Duffy of Dublin indie-rock threesome par excellence Squarehead has offered up something special. Recorded in memory of Schlesinger, Duffy’s rendition of Fountain of Wayne’s debut single, ‘Radiation Vibe,’ feels like the sonic equivalent of a perfectly drawn-out embrace with someone you thought you’d never see again. “I came late to the realisation that I was a big fan of Adam Schlesinger’s work,’ Duffy said. “Maybe about 10 years ago when I began writing my own “song songs” in earnest I delved into anything that…

  • EP Stream: Vivamagnolia – Queen of the Rodeo

    March 27, 2020 - By 

    If there’s one thing we learned from hosting packed-out tributes to U.S. musician Mark Linkous aka Sparklehorse back in 2017 it’s that there is still a sizable audience for brooding, Americana-tinged indie rock here in Ireland. Better still, beyond the likes of Tom McShane, Pixie Saytar, The Mad Dalton and Heliopause (all of whom faithfully covered the music of Linkous as part of the aforesaid tribute ensemble) there are musicians here crafting equally earworming and inward-peering sounds in a similar vein. One such example is Vivamagnolia aka Belfast-based alt-country singer-songwriter Patrick J. Hodgen. Tipping his stetson hat to lo-fi indie luminaries such as Linkous, Bill Callahan, Will…

  • Stream: Bedrooms – Bus Lanes

    February 4, 2020 - By 

    One listen to ‘Bus Lanes’ and it may comes as no surprise to discover that Dublin indie quartet Bedrooms tip their sonic hat to such luminaries such as Dinosaur Jr, Galaxie 500, Guided by Voices and Pavement. In fact, they go one further and wear the imprint of Galaxie 500 firmly on their sleeve on their new single (reader: this will never be a bad thing.) Doubling up as their third single to date – following ‘Chico’s Bodega’ and ‘Chunky’ last year – the band’s latest effort is the first of two tracks recently recorded with Daniel Fox of Girl Band. Clocking…

  • Stream: Various Artists – Unscene Bazaar 7

    December 11, 2019 - By 

    As with last year, it’s been another stellar for Irish compilations. From Live @ Fennor Lane and Buntús Rince: Explorations in Irish Jazz, Fusion & Folk 1969-81 in the first half of the year, to Cítog Records Vol. 4 and Wacker That! by Belfast imprint Touch Sensitive in the second, we’ve been gifted all kinds of carefully-compiled, far-reaching sounds from labels, producers and collectives right across the island. Joining the list, right on the cusp of 2020, is How Bazaar, the seventh installment of Limerick imprint-of-sorts Unscene’s consistently rewarding compilation series. And what a trove it is, too. Offering up sounds that span drone, turntablism, hip-hop, improve, noise,…

  • Stream: DANI – The Mother Within (Acoustic)

    October 18, 2019 - By 

    Hailing from the Armagh Monaghan border, the wonderfully-woven folk craft of DANI is inspired by the Irish traditional melodies she was raised with. Delving into the celtic mythic imagination, it’s music that saw the artist selected as the Artist in Residence at Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival earlier this year, supporting the likes of Rufus Wainwright, The Eskies and Joshua Burnside. Today, the Belfast-based musician releases an acoustic version of her most emphatic single to date, ‘The Mother Within’. While the original is a first-rate collaboration with Indonesian percussionists KunoKini, this new, stripped-back version reveals new layers of melodic and emotive flair. DANI…