• Joan of Arc – He’s Got The Whole This Land Is Your Land In His Hands

    January 16, 2017 - By 

    On their latest LP, He’s Got The Whole This Land Is Your Land In His Hands, Joan of Arc have rather kindly telegraphed the initial reactions of those unfamiliar with the group in the opening lyrics: “What the fuuuuuuuuuuck?”. That line is immediately followed by sampled, compressed drums smashing in completely out of left field while random electronic bleeps float around the mix and vocals offer up curious anatomy lessons. This is just the first thirty seconds. Let’s rollback a tad and give some extra context. When emo legends Cap’n Jazz split, brothers Tim and Mike Kinsella formed Joan of…

  • Exploding Eyes – Exploding Eyes

    January 16, 2017 - By 

    With an eye cast to longer days, warmer weather, and the promise of a new year, the self-titled debut LP from Dublin’s gritty blues- rock trio Exploding Eyes greets you with a welcoming invitation to something a little less serious and a lot more fun. The album is scattered with callbacks to some of the more classic and legendary rock outfits from the golden age of blues pop culture, such as Cream, Janis Joplin, and even some Lynyrd Skynyrd in some of their softer tracks. Opening up the album in stellar form is the single ‘We Need Love’ – a track…

  • Output Belfast Reveal 2017 Line-up

    January 16, 2017 - By 

    Set to return to the city for its third year in a row on Thursday, February 16, the line-up for this year’s Output Belfast – the country’s largest music conference – has been revealed. Organised by Belfast City Council in partnership with Generator NI, the conference – which takes place between the MAC and the Oh Yeah Music Centre – will include panel discussions, music sessions, workshops and speed networking events as well as keynote speeches from award-winning musicians and managers of globally-recognised talent. With specifics venues, line-ups and times to be announced, a series of free shows hosted by the…

  • 17 For 17: Rocstrong

    January 16, 2017 - By 

    Andre Bangala, otherwise known as Rocstrong, has made a triumphant arrival, emerging with a vibrant sense of swagger and style that many artists seem to never quite grasp. Having grown up in Terenure, the Congo-born artist writes and co-produces all his own material which encompasses a truly unique sound that can only be described as an energetic and refreshing explosion of funk, soul, electro-pop and rock. Following on from his 2014 win in the Hot Press/Alcatel Big Break competition, the ever-cool newcomer dropped his debut extended play, SOWG just last Summer, which boldly told the music world he’d arrived on…

  • Premiere: The Mad Dalton – Oh Marseille

    January 15, 2017 - By 

    Taken from his forthcoming debut album, which is set for release at some point this year, ‘Oh Marseille’ is the latest single from Belfast-based Scots-Canadian singer-songwriter Peter Sumadh AKA The Mad Dalton. Featuring Zarah Fleming on cello and Ciaran “Scruffy” Gallagher on accordion, the track – a gently affecting folk-classical ballad produced by James Lyttle at Lisburn’s Millbank Studios – is something of a delicate, more formalised departure from previous material, including October single ‘The Devil Came To Derry’. Have a first listen to the single and check out Dog Kennel Productions’ video below. ‘Oh Marseille’ is officially released on Saturday, January…

  • Run The Jewels Set For Dublin and Belfast

    January 16, 2017 - By 

    Having surprise released their self-titled third studio album on Christmas Day, Run The Jewels have announced that they’ll kick-start the forthcoming European leg of a World tour with a brace of Irish shows. Killer Mike and El-P will stop off at Belfast’s Limelight on March 28 (poster above has incorrect date) and Dublin’s Olympia on March 30. Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 20th at 10am. Go here for Caolan Coleman’s review of RTJ3.

  • Monday Mixtape: Alana Henderson

    January 16, 2017 - By 

    In the latest installment of Monday Mixtape, fast-rising, Belfast-based cellist and songwriter Alana Henderson selects some of her all-time favourite songs from the likes of Nick Drake, Crooked Still and Ani DiFranco. Ane Brun – Big in Japan I love her reworking of this 80s hit. Her voice is so pure, it gives me chills. Nick Drake – Cello Song Had me at ‘cello’, but there’s more to it than just that. I don’t think anyone can match Nick Drake for gorgeous melancholy. The intimacy of the lyrics in ‘Cello Song’ is what really floors me. Arthur Russell – Wild Combination Arthur Russell,…

  • Live By Night

    January 15, 2017 - By 

    Ben Affleck wants you to take him seriously. He’s sorry about the whole Gigli thing. He’s sorry about Daredevil. He’s done his penance and channelled his humiliation into a professional second act, growing a prestige beard and directing safe but highly competent book treatments. They even gave him an Oscar for one of them! When a film journo presented him with Batman v Superman‘s damning reviews and the internet glimpsed the emptiness behind the eyes, the implicit logic was that he was supposed to be above this shit. But even reliably workmanlike directors can make mistakes. Dennis Lehane’s writing has provided several film-makers…

  • 88mph: David Bowie – Low

    January 14, 2017 - By 

    Bowie had faced his demons. He was running from L.A. and cocaine. He had decided to save his own life from drugs. His marriage was ending. He was wrangling legally with his former manager. He was escaping from the celebrity he had created. He dressed down and fitted in. He lived in anonymity. He hung out and worked with Iggy Pop. He painted. He rode a bike. For Low, Bowie invented no character for himself. He abandoned any hope of commercialism. He suffered from writer’s block. Low was both result and cure. He made the record imagining it would never…

  • Silence

    January 14, 2017 - By 

    Martin Scorsese has to be commended for taking on the adaptation of Shusaku Endo’s 1966 book of the same name, as Silence requires a deep understanding of Japan, its history and its people. And while what he achieves is impressive with the overall outlook and feel of the film, I have to admit that I felt there was problems with the representation of the Japanese Christians for the first half, along with some of the more grim scenes of violence and torture later on. If you are familiar with some of the many classic Japanese films of this era like Rashomon…