Her debut release via London’s Fire Records, and her third album overall, Head Above The Water finds Galway’s Brigid Mae Power at their peak of her powers. Recorded at analogue studio The Green Door in Glasgow, from boundlessly earworming opener ‘On A City Night’ to the release’s closing title track, it makes for a perfectly escapist 45 minutes of first-rate cosmic folk from one of the country’s most distinctive songwriting voices. Head Above The Water by Brigid Mae Power
For ten years, Belfast’s Girls Names consistently underscored their status as one of the country’s best bands. From 2010’s You Should Know By Now to what would become their feature-length swansong, 2018’s Stains on Silence, Cathal Cully and co. made music that, unlike so many contemporary bands, warranted the albeit loose descriptor post-punk. Having disbanded last year, the band have briefly re-emerged to release Demos: 2009-2012. Over 37 tracks, it’s a fascinating, true-to-life release, documenting the creative process of a band whose sound wonderfully evolved over the years. As posthumous, feature-length curios go, this one is worth delving into. “I hear the walls of each…
Monaghan born, Brooklyn-based twin sisters Georgina and Una McGeough aka Song Sung first came to our attention via David Holmes’ stellar Late Night Tales compilation back in 2016. Along with the likes of Belfast drone-pop heroes Documenta, their take on 10cc’s ‘I’m Not In Love’ proved a wonderfully spectral peak from the release. Four years on, the pair are primed to release their debut album, This Ascension Is Ours, on July 3st. Teaming up once more with Holmes – who co-wrote and produced the album with fellow composer and Unloved bandmate Keefus Ciancia – it promises ten tracks of sublime spectral pop from the Irish sister duo. New single ‘Telling Tales’ is…
While it’s early days yet, Limerick’s Bleeding Heart Pigeons have just made their claim to one of the Irish albums of the year. Arriving four years on from their debut album Is, Stir was written and recorded in a small converted farm-shed in rural West Limerick and finds the threesome in alchemical form. From opener, the sorcerous ‘Bubble Boy’ to closer ‘Good Dogs Never Die’ – a track that doubles up as one of many peaks on display here – it emphatically consolidates the Michael Keating-fronted band’s forward-pushing alt/indie craft down to twelve tracks. Stir by Bleeding Heart Pigeons
In times of duress, it helps to have a mantra to keep things firmly within the realms of perspective. In the case of the North West’s foremost psych-inflected experimental rock band Tuath, “I am a poor man but I have cans” is an incantation so worthy it doubles up as the title of the Robert Mulhern-fronted band’s new single. Taken from their forthcoming mini-album, the singularly-titled The Fuckening, it’s another sorcerous dose of spaced-out exploration from the Donegal band. Featuring Sega Megadrive MIDI exploits and more, it makes for a suitably shapeshifting effort across three minutes. Have a first look at Kieran Devlin’s video…
From Bombay Bicycle Club and Dolly Parton to Glen Campbell and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Meath pop sensation Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson aka CMAT waxes lyrical about some of her all-time favourite songs. __ Bombay Bicycle Club – Lights Out, Words Gone I could write a book about any song on this album. My first foray into the music industry was being a highly successful Bombay Bicycle Club fangirl, and it has served me quite well in life. I ran a blog about the guitarist, Jamie, where me and my friends wrote fanfiction and photoshopped his head onto members of…
The continued evolution of Joshua Burnside is nothing short of a joy to behold. Over the last few years, the Northern Irish artist has expanded upon his singular folk sound with a healthy dose of forward-pushing sonic exploration. New single ‘Whiskey Whiskey’ retains much of what is familiar about Burnside’s sound, all while pushing into new territory. A masterfully stripped-back effort, the song – and accompanying video – stares down the grip of all-consuming fears via disarmingly confessional songwriting. “I wrote the lyrics for Whiskey, Whiskey whilst on a flight to London,” Burnside said. “I hate flying and l would…
The country lost one of its most ardent supporters of music this week. A vital force in Dublin’s live circuit, and a tireless advocate of up-and-coming artists of every ilk and sound, Luke Gleeson dedicated a sizable part of his time and efforts promoting shows in The Grand Social, Whelan’s, Sweeney’s, Drop Dead Twice and, more recently, Bloody Marys. In terms of sheer passion and incentive, he will be remembered by many as a one-off; a zealous live music fan who, in heeding the abundance of talent around him, played his part in making it known to others. As the Dublin underground scene comes to terms…
Our love for Fonda is no secret. Over the last few years, incarnations of the Liam O’Connor-fronted band have split time between Limerick, Glasgow and Galway. Its latest incarnation, compromising John Ahern of Hey Rusty, Paul Cosgrave of Slow Riot and Sean O’Mahony of Inner City Radio, feels like a definitive formation – the logical ultimate form of a band conspiring to make O’Connor’s tales come to life. Recorded last year by Chris Quigley of Cruiser and mixed by Micheàl Keating of Bleeding Heart Pigeons, the band’s new EP, No Begonias, is a masterful consolidation of their mission statement to date. From highlight ‘The Way Out’…
Last month, Irish-Scottish electro-pop twosome Mia Fitz and Toni Etherson aka SIIGHTS unveiled the lead track from their self-titled debut EP. Having clocked up over 180k streams over the last few weeks, ‘Blue Skies’ now comes with a stellar remix featuring an artist we handpicked as one to watch back in 2018, fast-rising Dublin rapper JyellowL. “We reached out to JyellowL and having him involved has been amazing,” SIIGHTS said. “He’s so talented, we love what he brought to the track and the personal perspective he shared lyrically. This song means a lot to us and was hard to write. We have…