• Cloud Nothings – Life Without Sound

    February 15, 2017 - By 

    Cloud Nothings make their return this year with their fifth album, Life Without Sound. Dylan Baldi’s bedroom recording project has evolved over the years, from the lo-fi stylings of the self- titled debut, to the classic indie rock of Attack On Memory and then into the throat-shredding intensity of 2014’s Here And Nowhere Else. The latter was undoubtedly the highlight of their career so far, mixing great songwriting with forceful production and furious performances from Baldi and his band. So, to 2017 and Life Without Sound. On first listen the album is underwhelming when compared to previous efforts. Baldi has…

  • William Basinksi – A Shadow In Time

    February 14, 2017 - By 

    It is with great trepidation that I approach A Shadow In Time, the new album from William Basinski, that titan of ambient music. An artist with a staggering work rate and whose most well-known work, 2002’s Disintegration Loops, is one of the most important pieces of sound art created in the 21st century given its context in proximity to the attacks on New York City on September 11th 2001. A Shadow In Time is his twentieth album under his own name, along with many collaborative works in various other mediums. It is yet another daunting work, comprised of two tracks…

  • Tanya Tagaq – Retribution

    November 28, 2016 - By 

    Retribution is the fourth album of Tanya Tagaq’s career, one in which she has spent much time confronting difficult issues such as Native American rights and working with artists as varied as the Kronos Quartet and Mike Patton. Tagaq is also lauded in her home country, having won both the Juno and Polaris awards, the Canadian equivalents of the Grammy and Mercury Prizes respectively. If you haven’t heard Tagaq’s music before it may come as a bit of a shock. She employs the Inuk discipline of throat singing, a traditional method where the singer creates overtones by manipulating the airflow…

  • Meltybrains? – Kiss Yourself

    November 16, 2016 - By 

    Meltybrains? have been a staple on the live circuit in Ireland for a few years now, gaining a cult following through their Dadaist stage show and irreverent sense of humour. While marrying a post-rock base with a mix of styles on top hasn’t necessarily made for the most compelling of musical statement in their previous recorded works,  Their latest EP Kiss Yourself looks to make amends and move the band forward artistically. Opener ‘Know My Name’ opens with auto-tuned vocals over synth before settling down into the Melty’s now signature sound. It’s a track that promises a lot but that…