The long-awaited follow-up to the longing ‘Winter Night – a track released back in February last year – ‘Shut Your Eyes’ by Dublin’s Karen Sheridan AKA Slow Skies is a slow-burning pop ballad where subtlety and restraint is tantamount to emotive power. Accompanied by a video courtesy of Kevin and Páraic McGloughlin, we’re hoping this is an indication of some more new Slow Skies material in the making.
Late last month we had the pleasure of premiering ‘Customs’, the first gambit from Dublin-based indie supergroup of sorts Autre Monde. first of a series of releases planned for spring and early summer, stemming from their time in the studio with Jamie Hyland & Girl Band‘s Daniel Fox, it proved an idiosyncratic, dynamic number conjuring the likes of Television, Suicide and Pere Ubu. Going one step further in our eyes, new single ‘New Recruit’ is a gleaming burst of throwback power-pop that harks back to 70s NYC with its slinking post-punk pockets of groove and its burrowing, leather-and-neon cool. According to band…
The fourth single from his forthcoming second studio album, There Are Enough Songs In The World, ‘Crossed Out’ by Belfast’s Rory Nellis is – much like the three efforts that have preceded it – a masterstroke of subtle harmonic power and lyrical finesse. Betraying the songsmith’s acutely perceptive take on the everyday and the much bigger picture, there’s something impossibly timely about its earworming refrain: “Getting sentimental over things that never really happened. Sitting here and waiting for someone to hit the panic button.” Recorded and mixed by Phil D’Alton (with mastering courtesy of Stephen Quinn), the single features d’Alton…
Last month we had the honour of premiering ‘Crab Supernova’ by new-fangled Dublin maestros Percolator, a band we said “conjured a thick miasma of ‘gazey Kosmiche textures and Motorik groove” over their debut single’s four off minutes. Today we’re very pleased to go one further with this first listen of the band’s exceptional full-length debut album, Sestra. Set for official release tomorrow, the eight-track release is a masterclass in filtering the band’s through their own brand of at times woozy, at others brilliantly breakneck hybrid of Krautrock locked patterns and submerged psych-pop. This is confident, carefully-crafted music, betraying a real respect of the…
Le Galaxie have always been good for a music video that capture the heart and soul of their craft. Following on the heels of ‘Le Club’ and ‘Love System’ from last year, the Michael Pope-fronted quartet’s latest single, ‘Pleasure’ (featuring the tones of Fight Likes Apes’ certifiably deadly MayKay) now comes with its own rather colourful visual accompaniment. Combining light and kinesis, darkness and subtle dance, paint and confetti, the video – which you can watch below – was directed by Sam Hooper. ‘Pleasure’ is out on April 21 via Reckless Records.
With Record Store Day 2017 next Saturday fast approaching, Aghagallon artist Ciaran Lavery is primed to to release his own contribution in the form of A King at Night, an EP featuring covers of Bonnie “Prince” Billy songs. The lead single from that, ‘New Partner’ – which featured on BPB AKA Will Oldham’s 1995 album as Palace Music, Viva Last Blues – makes for an exquisite, wonderfully reflective rendition, where swooning streaks of string, lush harmonies and Lavery’s impeccable vocal delivery marry in very impressive fashion.
Easily our favourite small Irish summer festival, Another Love Story returns to the sublime Killyon Manor in Co. Meath from Friday August 18 to Sunday, August 20. With more acts set to unveiled, organisers Happenings and Homebeat have revealed their initial line-up of live acts and DJs including Katie Kim, Overhead The Albatross, JFDR, This Is How We Fly, I Am The Cosmos, Bantum, ELLLL (pictured), The Another Love Story Soundsystem, Bodytonic DJS, The Thin Air DJs, a very special guest and much more. Here’s the initial line-up in full: Due to unprecedented early demand, the festival is current on its last tier of…
Earlier this year, we flagged up the Zizek at the Discotheque, the most recent collection from Dublin based/Kilkenny native DJ and producer Replete (aka Peter Lawlor). Following on now from that cassette release, Lawlor’s latest outing, ‘Legislate feat. Bini’ is set to land on May 5th. The track will appear on the Hà Nội Night 12″ compilation on Vietnam’s Ele Records and will appear alongside cuts from Contours (Rhythm Section) and Sameed (Local Talk). In a similar vein to his other productions to date, ‘Legislate’ is a soulful, melodious slice of house that would serve as the ideal mood setter for nights in venues like The…
Ask a selection of the country’s most well-regarded and successful singer-songwriters who their own favourite Irish songsmith is and there’s a very strong chance that Pat Dam Smyth will crop up. An artist whose candour, lyricism and musicianship leaves affectation and hubris at the door, his long-awaited new single ‘Juliette’ is a masterfully mournful cut, concisely relaying the tale of a woman attempting to escape an abusive relationship. Cut from the same cloth of Nick Cave and John Grant, the full-band effort also conjures Dark Side-era Pink Floyd in its braying brass and portentous, swaggering pop élan. The first single to be taken from…
Having recently played a Thin Air Tuesday Throwdown at Lavery’s in Belfast, Northern Irish quartet Mons Olympus have announced details of their forthcoming debut album. Produced by their guitarist Stephen O’Hagan and Nathan Murray, (minus single ‘Critical Mass’, which was recorded by Michael Mormecha) the eight-track Vampyroteuthis will be launched and officially released at Belfast Empire Music Hall on May 4. Blending the Rory Dee-fronted foursome’s potent amalgalm of space-rock and neo-prog, it’s sure to establish the band as one of the country’s leading exponents of cosmically-inclined, riff-fuelled alternative rock. With more shows to be announced, Mons Olympus will play the following…