Elaine Malone is nothing if not prolific. Whether it be the improvised folk horror of Mantua, Land Crabs’ punk noise, the Krautrock stylings of Soft Focus or the experimental sounds of Lisbon-based Pot Pot, Malone keeps herself busy in an outrageously diverse number of music projects with her multi-instrumental gifts. This vast and varied output over the years proves to have been ideal preparation for a full-length debut, as Malone executes a dazzling array of sounds on Pyrrhic that encompass plenty of the genres she has explored previously and an abundance of fresh ideas too. In the space between the…
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In between pulling double duty with The Shaker Hymn and The Tan Jackets, Caoilian Sherlock has been threatening to release a solo album for years. First testing the waters under the moniker St. Caoilian over 5 years ago, his first full-length album Teenage Jesus is more than worth the wait. Album opener ‘The Wheels Come Off’ is a dreamy, sentimental exposition to a record that drifts between its psychedelic, folk, pop, and country influences, showcasing a singer-songwriter who is at ease with his own creative process. Stand-out tracks include ‘Candidate’, a snappy and self-deprecating rock ‘n’ roll homage with more…
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Lisa O’Neill offers up her finest release to date with All of This is Chance. The Cavan native’s fifth album boasts an impressive variety of collaborators, from concertinist Cormac Begley, violinist Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Kate Ellis of the Crash Ensemble, and more. O’Neill’s timeless sound breathes new life into traditional balladry. Upon a foundation of droning harmoniums, concertinas, and violins, which create a sound akin to fellow trad revivalists Lankum, her haunting vocals sit, captivating her listeners and luring them into a state of transcendence. Here, tracks like ‘Birdie From Another Realm’ slip nimbly from the clutches of modernity,…
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For years, Dublin’s Hands Up Who Wants To Die have been obliterating the eardrums of audiences across the continent. Previously led by the nihilistic poeticisms of one Barry Lennon, the group’s amicable split with the formidable frontman allowed the quartet to refocus on composing their third album, with new recruit Rory O’Brien from Ten Past Seven taking over lyrical duties. On the resulting Nil All, the band’s first release in six years since their split with B.O.B, Hands Up Who Wants To Die expand upon the beautifully brutal soundscapes of the band’s previous releases Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo and…
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With the title of their fourth record, Lankum evoke the folk ballad of Irish traveller John O Reilly for which they named themselves. As such, False Lankum is a sprawling epic that pays studious tribute to the quartet’s past while progressing into bold new territory largely hinted at until now. Recorded at the aptly-named Hellfire Studio in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains, these twelve tracks possess an eerie otherworldliness that reveals itself from the off, as ‘Go Dig My Grave’ finds Lankum digging deeper into terrifying walls of ambient noise and experimentalism which anchor this collection throughout. In turn,…
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David Berman died by suicide on August 7, 2019. He left behind loved ones, countless fans and a lyrical back catalog of unrivaled wit, bite and passion. He was the sort of figure who was impossible to merely “like”; You either loved him or hadn’t heard him. Naturally in the aftermath of this tragedy, a tribute night was held in Dublin for folks to celebrate those syllables and melodies one more time. One such performer that night was Popical Island co-founder Mr. Mike Stevens. Following that night, M. Stevens, Hugh McCabe, Mark Jordan, as well as Ciaran Canavan and drummer…
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In the spring of 2020, Aoife Nessa Frances escaped Dublin for the west of Ireland, relocating to county Clare on a mission to reconnect with nature and rebuild herself spiritually in the aftermath of her much acclaimed debut Land Of No Junction. The result of this journey of restoration and self-discovery is her remarkable second album, Protector. Recorded in the foothills of Annascaul, a small village located on the Dingle Peninsula at the westernmost point of Ireland and Europe, it’s a dreamlike trip that blossoms and evolves across eight tracks of psychedelic folk rock. ‘Way To Say Goodbye’ welcomes us in…
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Galway’s Aaron Coyne has been making music as Yawning Chasm for over a decade now, but has flown conspicuously under the radar in that time. While some releases have come out via Galway’s low key but always excellent Rusted Rail label, others have simply been self-released on Bandcamp with all too little fanfare, including latest – and seventh – album The Golden Hour. While primarily a singer-songwriter, Coyne’s style steers clear of the generic. His unconventional main instrument is the four stringed tenor guitar, perhaps most well-known these days for its use by Warren Ellis on latter day Bad Seeds…
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Pillow Queens’ sophomore album Leave the Light On smooths the cracks of their debut to unveil a near-perfect follow-up. Where In Waiting documented the rough transition from adolescence into adulthood through fleeting tales of young love and triumphs, Leave the Light On pushes forward into something more settled. Through elegiac verses and changing perspectives, Pillow Queens construct a metaphorical space that inspects the cracks in its white picket fence. These anthems shine light on the marginalised and lonely as they navigate the mundane and everyday; it’s an album that yearns for the peace of domesticity, in a country that continuously…
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As Lighght, Cork producer Eamon Ivri has repeatedly flipped the script in becoming one of the island’s most mercurial producers. Marking his return to L.A. imprint Doom Trip, the six-track Seodra is a blitzing trip featuring some of his most lethal (in both senses of the word) club material. And talk about a timely return. Where last year’s Holy Endings offered sublime ambient reprieve in supremely fucked-up times, these six deftly-produced volleys all but proffer hectic times with a rake of good heads. While the searing arps of ‘Rib’ strike a museful tone, peaks including ‘Tactile Love’ and ‘Hang Tight’…