• Bibio – Sleep on the Wing

    July 22, 2020 - By 

    Warp’s finest acoustically-inclined son, Bibio (Stephen James Wilkinson), has returned with Sleep on the Wing. It’s another shining example of meditative, textured experiments in meandering psych-folk and echoing found-sound that, despite being a stylistic sum of the parts of its creator’s output thus far, is anything but an exercise in pastiche. How Wilkinson continues to craft compositionally intriguing records under the auspices of his tried and tested “sound” is difficult to ascertain but the results speak for themselves across the 10 tracks on offer here. Unlike the titular bird to which the EP is tied, Sleep on the Wing does anything…

  • Brigid Mae Power – Head Above the Water

    July 21, 2020 - By 

    Some artists seem to arrive fully formed with a perfect debut that captures the public’s attention, only for their profile to ebb away as future work fails to match an early promise. Others make a slow ascent, each record building on the one before while more ears prick up each time. Brigid Mae Power falls into the latter category. After self releasing some home recordings in the earlier part of the decade, the Galway native made her debut proper with her self-titled 2016 album on cult US folk label Tompkins Square to a positive reception. Her 2018 follow up, The…

  • UD – Fruitless Grapevine

    July 14, 2020 - By 

    UD is an artist who knows who he is and what he wants. On his debut EP, Fruitless Grapevine, the Lucan rapper lays his cards on the table across five lushly produced and lyrically emotive hip-hop jams in his first attempt attempt to “build [a] legacy that echo when the signal fade away”.  Fruitless Grapevine’s biggest strength comes from its most vulnerable turns. ‘Felt’, which features Chicago MC Mick Jenkins, blends perfectly crafted hooks with a deep insight into UD’s internal process. Ruminating on the impacts of anxiety and depression against a seductive mellow beat, UD handles introspection with sincerity. It’s…

  • Jinx Lennon – Border Schizo FFFOlk Songs For The Fuc**d

    July 10, 2020 - By 

    “This is the border schizo cosmic folk sound, enjoy yourself today” sings Jinx Lennon on track three of his new album. The Dundalk folk-punk invites you to enjoy a glimpse of life in his hometown on his ninth album, Border Schizo FFFolk Songs For The Fuc**d. The collection captures the true essence of the popular cult artist, as he shares what grinds his gears in everyday life, as well as immortalising the atmosphere of living in a small border town with witty lyricism. The psychedelic 34-track collection is an amalgamation of comedy, criticism and unhinged ranting as well as social…

  • Various Artists – The 343 Vol.1

    June 25, 2020 - By 

    Named for Le Manifeste des 343,  a brave act of civil disobedience by French women who dared sign a Simone de Beauvoir penned petition, publicly declaring that they had undergone illegal abortions,  The 343 is a feminist-led, Queer art space that has swiftly become a thriving and vital corner stone of the Belfast music scene. Having  garnered a glowing reputation for its community-driven ethos and unflinching dedication to creating a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQIA artists, The 343 has now put together its first compilation album. The 343 Vol. 1 brings together a vibrant range of experimental artists associated…

  • Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher

    July 3, 2020 - By 

    It doesn’t seem all too long ago that Phoebe Bridgers released her stunning debut Stranger in the Alps, but on her sophomore album, Punisher, the Los Angeles-born artist solidifies her reputation for masterful songcraft. Following the release of her carefully assembled alt-folk debut, Bridgers appeared under various guises such as Boygenius (appearing alongside Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker) and Better Oblivion Community Center (with Conor Oberst), spending her time touring, collecting memories and co-conspirators along the way. Punisher gazes at a faltering future, guided by a cornucopia of instrumentation, laying her accumulated experiences on the table like a winning hand,…

  • The Last of Us Part II (Sony, Playstation 4)

    June 19, 2020 - By 

    In gangster movie The Road To Perdition, Paul Newman’s mob boss character mournfully intones, “This is the life we chose, the life we lead… and there is only one guarantee: none of us will see Heaven.” This quotation is particularly apt for The Last Of Us Part II, which deals with similar themes of crime and redemption, heinous deeds and consequent trauma, and the repercussions of acts committed by ourselves and those who came before us. Rarely has a videogame so deftly and intelligently explored concepts of violence and the accompanying cognitive dissonance even if the way in which it…

  • Bleeding Heart Pigeons – Stir

    June 8, 2020 - By 

    Four years after working with Virgin Records for their 2016 debut Is, as well as supporting the likes of Pixies and Father John Misty, Limerick’s Bleeding Heart Pigeons leave the pressures major label navigation on their second LP, Stir. Released on their own label Hlym Records – a play on the Old Norse word hlymrekr – from which their hometown gets its name – Stir is the most authentic portrait of the band yet, with its DIY nature allowing them to fully lean into their experimental sensibilities, while leaving plenty of room for pop verve. Previously acclaimed for their unconventional, hook-fuelled psych-pop, Stir opens a new…

  • The Magnetic Fields – Quickies

    June 4, 2020 - By 

      At one point in 2010 documentary, Strange Powers, an admirer of The Magnetic Fields asks if anyone else could to write songs like Stephin Merritt does.  Any attempt to do so, he warns, could be dangerous. It’s hard to disagree. Such is the tonal high wire that a typical Magnetic Fields song walks; a delicate and unlikely balance of lush romanticism, caustic wit and unabashed schmaltz that imbues Merritt’s grand album concepts and arch wordplay with a profound and lasting emotional bite. The music too is a strange beast. Keening melodies and radiant singalong hooks are cast off with apparently preternatural ease,…

  • Mogwai – ZeroZeroZero

    May 27, 2020 - By 

    Gabriel Byrne menacingly leans in towards an associate and sneers: “If we don’t continue to broker cocaine, this company ceases to exist”. This is the tone of the gritty new Italian crime drama ZeroZeroZero, and is the kind of intimidating high tension that Mogwai have become experts in providing sonic atmospheres for. Alongside their standalone work, Mogwai have created a prolific reputation for producing soundtracks for  films and documentaries over the years. These projects, including Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, Les Revenants and the excellent Atomic documentary, often stand up next to their full release LPs in terms of quality, sometimes even above…