• Nigel Rolfe – Island Stories

    June 7, 2021 - By 

    The excavation of Ireland’s buried electronic past by All City’s Allchival imprint continues with a reissue of Island Stories, a contribution by English multimedia artist Nigel Rolfe, who moved to Ireland in 1974 to commence a long career in the fine arts. Recorded in 1985 at the famous Windmill Studios, assisted by a cadre of musicians and vocalists, Rolfe performed most of the songs on the ’80s defining DX7 synthesizer. While the idea of a solo keyboard album may conjure thoughts of minimal synth isolationism, this is a vibrant collection of tracks that sometimes approach Art of Noise-style avant-pop, with…

  • Belfast Blues Legend Rab McCullough Dies Aged 72

    May 24, 2021 - By 

    Belfast blues legend Rab McCullough has passed away. The guitarist, who had performed with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Rory Gallagher, died followed a cardiac arrest last week. He was 72. In more recent years, McCullough was a much-loved presence at Belfast’s Empire Music Hall. Each Thursday night, he and his band would treat locals and visitors alike to genuine musical mastery and, on countless occasions, some singular magic. In a statement, the Empire said: “As you all know, Rab played every Thursday, come rain or shine, in the Empire Basement. Students, music lovers and casual drinkers alike could be found marvelling at…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – April 30th

    April 30, 2021 - By 

    This week’s refreshingly eclectic releases include Loah’s incredible National Poetry Day release, Irish Refugee Council fundraising compilation European Endless – featuring Arvo Party, The Bonk, Fixity, Whozyerman? and more – Ghostking Is Dead, Soda Blonde, and many more. Loah – The Body to the Soul The Body to the Soul by Loah Ghostking is Dead – Biceps Biceps by Ghostking Is Dead Various Artists – European Endless European Endless: 12 by European Endless Bedrooms – Afterglow EP Afterglow by Bedrooms Ódú – Men Like Me Soda Blonde – In The Heat of the Night Small Talk by Soda Blonde Dani Larkin –…

  • Premiere: Strange Boy – Waiting

    April 14, 2021 - By 

    A self-proclaimed “1000-year-old poet channelling through the body of a young man from Limerick,” Strange Boy (FKA Jonen Dekay) is well and truly a rapper on a mission. Having paired up with Rusangano Family and Naive Ted on his acclaimed 2016 mixtape, Passionate Example, he has since signed with Berlin-based label Welcome To The New World and collaborated with PX Music, as well as Hazey Haze, Citrus Fresh, GavinDaVinci, among others. It’s a forward-moving trajectory that’s been racing head long in one direction: the release of his debut album, HOLY / UNHOLY, in the summer. Working alongside producer Enda Gallery, it’s certain to lay bare Strange Boy’s singular nuance…

  • Xiu Xiu – OH NO

    April 2, 2021 - By 

    The twelfth album from the always-challenging, always-experimental group Xiu Xiu is a study of severed relations, and the way one copes with that pain. While their previous work teems with lyrical provocation and queer euphoria, OH NO finds them stepping outside of their (dis)comfort zone in favour of an emotional overhaul: it may be their most radical decision of all. The irony of it all is that, while exploring their new soundscape, Jamie Stewart and co. don’t rock up alone, and opt instead to invite a cast of collaborators in for a selection of modest duets.  Stewart notes in the…

  • Watch: Lilac – Remember, No Regrets

    March 25, 2021 - By 

    Scuzzy, unpretentious power-pop with a panache for irresistible jangle, fuzz & hooks is something that’s trickled into the water in Ireland, forming a fine cultural lineage – look no further than Good Vibrations Records and Thin Lizzy, and more recently, Pillow Queens. Trim-based sibling duo Oisín & Cian Walsh form the creative hub of Lilac, and today released their earworm of a new single ‘Remember, No Regrets’, which filters Ty Segall-esque saturated fuzz with 90s indie & psych-pop – completely self-produced in the band’s home studio. Initially set to be released pre-pandemic, they’ve pressed the record to 7″ vinyl, and it’s available…

  • Black Country, New Road – For the first time

    February 22, 2021 - By 

    Overnight success is so hot right now, and Black Country, New Road are the latest craze. The sextet formed in Cambridge in the summer of 2018 from the ashes of another project. A performance at London’s Brixton Windmill caught the attention of producer Dan Carey (Squid, Fontaines D.C., black midi), who swiftly ushered them into his studio in Streatham to record their debut single, ‘Athens, France’, released in January 2019. The track, which boasted the best Slint riff this side of Spiderland alongside some striking saxophone and shimmering keys, inspired the usual music press hyperbole; the latest outpouring of praise…

  • Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams

    January 29, 2021 - By 

    Reflecting on the trials and joys of young adulthood, the eagerly anticipated debut album from young Londoner Arlo Parks basks in the nostalgia of teen love, friendship and heartache, and explores sexuality and mental health in a tone that is both vulnerable and self-assured. With a mature indie-pop sound, Parks divulges sensitive and personal subjects with a complexity that extends beyond her years. At just 20, Arlo Parks has already begun to make her mark on the music industry. With two EPs under her belt, the songwriter has quickly gained a loyal following and earned praise from renowned musicians including…

  • Various Artists – A Litany of Failures Vol. III

    December 8, 2020 - By 

    All the way back in 2016, cassette label Little L Records put out a nice little four way split cassette featuring four of the best DIY bands from right across Ireland – Shrug Life and That Snaake from Dublin, Junk Drawer from Belfast and Oh Boland from Galway. Self-deprecatingly titled ‘A Litany of Failures’, what could have been a fairly low key release gained what felt like a higher level of importance thanks to a series of launch gigs in each band’s home city. Two years later, those involved decided to up the ante considerably – ‘A Litany of Failures…

  • Premiere: Comrade Hat – Whatever You Do

    November 19, 2020 - By 

    Off-kilter pop genius Neil Burns, AKA Comrade Hat has shared the latest single from his forthcoming album, Old Gods, Vol. 1. ‘Whatever You Do’ sees the lounge lizard in more reflective form, taking a slight left from his arch persona; It’s jazz-flecked, instilled with a morsel of vulnerability. Messr Hat told us more about the song: “It’s a ballad from BC (before Covid) about the struggles of physical distances in relationships, but it took on a whole new resonance this year. Aptly, it’s a remote collaboration with two of the finest heads around – rising stars of jazz and everything in the vicinity, Jack Kelly (double…