• 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…

  • Nadine Shah – Kitchen Sink

    July 9, 2020 - By 

      Nadine Shah’s 2017 release, Holiday Destination seethed with fiery indignation and deep despair as the artist reckoned with the inhuman horror of the Syrian refugee crisis. Her remarkable follow up sees the Tyneside musician turning her lens inward and focuses her incisive attentions on more personal, but no less political, frustrations. Taking aim at everyday racism, feckless men and, most pointedly, the concept of identity and the weighty societal expectations that go with it, Kitchen Sink delivers some of Shah’s most keenly observed performances to date. These songs push Shah’s macabre sound into exhilarating new terrain, oozing dark glamour…

  • 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…

  • Sir Bobby Jukebox – Friendship Gift

    June 23, 2020 - By 

    Until pretty recently, Bobby Aherne was one of the most prolific of Ireland’s DIY musicians. If releasing a steady stream of EPs and LPs through the 2010s with No Monster Club (and a few more as Dublin Duck Dispensary before that) wasn’t quite enough, Aherne also spent years as bassist for hire for friends like Paddy Hanna and Ginnels. After that, even found time to write a book (D’You Remember Yer Man?, about the eccentric local characters of Dublin) and co-write a musical loosely based on Jedward (Trial of the Centurys, described by the Irish Times as “adorably awful”). Although the…

  • 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,…

  • 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…

  • Damien Jurado – What’s New, Tomboy?

    May 18, 2020 - By 

    Damien Jurado describes his songs as being like cats. That is, when he wants one to come to him, they ignore him but if he goes about his day not paying attention, they come in swarms. So, making an album for Jurado is a bit like herding cats. On his 15th record, the Seattle songwriter has managed to stay out of his own way long enough in order to allow 10 sweet, well-crafted songs into his orbit, reminding us once again of his status as one of the most vital musicians to have come out of the Pacific Northwest’s folk…