• Track Record: Stephen McCauley

    April 2, 2015 - By 

    In the latest installment of Track Record, Derry radio broadcast and bona fide music savant Stephen McCauley selects and talks about some of his all-time favourite records. Stephen presents Soundscapes – featuring a mix of contemporary classical, electronica, ambient and acoustic music – on BBC Radio Ulster every Wednesday night. Photos by Colm Laverty. The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) I was slow to mention this record because it’s popularity is almost a cliché in itself but it had a profound impact on me when I first heard it and it still does. I was 15 and…

  • Bookmark: Nadine O’Regan

    March 31, 2015 - By 

    In this installment of Bookmark we spend some time with Nadine O’Regan, who is the Books and Arts Editor with The Sunday Business Post and presents Songs in the Key of Life on Dublin station TXFM (www.txfm.ie and 105.2FM) on Saturdays from 11am. Photos by Mark Earley. Jeffrey Eugenides- Middlesex  American author Jeffrey Eugenides writes novels incredibly slowly – he has published just three in his 55 years and for Middlesex, his 2002 novel which won the Pulitzer Prize, his American editor had to fly to Berlin, where Eugenides was living at the time, to wrest the manuscript from his grasp. Luckily…

  • Track Record: David A. Tapley (Tandem Felix)

    March 24, 2015 - By 

    In this installment of Track Record we hang out with David A. Tapley from Tandem Felix who after a slight line-up shuffle are on the cusp of releasing their new EP Comma and currently listed as The Guardian’s new band of the week . From the sprawling sounds of Yo La Tengo to his own idol Beck, David’s choices are a huge reflection and  influence on the music he puts out. Photos by Aidan Kelly Murphy. Talk Talk – Laughing Stock My friend Felipe introduced me to Talk Talk at a party many moons ago. I immediately picked up their two final albums,…

  • Bookmark: Stephen White (The Last Mixed Tape)

    March 17, 2015 - By 

    In the latest installment of Bookmark, Stephen White from music blog The Last Mixtape shares his thoughts on some of his all-time favourite books, featuring many a modernist classic. Photos by Abigail Denniston. High Fidelity – Nick Hornby Unfortunately, in far too many ways, I am Rob Fleming. There’s few things that scream “music snob” more than being a music blogger… I think that’s why High Fidelity has stayed with me for so long. It’s funny one moment and raw to the bone the next – how Hornby keeps you routing for Fleming despite his various character flaws is astounding. Plus John Cusack is…

  • Track Record: Brian Kelly (So Cow)

    March 10, 2015 - By 

    In this installment of Track Record we head to the little blue house in Galway to hang out with Brian Kelly  from So Cow to chat about the records that influence his daily life. Photos by Sean McCormack Disclaimer: These are not my ten favourite albums of all time, though I’d say four of them would be on that list. These are the ten records I play most when cooking, sweeping or pottering about. They are the go-tos. I have about 180 LPs on my shelves, or Two Ikeas worth, as is the official measurement. About 100 or these are honest-to-goodness purchases made…

  • Track Record: Spies

    March 3, 2015 - By 

    In the latest installment of Track Record, Conor Cusack from Dublin band Spies gives us an insight into his prized record collection, featuring favourites from the likes of Echo and the Bunnymen and Kraftwerk, as well as our very own Girl Band and Paddy Hanna. Photos by Aidan Kelly Murphy. Girl Band – France 98 As you may, or may not be aware, Girl Band have recently signed a big dick record deal with Rough Trade. I know we’ve had our differences in the past, but I was willing to put this behind me and congratulate them on their success. I recently met the…

  • Track Record: Keith Wallace (Rusted Rail Records)

    February 25, 2015 - By 

    Keith Wallace operates his bespoke micro-independent label Rusted Rail from his base in Galway. Here, he discusses his favourite albums with us from the comfort of his own home including Vashti Bunyan, Planxty and Black Sabbath. Photos by Sean McCormack.   Tindersticks – Tindersticks  I’ve had this album since it came out in 1993, but I just recently got it on vinyl, an original pressing which has one more extra song that didn’t fit on the CD at the time. There’s an entire life on this album. It’s rain-drenched and wine stained, that’s how I always think about it. It seems to…

  • Track Record: Subplots

    February 23, 2015 - By 

    In this installment of Track Record we chat to Phil and Daryl from Subplots about their most treasured records while they brew us some fresh coffee, proving they have both excellent taste in music and hot beverages!  Photos by Aidan Kelly-Murphy. Aphex Twin – Druqks Phil: We were 17 when Druqks came out and it sounded like music from another planet. I originally had the CD, and it was one of those albums that was in terrible condition as I used to lend it to anyone that expressed even a vague interest in Aphex Twin. There’s such a wealth of ideas on this…

  • Track Record: The Dead Prezidents

    February 20, 2015 - By 

    Reagan and Nixon from The Dead Prezidents select their favourite dance records from Nineties classics such as Wink and Da Hool to their love for Positiva Records. Photos by Tara Thomas. Positiva Records There’s no particular song in this case, but a record label. For anyone who is familiar with the dance music scene, Positiva back in the day would be equivalent to the likes of Spinnin records now (currently the biggest dance music label). All the biggest tracks came out on this label. So when we were less musically educated at the beginning of our DJ careers, we would have just…

  • Track Record: White Collar Boy

    February 17, 2015 - By 

    In this installment of Track Record, we hang out with Gav White and Mark Cummins from Dublin based ‘Post-Nothing’ duo White Collar Boy. They select their five favourite records each from their respective collections featuring the likes of Fuck Buttons, The Beta Band and Scott Walker. Photos by Aidan Kelly-Murphy.   Gav White The Universal Togetherness Band – Self Titled This is the last record I got just last week. Recovered gem of an LP that I first heard on a Mister Saturday Night Podcast and then I couldn’t find it anywhere until the ever reliable Gilles Peterson played it on his show. It has…