• Inbound: Farah Elle

    December 5, 2016 - By 

    Currently writing and recording her debut album at home, Libya-born Dublin singer-songwriter, pianist and BIMM graduate Farah Elle’s decision to drip-fed her ever-growing fanbase a series of previews over the last few months has certainly worked in her favour. Blending a slick melange of hip-hop and R&B influences – with the odd rumble of ska thrown in for good measure – she has carved out a sound that is defined both by her Arabic-influenced vocals and a knack for creating songs that feel perfectly laidback without sidestepping the emotive urgency that underpins it all. Having marked her arrival with ‘Silk’…

  • Album Premiere: Fixity – The Things In The Room

    December 1, 2016 - By 

    Back in August we rather giddily shared two new releases from Cork experimental musician Dan Walsh AKA Fixity. Now, fourth months later, we’re very pleased to present a first listen to Walsh’s new, rather special four-track album, The Things In The Room. Recorded in Malmo in February, the release features Walsh on drums alongside Swedish improvisers, tenor saxophonist Emil Nerstrand (Brigaden/Heavy Water/The Nod), guitarist Nils Andersson (Ljom/Ava) and bassist Fredrik Persson (Sista Bossen/The Good Morning Spider/Leo Kall/Cassus). Comprises four pieces composed by Walsh explored in collective improvisation with other individuals, each performance was captured in one take with everyone in the…

  • Album Premiere: Whim – 400 Days

    December 1, 2016 - By 

    Writing in the October issue of our physical magazine, David Boland said of Galway-based, U.S. singer-songwriter Sarah Di Muzio AKA Whim: “For a young songwriter to have such a sense of self, composition and trajectory is a rare thing. [She] combines these with emotional depth and charming, unaffected vocals.” A feature-length testament to David’s astute verdict, Di Muzio’s debut album, 400 Days, is a wonderfully woven patchwork of perfectly-wielded sentiment, lyricism and skilfully stripped-back musicianship. Ahead of its official release tomorrow (Friday, December 2), have an exclusive first listen to the album below.

  • Video Premiere: Bodies – Nightmoves

    November 30, 2016 - By 

    The solo project of Dublin’s David Anthony McGeown, Bodies started out when the musician “had the idea of writing something that documents that mid-twenties period in a persons life where you go through things that teach you how to interact with the world. Not the coming of age high school/ college period but the moments in your life where you – truly fall in love, understanding friendship, dealing with death/mental health for the first time as an adult etc.” The first manifestation of that decision is ‘Nightmoves’, an impressively earworming debut track from McGeown that marries dark lyricism with a…

  • Video Premiere: Cian Nugent – Lost Your Way

    November 30, 2016 - By 

    One of many gems to be found on his stellar third album, ‘Lost Your Way’ by Cian Nugent is a masterful tale that blends Loaded-era VU harmonic sensibilities with a breed of lyricism conjuring the personal introspection of Blood on the Tracks-era Dylan. Now, ahead of forthcoming European and UK dates (which are listed below) Nugent has unveiled Aoife Nessa Frances’ sublime, black-and-white video for the single. Here’s an exclusive first look. 25. Jan – Stockholm, SE / Obaren 27. Jan – Aalborg, DK / Northern Winter Beat 29. Jan – Copenhagen, DK / Huset w/ Promised Land Sound 30. Jan – Berlin, DE…

  • Running the Gamut: Introducing Orby Chase

    November 30, 2016 - By 

    One of many shining lights being championed by our friends at BeKreativ, Orby Chase are a recently-formed Belfast outfit on a mission. We catch up with the alt/indie quartet about the past, present and auspicious future of the band. Photo by Adam Martin Hi guys. First up: for the unacquainted, how and when did Orby Chase form? We formed in early January 2016. Josh had been doing the rounds as a singer/songwriter since the split of his previous outfit The Blindies and to reasonable acclaim. As his writing developed so did the textural palate he found himself reaching for and…

  • RTÉ Announce Partnership with Choice Music Prize

    November 28, 2016 - By 

    Ahead of its return to Dublin’s Vicar Street on Thursday, March 9, RTÉ has announced a new partnership with the Choice Music Prize. The partnership will see both RTÉ2 and RTÉ 2FM play a lead role in supporting what has become one of the highlights of the Irish musical calendar as part of a new agreement. Speaking about the announcement, Director-General at RTÉ Dee Forbe said, “Supporting Irish music and Irish musicians is a core part of what RTÉ does and this partnership will allow us to take our support one step further. Through RTÉ2 and RTÉ2FM, two established brands…

  • Kiss and Tell: An Interview With Meltybrains?

    November 23, 2016 - By 

    Ahead of playing their biggest headline show to date at Dublin’s Academy on Friday night, Dublin experimental maestros Meltybrains? talk collaboration, the scene, pushing boundaries and their new EP with Brian Coney. Photo by Ian McDonnell Hi guys. Congratulations on the release of Kiss Yourself. Take us back to the very start of the conception of this release: how was the songwriting process for this one and how did things differ, if at all, to previous work? The songwriting process was a complicated affair. Some of the tracks were ideas from old demos we recorded in Conor Walsh’s hotel in…

  • Swimming With The Stream: An Interview With Callum Cairns AKA Little Rivers

    November 23, 2016 - By 

    Photographer Ruth Kelly shoots and discusses new music, time management and sonic progression with Belfast indie folk singer-songwriter Callum Cairns AKA Little Rivers Hi Callum. First off, what inspired you to start writing music? I suppose I started wanting to write music when my dad brought Damien Rice’s first album ‘O  home. For some reason, I don’t remember listening to a lot of music growing up, so I’m pretty bad at my parents’ era of artists, but I’d never heard anything like that album and it fascinated me. Particularly because it started off my fondness for poetry. Do you have…

  • Watch: Guerrilla Sessions with Ray Wingnut feat. Lynched

    November 23, 2016 - By 

    Ahead of their massive Vicar Street show on Saturday night, Lynched recently sat down with Irish music champion Ray Wingnut for the first ever Guerrilla Session. Doubling up as a radio session recorded for Spin ALT on Spin South West (check it out on Sundays from 9.45-11.45am), it’s a wonderfully paced and engrossed feature in which Dublin traditional folk quartet discussing the likes of success, compromise, and the universality of folk, as well as performing two songs, ‘What Will We Do When We Have No Money?’ and ‘The Tri-Coloured House’. The session was shot/edited by Thom McDermott; John ‘Spud’ Murphy on sound.