• Cheatahs – Mythologies

    November 9, 2015 - By 

    Mythologies is an appropriate name, with the London-formed Americo-Germanic-Canadian quartet Cheatahs once more harking back to subgenre worship of their indie rock, psych, Krautrock and, most prominently, shoegaze forefathers. Not even two years removed from the last record, things are getting more ethereal, with the emphasis on the psych and Krautrock, drastically reducing their tendency towards the more straightforward rockers. Mythologies’ level of gratification, as opposed to the instantaneity of their eponymous 2014 debut, comes in – appropriately enough – gushing waves. A lush production with a greater grasp on dynamics, it’s a record as much about textures as songs, even moreso than…

  • Label Mixtape: Gravity Records

    October 23, 2015 - By 

    Gravity Records started out just like any other cult indie label – see: SST, Dischord – of the ‘80s-early ‘90s, when a pragmatic lead member (drummer Matt Anderson) of the most relevant band (Heroin) in a scene (1991 San Diego) wanted to release just one single. They would, as tradition goes, ultimately earn more notoriety and credibility than money, but it provided a rich catalogue of scattered splits and short long-players over which punk nerds and indie swots of the future can pore over and explore a periodic cul de sac. Fewer labels inbred more effectively and better developed a…

  • Psych-Rock Revolution: Ireland and Beyond

    April 16, 2015 - By 

    When you consider Ireland’s rich history of iconic rock bands, those of a psych-rock persuasion don’t feature heavily on the list. Bands labelled as psychedelic were emerging in the US and Britain as early as the 1960’s. At the beginning it was defined by experimental songwriting, mind-altering drug culture, and a penchtant for flamboyant silk shirts. Tracing its roots back to the 1960’s you find bands like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Yardbirds, Jimmi Hendrix, The Doors, Soft Machine, Sly and the Family Stone and The Grateful Dead. Although Ireland could not be seen as a psych-rock hub, it has…

  • The Co-Present Late Sessions Launch & Weekly Show

    February 19, 2015 - By 

    Dwayne Woods, host of online alternative Irish radio show The Co-Present on Radiomade.ie – check their podcasts out here – has combined forces with show Niamh Farrell of Ham Sandwich to bring a monthly show at Dublin’s Workman’s Club, with the official launch taking place on Friday, February 27. Headlining the night are neo-psych quartet This Other Kingdom, who release their debut album Telescopic on April 11. Check their sonic concoction out on Bandcamp –  they’re sure to be one of the acts to keep an eye on throughout 2015, with new material being teased for their set. Following their set, singer & multi-instrumentalist electronica artist Patrick Kelleher (above) will be spinning…

  • Salvation Presents: DIG!

    June 30, 2014 - By 

    One of the all-time great music films ‘DIG!‘ is to be screened at The Menagerie on Friday July 18 by garage/psych/shoegaze/dream-pop-oriented showrunners Salvation. The film was the winner of Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and was written, directed & produced by Ondi Timonder – who won the same award for her phenomenal documentary film We Live In Public. Compiled from seven years of footage, it charters the relationships and careers of The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre and their frontmen – Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Anton Newcombe, respectively – and how their career paths diverged for commercial, artistic, creative, personality…