• Track Record: Gareth Quinn Redmond

    March 2, 2023 - By 

    Ahead of the release of his album Ar Ais Aris this week, Dublin ambient musician Gareth Quinn Redmond selects the records that have left a lasting impression on his life from Myles Manley to Hiroshi Yoshimura. Photos by Leah Carroll Fleet Foxes – Crack Up I adore Fleet Foxes, their first two albums will always hold a special place in my heart and after a seven-year hiatus they somehow came back with an album that was somehow better than its predecessors. Crack Up is a masterpiece, the experimental elements, the string arrangements and vocal performances from Robin Pecknold. From beginning till end…

  • Track Record: Dan Walsh (Fixity)

    February 14, 2023 - By 

    In this installment of Track Record, Cork-based multi-instrumentalist Dan Walsh selects the records that have left a lasting impression on his life from The Spotnicks to Steve Kuhn. Photos by John Sheehy The Spotnicks – Spotlight in the Spotnicks Swedish surf rock with spaceman costumes. Absolutely ideal. These guys used radio waves to connect their wireless guitars back in the 1960s. They also put together surf versions of local folks songs when touring the world. Heroes. Bruce Haack – Electric Lucifer Bruce Haack is a big deal and rocks hard with his powerful machines. An incredibly ambitious album for its time…

  • Track Record: Jack Rudden (Search Party Animal)

    March 29, 2018 - By 

    In this instalment of Track Record, we hang out with Jack Rudden from Search Party Animal while we he talks us through some of his favourite records, from Slint to Sufjan Stevens. Photos by Zoe Holman. Sufjan Stevens -Age of Adz This is a perfect album. You can disagree if you like, but that will not change the fact that this is a perfect album. I don’t know where to begin with this one really. I could talk about every track on this double LP for hours. There’s just so much to cover. The gorgeous lyrics, the seamless combination of baroque orchestration and synthesizers,…

  • Track Record: Ruan Van Vliet

    October 24, 2016 - By 

    Popical Island co-founder and Dublin-based artist Ruan Van Vliet shares some of the more curious gems in his record collection, including Abigail & The Horsey, Ketaminnie Driver and Ammo Blood. Photos by Aaron Corr. Tutankhamun Joyner – Celestial Brouhaha Already a well known sideman in groups led by John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane and Barry Coltrane, Joyner stepped out on his own with this debut as band leader on the Impulse! label in 1969. Energy music, free skronk, multiphonic overblowing, spiritual yodelling – this is a huge mess and I can’t make head nor tails of it. Nightmare. Peepin’ Tommy Pervis – Outside…

  • Track Record: Jess Kav (BARQ)

    October 8, 2016 - By 

    Dublin musician and BARQ frontwoman Jess Kav handpicks a selection of records that have left an indelible imprint on her music and life, including Chaka Khan, Jape, Ella Fitzgerald and Flying Lotus. Photos by Moira Reilly. Hiatus Kaiyote – Choose Your Weapon Future-Soul deliciousness from Australia or, to quote them, “polyrhythimic, multidimensional gangsta shit”. The album kicks you in the face with glitchy vocals and operatic intensity from the first song ‘By Fire’. Nai Palm’s voice can hold so much sass and vulnerability simultaneously, god I fucking love her. I feel like she’s life-coaching me with her lyrics. Listen out…

  • Track Record: Richard Dowling (WAV Mastering)

    September 13, 2016 - By 

    As the most experienced mastering engineer in Ireland, it’s no surprise that Richard Dowling has an extensive, far-reaching record collection. Having founded WAV Mastering 10 years ago this Autumn, 2017 will mark his 30th year working in audio, with clients ranging from Christy Moore, Choice Music Prize winners SOAK and Jape, David Bowie, Foo Fighters and Suede to name a few.  In the latest installment of Track Record, Aaron Corr captures the Limerick engineer selecting some of his all-time favourite records. David Bowie – Hunky Dory ‘Life On Mars’, ’nuff said. Andy Warhol looks a scream, I’ve him hanging on my wall. Chvrches – The…

  • Track Record: Ian McFarlane (Squarehead / Kid Karate)

    May 4, 2016 - By 

    In this installment of Track Record we hang out with Ian McFarlane, bassist extraordinaire with Squarehead and Kid Karate. Here he selects the albums that have left a huge impression on him, from Parliament to Prince. Photos by Aidan Kelly Murphy. Parliament – The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein As far as I am concerned Parliament are the greatest funk band of all time. George Clinton masterminded a situation where the best musicians he could find were free to experiment and collaborate thus producing some of the most incredible music you could image. At the core of Parliament were the James Brown…

  • Track Record: Shane Murphy (Land Lovers/No Monster Club/Switzerland)

    March 10, 2016 - By 

    In this installment of Track Record we hang out with Shane Murphy to chat about his record collection, while he’s not too busy playing in three of Popical Island’s finest bands: Land Lovers, No Monster Club and Switzerland. Photos by Aidan Kelly Murphy. Elvis Costello – This Year’s Model I discovered Elvis Costello pretty late in life, and when I say discovered, I mean after Land Lovers were compared to him, Padraig of the band quickly gave me some homework to do. At his best with The Attractions, this was the first pairing of the two. It’s a frantic and…

  • Track Record: Gavin Glass

    October 15, 2015 - By 

    In this installment of Track Record, we head over to the lovely home of Gavin Glass to have a rummage around his eclectic record collection (and a nosey at his collection of guitars too!) Elvis Presley – Aloha, From Hawaii I have to put one in from The King of Rock N’Roll. I’ve been a huge Elvis fan since I was really young.  I used to constantly draw pictures of Elvis on primary school books. This album was recorded live as part of a satellite broadcast which was one of the first live concerts broadcast live worldwide. Elvis’ TCB band…

  • Track Record: Michelle Considine (little xs for eyes)

    July 14, 2015 - By 

    In the latest installment of Track Record, Michelle Considine from little xs for eyes selects and talks about some of her all-time favourite records, including Björk, Future Islands, The Books and Patrick Kelleher and his Cold Dead Hands. Take it away, Michelle… Photos by Abi Dennison I was raised in a vinyl fanatic’s household.  My dad had a huge collection of classic albums from the 1960s/70s and my brother had a massive 80s/90s album collection (I don’t think he’s ever bought a tape or cd in his life if it was available on vinyl!) so I was lucky to have a…