01. While it may only have been a matter of time before an Irish band got around to using the word ‘chancer’ for a band name, it’s well-used on these Dublin math-rock boyos.
02. Beginning as a solo project for musician Dara Walsh, CHANCER has quickly expanded to a four-piece following debut single Whistler, with full-band rehearsal footage being posted to their Facebook.
03. Streaming above is the video for the band’s new single, Banger, available now from their Bandcamp. The tune premiered on UK math-rock blog Fecking Bahamas, where they also dropped the announcement of an upcoming Irish math compilation.
04. Wait for it at 3.46.
Thoughts: Lovely, awkward, loud, noisy math-rock, not dissimilar to early Adebisi Shank or parts of BATS’ sound, but with a more rough-hewn sense of humour in their aesthetic and references. Good tack.
Last week, we asked YOU to complete this sentence:
“The best Irish female voice by some distance is ________________________ particularly when performing____________________________”
At stake was our weekly €25 voucher for any of fourteen Golden Discs stores around the country, and as usual, the competition was stiff.
But as ever, there can only be one winner.
Iwerzon takes it, with a personal story on his favourite female Irish voice.
“The best Irish female voice by some distance is Eithne Ní Uallacháin, particularly when she performed from her album ‘Bilingua’ and in particular the tracks Lughnasa Damhsa, Senex Puer and the title track Bilingua.
Eithne, from the Cooley Peninsula Co. Louth, sadly passed away in 1999 and her family and musical comrades made sure this work in progress saw the light of day.
She was years ahead of her time which is very evident in this important recording, her use of a distinct traditional voice, and influences from other cultures and electronica makes its sound very current and hugely relevant. Please give it a listen if you get a chance.”
Other highlights from the running:
Leopold Gloom: “The best Irish female voice by some distance is Roisín Murphy, particularly when performing live as she is bloody brilliant. She’s arguably the best musician to come out of Ireland in the last two decades. Chameleon-like, electronica, pop, disco. Guilty of forgetting her sometimes.”
Specific Gravity: “The best Irish female voice by some distance is Katell Keineg, particularly when performing Gulf of Araby. Still remember seeing her on Nighthawks performing a cover of Quapelle Valley and being transfixed, even considering Shay’s bizarre set. And while she may be Breton-Welsh technically, her formative music years were spent here.”
Pat Walsh: “One of the best Irish female voices is that of Leslie Dowdall particularly when performing All I Wanted when she was with In Tuath Nua.”
Nigellicus: “Lovely choices here. The best Irish female voice by some distance is Mary Coughlan particularly when performing Double Cross.”
Penfold: “The best Irish female voice by some distance is Carol Keogh particularly when performing Out of This while part of Automata. A brilliant band, and amazing singer (also Cathy Davey on the first album, another fantastic voice).”
HyperGlobalCompuMegaNet: “The best Irish female voice by some distance isLisa Hanniganparticularly when performing. Rather than put in a song at the end I think a full-stop sums it up better.”
An Ohio policeman Doug Bline
Volunteered to do something quite fine
Let a terminally ill
Girl get a massive thrill
She tazed him and left on cloud nine.
From top: European Centre for Press and Media Freedom conference; Gemma O’Doherty; Catherine Murphy.
From 10am.
The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) will host the second Newsocracy conference, entitled ‘Media Ownership Concentration in Ireland and Europe’ at At the Irish Writers’ Centre on Parnell Square, Dublin 1.
Catherine Murphy TD co-leader of the Social Democrats will speak alongside investigative journalist Gemma O’Doherty, Lynn Boylan MEP and others.
The event is open to the public and free but those interested in attending are asked to register here or send an email to conference@ecpmf.eu .
Ms Murphy said she will return to Leinster House following her address to initiate a Private Members Bill to “protect the diversity of ownership and address the issue of control of media in Ireland”.
Ms Murphy’s bill aims to ensure that the 20 per cent public interest test that applies to any media mergers “could be applied retrospectively to any individual or undertaking holding more than 20 per cent of the shares in a media business.
It will be debated during the Social Democrats’ private members’ time on Wednesday, February 8.
Ms Murphy said the Bill will also recognise:
“the huge shift to online and digital news sources and will update the current definition of audience reach to add those sources to the existing viewership and readership definitions, which are taken into account when considering media mergers and plurality of the media.”
