Category Archives: Music

Every kind of sound imaginable.

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Coming in relatively late are some of the highlights of recent on Dublin alternative radio station Dublin Digital Radio. Since kicking off late last year, the station has attempted to bring different voices and sounds to the Irish radio landscape, with shows recorded live in Jigsaw in Dublin, and pre-taped around the country.

Writes collective member Brian Hyland:

The Dublin Digital Radio roster expanded again this week as we launched some new shows including Off Target and Soft Landing Radio, making their debuts on the digital airwaves.

Among our top selections this week were, The Co-Present where host Dwayne Woods caught up with Steven Sharpe and Maija Sofia. Next was One-CP which had SUED label head, SVN in the house before his Dublin gig, well worth a listen. Last but not least, Beneath the Bricks with Breen gave us another stellar mix last Sunday.

Listen live or on-demand here.

Dowth

Dowth – folktronica from Dublin

What you may need to know…

01. Describing themselves as ‘mythical folk’, there’s more than a little modernity to Dublin duo Dowth.

02. This comes as no surprise to eagle-eared listeners: producer Tim Ording is better known as Exile Eye, one-half of trad-inflected hip-hop duo Melodica Deathship, while fiddler John Kelleher makes noise in outfits like Rats’ Blood, Burnchurch and GRIT.

03. Streaming above is their self-titled EP, released last November on digital download via Bandcamp and 12″ vinyl.

04. Doing a double-header of shows this weekend with psych/world beats man T-Woc. Friday night sees them play Jigsaw in Dublin with support from Catscars, while on Saturday, they head to Cork’s Kino theatre, with local support from Underling.

Thoughts: Their blurbs and self-descriptions deal in brevity, boiling their sound down to one word: ‘epics’. It’s hard to argue with that assessment – there’s ambition aplenty evident throughout these songs.

Dowth

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Bitch Falcon – Dublin grunge/alternative trio

What you may need to know…

01. Aiding the seeming Irish alt-rock revival along are power trio Bitch Falcon.

02. Last we checked in with the band, they’d premiered single Clutch via Nialler9, since released on all digital outlets.

03. Streaming above is the video for same, released yesterday. Directed by Spiceburger, it plays on the band’s indomitable stage presence in a skewed take on the performance vid.

04. The band are going on a full national tour to support the new single, including dates in Cork, Waterford, Limerick, Portlaoise, Leap, Dublin and Castlebar. Full itinerary in the pic above..

Thoughts: A bold visual, accompanying a band kicking off the grunge shackles and tearing into something noisier and more grandiose.

Bitch Falcon

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Neon Atlas – indie-poppers preparing third full-length

What you may need to know…

01. Neon Atlas are an indie/alternative/pop power-trio from Cork City.

02. Emerging in the early part of the decade, the band released debut effort Absolute Magnitude in 2013, and followed up in 2015 with sophomore platter Graffiti Reality.

03. Streaming above is new single The Afterglow, released last night via Soundcloud and available for download from iTunes from March 2nd, ahead of the release later this year of their as-yet untitled third full-length.

04. A run of national touring to support the single begins on Saturday February 18th, with a hometown date at the Crane Lane Theatre.

Thoughts: Good, honest, indie-pop with that certain brightness that seems to be in the water in Cork-based guitar pop.

Neon Atlas

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YONEN – Dublin math-rockers go full-on jazz in new animated video

What you may need to know…

01. Last time we checked in on Yonen, we looked at their singles to date before a run of gigs around the country.

02. Business has picked up appreciably for the Dublin-based four-piece, most recently the release of new single Tokyo, via the band’s Bandcamp.

03. Streaming above is the frankly ridiculous promo video for the single. Produced by animator Ross Ryder and Algorithm Studios, it follows protagonist Podraig’s journey into the titular city over its six or seven minutes. The vid premiered on Nialler9 on Monday.

04. The band are presently on the tour in the UK with one-man band Steve Strong, having had a feature on Fecking Bahamas’ excellent Irish math-rock compilation.

Thoughts: An odyssey of a track and a stunning visual accompaniment. Top quality throughout.

YONEN

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Last week, we asked YOU, our distinguished commentariat to recommend us your favourite new Irish music.

On the line was a crisp, new €25 voucher for Golden Discs, redeemable at any of its fourteen locations nationwide. In fact, we asked you to complete this sentence:

‘My current favourite song by a new Irish artist is ___________________ by ______________________ because __________________________’

The competition was tight as usual, but as ever, there can only be one winner:

Dav clinches it, with his recommendation (streaming above).

My current favorite song by a new Irish artist is Falling for You by Daithí featuring Sinead White because, not only is it a powerful vocal on her end, but he spent the last year traveling Ireland, recording sounds from the landscape to incorporate into his tracks, so I mean this quite literally when I say this is the sound of Ireland!

Other highlights from the running:

Gorugeen: ‘My current favourite song by a new Irish artist is Charlene by Chewing on Tinfoil because the video is so simple, honest, which reflects the song. It’s a tune that’s emotional but not at all soppy. It’s a touch raucous and sung in a genuine accent. An all round great package.’

Odockatee: ‘My current favourite song by a new Irish artist is Tin Man by Saint Sister because it has great harmonies, a real velvet flow and it’s just cool.’

Anne: ‘Lynched are very good’.

Penfold: ‘My current favourite song by a new Irish artist is Bullethead by Fangclub because its a great rough sounding riff laden track that showcases the bands grungey influences. Not sure if it qualifies as new as picked it up midway through last year.’

Thanks all

Golden Discs

Last week: The Young Folk

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Milky Teeth – Cork indie/pop solo endeavours

What you may need to know…

01. Milky Teeth is the solo nom-de-chords of Cork musician Robbie Barron.

02. Self-recorded and mixed by the man himself, the project keeps him ticking over inbetween stints with The Shaker Hymn and John Blek & The Rats.

03. Streaming above is the found-footage video for new single Sleepiness & Weary Wit, a taster of a planned full-length.

04. Available for free/pay-what-you want download at the project’s Bandcamp.

Thoughts: Not far removed from either of his musical day-jobs, yet distinct in its own right as a slice of hazy guitar-pop.

Milky Teeth

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REST – Cork post-metal/instrumental veterans

What you may need to know…

01. Beginning life in the Cork scene many moons ago as Wretch, post-metallers Rest have come a long way since making (expletive) of Fred Zeppelin’s and inspiring other local outfits to get it together.

02. Early signees to influential Limerick label Out on a Limb, they released debut album Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame in 2004, followed up by the Operation: Impending Doom extended-player in 2007. A protracted break was broken up by the release in 2013 of second full-length I Hold the Wolf, a joint release between OOAL and Cork’s PLUGD Records shop.

03. Streaming above in its entirety is Endanger Us, a document of the band’s release gig for Operation: Impending Doom at Cyprus Avenue. Released late last month, it marked the tenth anniversary of the show and came off the back of a surprise live appearance at Out on a Limb’s Xmas spectacular at Dolan’s.

04. Next up: Connolly’s of Leap on February 18th, where the band, alongside Hope is Noise, Horse, and The Liminals go under the hammers for a ruck. More info here.

Thoughts: Good to see these specialists in astral heft return to stage. They ought to be something else in the environs of Connolly’s.

Rest

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Today, like every Friday, we’re preparing to part with a €25 voucher for Golden Discs, redeemable at any of their fourteen locations nationwide.

To celebrate the release of the talent-stuffed shortlist for this year’s Choice Music Prize, all we ask from YOU is a song from the current generation of Irish artists that we can play at an UNSPECIFIED time.

To enter, just complete the following sentence.

‘My current favourite song by a new Irish artist is ___________________ by ______________________ because __________________________’

Lines MUST close at MONDAY 10am!

Golden Discs