He’s back. And as per the still-active Facebook of now-defunct no-wave legends Sonic Youth, run by member Lee Ranaldo, he’s done quite the job of it.
Steve Collender, video editor and pop-culture reappropriator, released this retake of Twin Peaks a while back, set to Sonic Youth’s Superstar, and it’s a damn fine cup of coffee.
No Spill Blood – hefty Dublin/Cork space-noises
What you may need to know…
01. At last, an excuse to talk about Dublin synth-heft power-trio No Spill Blood.
02. Coming together initially as a side-project to Adebisi Shank, and featuring members of Elk and Magic Pockets, they’ve become more than a going concern in their own right, with second album Heavy Electricity releasing in March of last year, via US label Sargent House.
03. Streaming above is the aforementioned long-player, available to stream, download and purchase on CD and vinyl.
04. Playing Dublin next on December 9th at the Retro Revival Indie Club at the Grand Social. Support from Crowhammer. Tickets €8, more info available here.
Verdict: Equally heavy and spacey, the band have lurched into the forefront of Irish independent music.
“We have a female prime minister here in the UK. I actually really like her and think she’s wonderful,” said the singer “I think it’s the best thing that’s happened to us in a long time. She’s a very intelligent woman but I don’t see much to fear. I will say it is great to have a woman in charge of the country. She’s very sensible and I think that’s a good thing at this point in time.”
Kate Bush on Conservative Party PM Theresa May speaking to Macleans Magazine.
H/T Clash
i am niamh – classical-influenced alternative
What you may need to know…
01. Classically-trained and informed by the avant-garde, Niamh Parkinson, aka i am niamh, specialises in noirish alternative pop.
02. Having finished debut LP Wonderland at the end of last year, she’s managed to get the attention of Nialler9, The Irish Times and The Thin Air.
03. Streaming above is new single Bellend, taken from the album and released today digitally.
04. Appearing on Friday December 9, at Bello Bar, in Dublin, to launch the single in her last headliner show for the year. A tenner online or €12 at the door. Support from Rosa Nutty and Mythill Grim.
Verdict: Wonderland was one of the most promising Irish debuts of 2015, and Bellend shows us an artist at play.
Photography: Isabel Thomas
For your consideration
A forty-minute mix of tracks from Limerick’s ever-incredible The Unscene label, featuring the cream of current Irish beats and pieces, including Nylon Primate, T-Woc, Spekulativ Fiktion, RíRá, and Naive Ted.
All hand-picked by DJ JusMe, founder of Cork hip-hop co-op Cuttin’ Heads Collective, and hosted by up-and-comer Lil’ Johnny.
Vince Mack Mongrul – Thinking Heavy Bout Bass
Mikey Fingers – Boundaries Inside The Circle
Spekulativ Fiktion X Deviant & Naive Ted ft. Clerk 5 – Slave Labour
Nylon Primate ft. RíRá – Matador
Naive Ted X King Pallas – Hard Times ***exclusive (previously unreleased)***
Same D4ence – Pretentious
Flying Buttresses – God Laws
Nylon Primate – Late Hours
Vince Mack Mongrul ft. Chinch 33 – Sneak Quite
Nylon Primate – Build & Destroy
t-woc – sweaty fonk
Mikey Fingers – Glass Beads
Spekulativ Fiktion X Deviant & Naive Ted – Intro
Naive Ted X Same D4ence – Patience
Naive Ted w/ t-woc – Hard Breaking
Naive Ted – Sinking
Post-punk Podge & the Technohippies – Post-punk Election Party
Spekulativ Fiktion X Deviant & Naive Ted – Butterflies
Flying Buttresses – Honeysuckle Pussy
Blank Tape, a documentary on the return of cassette as a leading physical format in experimental electronic music.
Writes Anton Spice:
Rather than make a film about the so-called “tape revival”, we wanted to hear from the makers themselves to understand what it is about tape that remains so attractive. It features labels like Sacred Tapes, Tesla Tapes and Astro:Dynamics, Warp distributors Bleep and producers Helm and Ekoplekz whose music has sprung the underground to find a home on PAN and Planet Mu.
hissssssss-CLICK.
A catchy choon from Bad Lip Reading featuring footage from The Empire Strikes Back in which Yoda is victimised at the beach.
Terriers – post-hardcore from Cork
What you may need to know…
01. One year after playing their very last gig ever, Cork four-piece Terriers are all in the same country for a few days at Christmas, and are chancing their arms with a charity show.
02. Spinning off from Cork screamo band Slugbait, Terriers specialised in a slick, melodic post-hardcore, with streaks of classic rock riffage.
03. Streaming above is the band’s sole album, Let’s Hear It for the Boys, completed and released last year, shortly before their disbandment.
04. Catch ’em at Fred Zeppelin’s in Cork on the 23rd, with support from Sheffield math-rockers Ganglions and Cork alt-rockers Temperance Parade. A tenner in, all proceeds to Cork Simon.
Verdict: Much joy here for fans of alternative rock, post-hardcore, and the more QOTSA-end of stoner rock japes.
After last week’s kerfuffle on the still-potential outsourcing of young people’s programming, RTÉ have announced a further step into the Irish music scene, getting behind the annual Choice Music Prize.
RTÉ director-general Dee Forbes says:
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 with a long and rich history in supporting Irish music, and through our popular online and mobile platforms, RTÉ will put the RTÉ Choice Music Prize at the centre of a campaign that will bring the best Irish artists and songs from the past year to a wider audience.
The shortlist for this year’s album prize will announced on Wednesday 11th January, 2017, with the winner announced on Thursday 9th March 2017. The awards will be broadcast live on 2FM and presented in extended-highlight form the following week on RTÉ2.
Previously: This Dustin
TUSKS – Doom-metal from Belfast
What you may need to know…
01. Emerging from a rich scene for various amounts of musical heft, TUSKS fall somewhere between Sabbathesque riff worship and spiky punk noisemaking.
02. The band’s debut album Embers, released in August of last year, on Larne-based metal label Freak Flag Recordings.
03. Streaming above in its entirety, it’s available for download, and on limited 12″ green/”beer” vinyl.
04. Next seen live at the Eglantine in Belfast next Thursday, with support from Elder Druid and Black Market Thieves.
VERDICT: TUSKS have a lash off doom-metal’s tropes and rituals without directly aping same, adding a bit of piss and vinegar to proceedings.
