Category Archives: Music

Every kind of sound imaginable.

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Malojian – Belfast singer-songwriter

What you may need to know…

01. Malojian is the brainchild of Belfast man Stevie Scullion, aided on occasion by collaborators Mike Mormecha and Joe McGurgan.

02. New album This Is Nowhere finds Scullion ruminating on middle-life, from parenthood, to marriage to grief, and was overseen by none other than Steve Albini, he of Big Black/Shellac, and the DIY recording gatekeeper behind some of Nirvana, the Breeders, and the Pixies’ finest work.

03. Streaming above is the video for I’ll Be Alright, taken from the record. Video directed by Colm Laverty.

04. Catch him on the road at Whelan’s in Dublin on the 26th, DeBarra’s in Clonakilty on the 27th, Coughlan’s in Cork on the 4th of December, and on the 9th at the Washerwoman in Ballina. Full tour details and more dates here.

Verdict: Scullion’s dichotomy of wringing sunny tunes from sober situations has seemingly met its match in Albini’s barebones recording work.

Malojian

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The new video from Cork alt-rock/post-metal trio Ealadha debuted this morning, for single Hurricanes.

Premiering on Overblown.co.uk, the video was directed by Rob O’Halloran of Mint Video.

Writes Jamie Coughlan on the site:

“The track is centered around our innate ability to overcome life’s obstacles and to defy,” says Dom Murphy, front-man with Ealadha. “Touching on the themes of life, death and the creativity found in between, this video aims to match the transcendent, swelling rhythm and vocal content with its own complimentary story,” adds Rob O’ Halloran.

Ealadha’s debut E.P. Limit of Our Sight is available now on their Bandcamp.

Mint Video

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This Side Up – Sligo hip-hop

What you may need to know…

01. Myster E, Shaol and DJ Noone are This Side Up, a Sligo hip-hop collective.

02. Emerging from a live rap cypher at a regular vinyl night of the same name, in the town’s McGarrigle’s pub, the trio have been quietly gaining momentum in Irish hip-hop the past few years.

03. Streaming above is the trio’s debut album, Full Fat, the follow up to last year’s 3075 EP. Featuring appearances from Spekulativ Fiktion, MC Muipéad and Verb T and Moreone.

04. Catch them tomorrow evening at Liquid Lounge in Cork for the Cuttin’ Heads Collective’s birthday, and on the 26th at the Grand Social in Dublin.

Verdict: A big, boisterous offering that not so much touches on, but lands a big elbow drop on, everything from mental health in Ireland, to world politics.

This Side Up

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Rebecca Fitzpatrick writes:

If your readers are looking for something a little different to do this weekend, why not join Chamber Choir Ireland in Christ Church Cathedral this Saturday at 8pm for a musical journey where South America meets Europe, and the 20th century hurtles back to the 18th century.  Featuring music from Villa-Lobos, Bach, Kagel and Berg, the 16 professional singers and two-time Grammy award-winning conductor Paul Hillier will give you a unique experience before you head out on the town!

Tickets available here. 

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The ECM Weekender – a festival of jazz and related visuals, now that the other big jazz weekend is out of the way.

Writes Tina Darb:

We are delighted to present our second ECM weekend, having worked closely with ECM in Munich to put together the concerts and films that make up this very special celebration of a label whose contribution to Music and to Culture is vast, and whose output and excellence is prodigious and truly unique.

Launching, and going, all next weekend at the Triskel Christchurch in Cork.

ECM Weekender

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We Cut Corners – video for new single Of Whatever

01. Indie/alt/folk duo We Cut Corners have been busy this year, putting the finishing touches on third album The Cadences of Others.

02. Hefty shoes to fill: previous long-players Today I Realised I Could Go Home Backwards and Think Nothing were both Choice Prize nominees.

03. Streaming above is the video for Of Whatever, directed by Jon Hozier-Byrne. Evoking the sense of panic that 2016 has neatly been enveloped by, it features model Megan O’Malley sleeping through life/drowning in a shallow bed. Fun for the whole family.

04. Catch them tomorrow night in the Roisín Dubh in Galway, and on Saturday night in the Button Factory in Dubland.

Verdict: A lush, densely-arranged take on the band at their more usually considered bodes for a big-sounding LP.

We Cut Corners

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The Music Capital Scheme, administered by Music Network, is back open, with a reserve of €210,000 available for instruments for skilled, professional musicians, and community music groups.

Write Music Network:

The Music Capital Scheme, established by the Arts Council, supported by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and managed by Music Network, comprises two distinct awards that provide funding for the purchase of musical instruments to both non-professional performing groups and to professional musicians.

The Music Capital Scheme has funded 227 musicians, groups and organisations, benefitting up to 30,819 people throughout Ireland since its inception in 2008.

The scheme opens for applications on November 30th, deadlines January 25th, with clinics from Music Network around the country in the second week of January.

Music Network

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Marlene Enright – releasing new single Alchemy

What you may need to know…

01. The breathy, considered voice of Cork alt-folk outfit The Hard Ground, Marlene Enright has struck out solo in recent times with a run of singles.

02. Having helped see the Hard Ground through a crowd-funded trilogy of EPs, Triptych, in 2014, Enright’s debut solo album, Placemats and Second Cuts, is due in March of next year.

03. Streaming above is the video for new single Alchemy, filmed and directed by Cork filmmaker Barra Vernon.

04. Catch her touring Ireland in support of indie-rocker gone solo John Blek. John Cleere’s in Kilkenny on the 19th, Coughlan’s in Cork on the 25th, Phil Grimes’ in Waterford on the 26th, on the Other Voices Music Trail in Dingle on December 2nd and 3rd, capped off with a show at Whelan’s on the evening of the 3rd.

Verdict: Taking that slight, yet mighty voice in its own direction is a good fit, as Enright relays her own experiences with the help of purposeful writing and arrangement.

Marlene Enright

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ELLLL – releasing new extended-player Romance

What you may need to know…

01. Last time we checked in with ELLLL, she’d been putting the finishing touches on her first “proper” collection of songs after years of gigging and composing under the name.

02. Veering from her initial explorations in drone, ambient & noise, and into an atmospheric take on minimal techno, her debut extended player, Romance, finally releases across various formats this winter.

03. Streaming above is the eponymous leadoff tune from the extended player, with a full stream/interview over at the 405.

04. The E.P. releases this week digitally and next month on 12″ vinyl, via Sligo-based label Art for Blind, with the quest apparently on to assemble more tracks for a follow-on E.P.

Verdict: Laden with textures, and built on menacing, foreboding reinterpretations of a multitude of samples, this ought to be something else entirely to hear on wax.

ELLLL