Category Archives: You May Like This

solarbears

https://player.vimeo.com/video/153227017

Solar Bears – Wild Flowers

What you may need to know…

01. Released a week or two ago by Rob da Bank’s independent label Sunday Best, Wild Flowers marks the return after a three-year hiatus of Dublin/Wicklow electronica duo Solar Bears.

02. Comprised of Rian Trench and John Kowalski, the duo have previously been signed to the  Planet Mu label, with publishing through legendary electronic label Warp. They’re currently preparing their third full-length, Advancement, due on Friday March 18.

03. The Wild Flowers vid was directed by Michael Robinson, who’s previously done promos for Bibio, The Go! Team, and Ronika.

04. To make up for their extended live absence, and to prepare for said upcoming LP, the lads have recorded a fantastic live set of nearly an hour’s worth of new material, for Boiler Room’s Upfront sessions. Stream and download it for free.

Verdict: Simply put: welcome back, Solar Bears. We’ve missed you. Now hurry on and get the new LP out.

Solar Bears

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Sounds Of A System Breakdown – Punishing Love

What you may need to know

01. London-resident Dublander Rob Costello, alongside collaborators Ed Costello and Richy Kelly, form the live electronic collective known as Sounds of System Breakdown. Rather than do the whole static laptop-and-beardstroking bit, the band exist in the physical space, swapping instruments and generally giving it socks.

02. They’re somewhat of a veteran outfit by now, together/active in some form since 2008. New EP Punishing Love (title track streaming above) is their first release since August 2014’s Giving Up single, also included on the EP. Vinyl pops and clicks pockmark a steady mover of a tune, strong beats underpinning a stark yet layered soundscape.

03. The video was directed by the good folk at FailSafe Films, and has a novel twist on the whole “dancer in video” trope – it was filmed at a Strictly Come Dancing night at St. Patrick’s GFC, in Lordship, Co. Louth. It follows Jade and Christopher’s quest to bring home first prize, a beautifully-realised look at small-town life, teamwork, and developing partnerships.

04. No announced live dates in support of the EP just yet, but, oh, look: it’s out on limited edition 12″ vinyl. Get that here. It’s also up on iTunes and Bandcamp for download, and on Spotify for those so inclined.

Verdict: Much to be loved here by fans of electronic, indie, ambient and post-rock. A multifaceted outfit showcases a multifaceted sound.

Sounds of System Breakdown

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Slow Riot – post-punk from Limerick.

What you may need to know…

01. Emerging from Limrock‘s fertile musical underbelly, post-punk trio Slow Riot arrive with equal measures of atmosphere and songsmithery, wrapped up in sparse, yet tense production.

02. New single T R O P H Y W I F E is currently doing the radio rounds, but is as of yet unavailable for online consumption, so here’s their Cathedral EP from October of last year. T R O P H Y W I F E releases April 15th via Straight Lines Are Fine (and we’ll have it in this post as soon as it becomes available).

03. Both the EP and the upcoming single were produced by Kevin Vanbergen (The Pixies, The Maccabees, Dinosaur Pile-Up, The La’s, Biffy Clyro) at the helm. Some heavyweight company to keep, to say the least. On top of this, the EP was recorded in the Manic Street Preachers’ Faster studio in Cardiff.

04. Opening for Girls’ Names in Dolan’s on February 27th, they’ve had a good run in 2016 already, touring with synth-poppers I <3 The Monster Hero, and being named one of State Mag’s 16 for ’16.

Verdict: The new single’s a good ‘un, adding to what you hear above with a good dose of rhythmic, propulsive sensibilities. Keep an ear out for these lads. If they can maintain this momentum, there’s surely big things on the horizon.

Slow Riot

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September Girls – Love No One

What you may need to know…

01. Dublin-based shoegaze/psychedelia specialists take off the gloves with upcoming album Age of Indignation: bolstering their increasingly raw, garagey sound, the five-piece tackle everything from feminism, to religion, to Irish life as we know it at present. Heavyweight stuff, to say the very least.

02. Named for a Big Star song, the band came together in 2011, and immediately proceeded on a number of single and split releases via various labels, before settling with UK indie pillar Fortuna POP! for debut album Cursing the Sea. The band signed with Brooklyn indie label Kanine Records for their subsequent Veneer EP, co-released with Fortuna.

03. The British press are all over the quintet. From the Guardian and the Sunday Times, to the NME and the sadly-departed The Fly, praise was everywhere for their debut LP. Time magazine, no less, deigned them among the 11 best new bands in the world in 2014. Lofty expectations to exceed a second time around, especially off the back of appearances at SXSW and Liverpool Psych Fest.

04. Jaw on the Floor, inspired both by the 1916 Rising and early feminism in Ireland, features the album’s only big vocal cameo: Oliver Ackermann, of the equally excellent A Place to Bury Strangers.

05. The album, released April 8 and followed by an upcoming Irish tour, continues in this vein, taking aim at social media, modernity and the legacy of the Catholic church in Ireland. Love No-One (above), deals with narcissism in the modern day.

Verdict: Their upward trajectory has been frightening, and they look set to provide the tempestuous, confrontational agit-pop that our generation has been sorely lacking, hopefully opening up as many conversations about the issues at hand in Ireland as their reverbed-up, boxcutter noise.

September Girls

RBOTN

Rabid Bitch of the North – Green Eyes

What you may need to know…

1. Belfast’s Rabid Bitch of the North trade exclusively in a falsetto-laden, old-school strain of thrash metal, with pockmarks of the genre’s NWOBHM predecessors for good measure. Precisely zero fecks are given at any point for your opinion on the matter.

2. Green Eyes is out now via Greek label Alone Records, on the hallowed medium of 7″ vinyl, with an accompanying woven patch (for your battle jacket) also available. The suitably retro video (above) was directed and edited by Full Scope Films.

3. They’re great craic live, in fairness. We caught them at an installment of the Siege of Limerick all-dayer a while back and had fun. Their lean, tight, power-trio setup just does their tunes justice.

4. They’re supporting American metal legends Argus at On The Rox in Dubland on March 13, alongside heavy-metal traditionalists Stereo Nasty. Tickets €15 on the door with merch stalls on the night.

Verdict: While possibly not everyone’s cup of tay, even in the preponderously fractured & diverse world of metal and its derivatives, there’s no knocking RBOTN’s dedication to providing a decent dose of unassuming, unpretentious thrash. Fair balls.

Rabid Bitch Of The North

Talos

Talos – In Time

What you may need to know…

1. In case you missed it last week, Cork-based electronic-pop pinup songsmith Eoin French, aka Talos, dropped his much-anticipated new single In Time over at Nialler9’s blog.

2. Big, big things await the architecture tutor with a penchant for sweet vocals and spacey, shoegazing sensibilities, after a 2014/5 that saw singles Tethered Bones and Bloom take flight in a serious fashion, leading to myriad festival appearances all over Ireland and Europe, including Eurosonic in the Netherlands.

3. The video is directed and edited by longtime collaborator Feel Good Lost, also responsible for the strong visual identity of Cork Scandipop bedfellows Young Wonder, and recently directing videos for All Tvvins and Le Galaxie. One of Ireland’s most influential creative professionals.

4. Firmly established on the independent Irish music scene, Talos is looking set to go mainstream this year, getting the come-to-bed eyes from Hot Press in their recent Hottie awards/reader poll. He scooped two nominations, one for Best Song, the other for Most Promising Artist.

Verdict: Broadsheet recently saw the live configuration of the project play Quarter Block Party in Cork. He gets better every time we see him, but there’s some heavy-duty backup, including live cellos. Catch him live now, before he blows up properly.

Talos.

Mick-T-Woc

 

T-Woc – Jetstar Vol. II E.P.

Here’s what you might need to know:

1. Producer from Wicklow releasing through Limerick’s The Unscene label, responsible for putting out some of the cream of Irish hip-hop in recent years.

2. Wonky, bassy, dubby instrumental hip-hop with a gentle tinge of psychedelia and noise. “On a bit more of a tropical tip these days”, says himself.

3. Supported Eek-A-Mouse on Irish tour, and has produced an acclaimed mix for All City Records, among other things.

4. New E.P. Jetstar Vol. II came out this week on The Unscene’s Bandcamp page, available for streaming and download in the platform’s usual ridiculous array of formats.

5. This release was preceded with the first ever press release your writer has ever received that has been written entirely in the form of dialogue.

Verdict: Dig in. Quality, quirky, dubby instrumentalness that’s well worth a lash.

bantum&loah

Batnum & Loah – Take it

What you may need to know

1. Bantum, aka Ruairí Lynch, is an exiled Corkman living and producing in Dubland. His 2013 magnum opus ‘Legion‘ is among the best Irish electronic/pop records committed to wax in recent years. A consistent releaser of singles/EPs with unreleased B-side material, too, a rarity in this day and age.

2. Loah, an Irish/Sierra Leonean vocalist tipped for big things by Irish music blogs like Goldenplec and The Thin Air, puts in an absolutely breathtaking vocal, layered with beautiful harmonies. We’re eagerly awaiting her debut EP this year.

3. This stunning video was directed by Peter O’Brien, produced by Motherland, and features dancer Laura Sarah Dowdall. No lighting was used bar the street light seen here.

4. True to form, the digital download and Spotify stream comes with a stripped-down ‘blues mix’ as a b-side/bonus track.

5. Bantum used to live with Keith from Limerick two-piece giveamanakick, which is class when you think about it.

Verdict: A major step forward for two of Ireland’s most talented artists.

Bantum & Loah,