Tag Archives: Ireland

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Same D4ence – new EP released this morning

What you may need to know…

01. Recent featurees in this column, the trio of Size, Hazey and MC B more than merit repeated mention.

02. Following the release of the video for A Beauty Named Shannon, as well as an acapella appearance at The Hip Neck Blues Collective‘s farewell show, the trio release their second EP, Exclamation Marks!, via Limerick hip-hop cornerstone The Unscene.

03. Stream (and download) the EP in its entirety in the widget above. Production from one-man duo Deviant & Naive Ted, and guest appearances from members of trad iconoclasts Lynched and beatmaker Mankyy.

04. A compelling bonus take from the shoot for the Beauty video, a freestyle filmed in an old handball court and making the most of the acoustics there, can be found at the band’s Facebook.

Verdict: A singular, focused slab of eloquent, yet distinctively Limerick-accented hip-hop, that raises the bar that little bit higher.

Same D4ence

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WRY MYRRH – appearing from the ether shortly

What you may need to know…

01. Comprised of composer/GASH Collective organiser Ellen King, and composer/Crevice member Irene Buckley, WRY MYRRH offers a sparse take on improv electronics, with sinister, brooding drone and noise inflections.

02. Debuting in January of this year at Cork’s Community Print Shop, the duo have since shared a stage with Sophie Cooper and the Tor Invocation Band.

03. Streaming above is TWO, one of two pieces currently uploaded to the project’s Soundcloud. Stay with it to the end.

04. Making an infrequent appearance at MMOTHS’ upcoming Cork date at the Triskel on the 30th, alongside Underling.

VERDICT: As exploratory as it is unsettling, WRY MYRRH’s minimalist improv is likely another experience again when immersed in it in a live situation.

WRY MYRRH

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Axecatcher – new EP and upcoming shows

What you may need to know…

01. Metallic hardcore is the order of the day from Derry four-piece Axecatcher.

02. Intriguing genre nerds in 2012 with debut single The Odalisque, the band have kept fairly prolific, releasing EPs in 2013 and 2014, while supporting bands like KENMode and Rotting Out has kept their profile up.

03. Streaming above in its entirety is third EP Common Blood, self-released on the band’s Bandcamp last week. Coming soon to other platforms.

04. One can safely assume that a new EP means gigs to be announced in short order. Stay tuned to their social media for more.

Verdict: Nothing fancy and no polish, just a big, focused, fupp-off racket. Sound.

Axecatcher

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TALOS – New single and upcoming dates

What you may need to know…

01. Since the last time we checked in on Eoin French and collaborators, Talos have finally announced an upcoming extended-play, O Sanctum.

02. Recent live outings have included the Mitchelstown caves, as part of Clonmel Junction festival, as pictured above in a stunning shot by Christian Tierney.

03. Streaming in the link above is the video for slightly more blissed-out new-single Your Love Is an Island. Prepare for feels. Video directed, edited and graded by the mighty Feel Good Lost.

04. He plays Dublin tomorrow night at Dlight Studios; Wednesday night at DeBarra’s in Clonakilty; and Kilkenny Thursday night at St. John’s Priory.

Verdict: Evocative, without getting overwrought and earnest. It is getting increasingly difficult to see how French and co. aren’t going to be massive at some point in the near future.

TALOS

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I Am the Cosmos – new single and launch gig this weekend

01. Ross Turner and Cian Murphy are Dublin electronic duo I Am the Cosmos.

02. 2013’s debut album Monochrome was an impressive statement of intent, and made off with Nialler9’s Album of the Year. They’ve kept appearances scarce since, but have signed a publishing deal with magnates Faber Music.

03. Streaming above is the band’s new single Letting It Go, released earlier this month via Happy Valley Records digitally and on 7″.

04. Launch show goes down tomorrow night at the Bello Bar in Dublin. Support from Padraig Moore and a DJ set from the good folk behind culture blog/collective This Greedy Pig. A tenner in, tickets available here.

Verdict: Minimal, yet spacey electronica with a stern-faced, almost post-punk sensibility.

I Am the Cosmos

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Jimmy Penguin – New album Rust

What you may need to know…

01. Galway-based skratchologist and manipulator of sounds Jimmy Penguin unleashes Rust, his fifth (!) long-player this year.

02. He’s been throwing them out on the DL, and moving in a more techno/minimal direction all the while, including collab albums with fellow Galwegian Acidfeen and DJ Chile. Find his discography here, much of it free/donations.

03. Streaming above is Rust, a platter of wonky, alien breaks and beats released a week or two back.

04. When not constantly moving his own game forward, he also runs Alkalinear Recordings, an online label dedicated to left-of-centre electronics. He’s also a co-founder of Galway’s annual Community Skratch Games.

Verdict: Forward-thinking, fearless and p-p-prolific as of recent, JImmy Penguin shows ’em how it’s done.

Jimmy Penguin

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Iron Mountain – playing Dolan’s alongside Shardborne

What you may need to know…

01. Woodwind and uilleann pipes lead the prog-rock march of Limerick five-piece Iron Mountain.

02. Debut album Unum, initially a self-release, has recently been reissued and repackaged as part of their deal with German metal label/distributor Prophecy Productions.

03. Streaming above is the video for leadoff single, Enthralldom.

04. See them next on Monday July 25th at the Kasbah in Dolan’s, Limerick, as part of a double-dose of hometown prog, alongside the phenomenal Shardborne.

05. They then head away to Germany to partake in Prophecy Fest, in Balve, alongside bands like black metal/shoegaze luminaries Alcest and Les Discrets.

Verdict: Progressive, psychedelic and krautrock influences provide another new angle on our own trad/folk, with impressive results.

Iron Mountain

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Nxstalgic_ – releases Motorola beat tape on Soft Boy Records

What you may need to know…

01. Decent (instrumental) Irish hip-hop from Leeside beatmaker Nxstalgic_.

02. Independently released an album and two EPs between August of last year and February, all available here.

03. Streaming above in its entirety is new beat tape Motorola, available for pay-what-you-want download.

04. Released via upstart Irish hip-hop collective Soft Boy Records, among them former Broadsheet featuree Kojaque, Matt Finnegan and Kean Kavanagh.

Verdict: Impossibly smooth, yet suitably gritty. Don’t sleep on it.

Nxstalgic_

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windings – new music en route

What you may need to know…

01. Limerick five-piece windings have outlived and outlasted their DIY forebears and become a staple of Irish independent music.

02. Emerging from the ashes of beloved hardcore duo giveamanakick, they’ve since trod the boards with Daniel Johnston, Smog/Bill Callahan, Bob Mould, Okkervil River, Caribou, Iron And Wine, Villagers, Teenage Fanclub, Kurt Vile, and Modest Mouse on their way to releasing three full-lengths and multiple singles.

03. Streaming above is the band’s most recent release, digital single Stray Dogs/Helicopters. Production on the B-side from Limrock noise-hop luminary Naive Ted.

04. New album Be Honest and Fear Not is on the way, and the band’s label is clearing house to make room. Long-running Shannonside label Out on a Limb currently have a summer sale on, with 25% off everything with discount code OOALSALE. Music on CD, vinyl and tape, including Rest, Owensie, Shardborne, and reissues from giveamanakick and Tooth.

Verdict: A hint at a more foreboding, eclectic direction for the veteran alternative outfit.

Windings

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Ghostking – released new EP

What you may need to know…

01. Oddball, noisy/reverby pop is the order of the day for Cork’s Matt Corrigan, operating under the pseudonym Ghostking.

02. Surfacing as a solo project from Cork’s diminutive but feverishly active all-ages music scene, Corrigan garnered local attention with a (since deleted) debut EP earlier this year.

03. Streaming above is new extended-player Journal of Public Affairs, available now for free download.

04. You know you’re onto something when an artist willingly labels themselves as “Post-Mortem”. In fairness.

Verdict: All manner of hyper-self-aware sarcasm, alongside a healthy disregard for anyone else’s opinion on same, married to some nicely barebones songwriting.

Ghostking