Tag Archives: new music

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So Cow – new album Lisa Marie Airplane

What you may need to know…

01. So Cow is the nom-de-plume of Galwegian Brian Kelly, who rattles out a pretty nifty line of indie-inflected garage-rock.

02. Coming to life in 2005 as Kelly’s recording project while over in Seoul, South Korea (where in 2009, he briefly gained mainstream attention for naming a song after a local actress/model), the band eventually swelled to a three-piece over the course of four full-lengths and a rake of singles/splits.

03. Streaming above in its entirety is fifth album Lisa Marie Airplane Tour. Recorded solo in Kelly’s new home of Spiddal, Co. Galway, the album reflects heavily on the little malaises of rural life with a warm smirk.

04. It received possibly the best album launch in recent times. The following happened last Friday:

Between the hours of 6 and 9 p.m., I’m going to drive my increasingly dangerous and belovedly shitty ’02 Volkswagen Polo around Galway. I’m going to start at THE SMALL CRANE, right outside the Bell Book and Candle (should point out now that they are not official sponsors and should not be subject to any complaints from what may follow).

I’m gonna welcome 4 people who may wish to purchase the album into my car. SEATBELTS MUST BE WORN. I’ll be playing the album on cassette. I’ll drive ye out to Salthill and back. The drive should take 10 minutes. I’ll answer any questions you have about the album. I’ll drop you back at the Bell Book and Candle. You may purchase the album in whatever format if you are so moved. I shall then bring the next group off.

VERDICT: The sound of someone going not-so gently into that good night, but perhaps not wanting to cause a fuss either. Equal parts hilarious and presciently crafted.

So Cow

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Partholón – releasing debut single Hunt

What you may need to know…

01. Leeside progressive/sludge-metal five piece Partholón are named for a semi-fictional character of Irish history and mythos, said to have won the first battle on Irish soil and created a peaceful settlement thereafter, before slaying his wife and her lover after tasting him on his lips. The settlement succumbed to plague a week after this violence. “No God, just life, and then, Death”, as the band says in its bio.

02. While the band’s own story is nowhere near as lofty, they emerged from among the wreckage of local bands, notably the late Five Will Die. Live excursions have been few, numbering among them appearances at the Siege of Limerick festival and several shows in Cork, but expect this to change.

03. Streaming above is debut single Hunt, a heavyweight slab of post-metal weighing in at over the ten-minute mark. Grab a tay.

04. It’s taken from their upcoming E.P., Follow Me Through Body, recorded by Shaun Cadogan at Last Light Recordings in Dublin, and mastered by Marcus Lindberg of Cult of Luna. Physical copies and such are impending.

VERDICT: Maintaining the glacial pace and heft of projects past, and marrying it to atmosphere and dynamics, Partholón have put together something exceptionally promising.

Partholón

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Starters – final show tonight in Dublin

What you may need to know…

01. Dublin emo/pop-punk five-piece Starters say farewell tonight, after seven years together.

02. Releasing a demo in 2010, the band quickly followed up with extended-player Reasons to Stay, which received separate vinyl and CD releases. A split with Second to Last preceded a self-titled EP, released last summer.

03. Streaming above is the band’s debut album, A Picture Fading, released online via the band’s Bandcamp two weeks ago as a parting shot, after three years in the making.

04. The band’s final show is tonight at eight bells, at Fibber Magee’s in Dublin. Free in, with support from Over Being Under (reunion show), Hollow Truth, January, and Versive.

VERDICT: Earnest, relatable and heartfelt stuff, sans some of the genre’s usual aesthetic trappings. Get out tonight to see them off if you can.

Starters

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Soulé – video for Love No More, appearing at HWCH

What you may need to know…

01. R’n’B singer Samantha Kay, aka Soulé, has made waves with her first single, as well as a packed house for her debut solo show at the Workman’s in Dublin last month.

02. Love No More, originally penned as a ballad, is a statement of intent for the young vocalist, who spoke recently to District Mag of her desire to work in dichotomies, “to make tracks that people can dance to, but might have the complete opposite theme in the lyrics”

03. Streaming above is the video for Love No More, directed and produced by Diffusion Lab.

04. Appearing next at Hard Working Class Heroes festival, on October 7th at Tengu, as part of the Word Up Collective’s stage. Kickoff at 8.10.

VERDICT: Ambitious, and in possession of serious potential, Soulé is one to keep an eye on.

Soulé

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The Redneck Manifesto – playing new songs at Clonakilty Guitar Fest this weekend

What you may need to know…

01. At last, an excuse to talk about veteran Dubland instrumentalists The Redneck Manifesto.

02. Coming together in 1998 from other bands on the Dublin scene at the time, they self-released numerous singles before dropping their debut full-length, Thirtysixstrings to massive acclaim. Companion piece Cut Your Heart Off From Your Head surfaced the following year. Third full-length I Am Brazil released in 2004, recorded in France’s Black Box Studios.

03. Streaming above in its entirety is the band’s most recent full-length, Friendship, released in March of 2010 via the sadly-missed Richter Collective.

04. Appearing live this Sunday in their only date this year at DeBarra’s in Clonakilty, as part of the Clonakilty International Guitar Festival. New material has been promised. Tickets available NOW.

VERDICT: One of the finest bands in the land, and one that’s stayed DIY all this time, to boot. Word of new stuff is most encouraging also.

The Redneck Manifesto

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By Any Means – touring Ireland this weekend with Raging Speedhorn

What you may need to know…

01. Hailing from Belfast, By Any Means are a hardcore four-piece plying chunky, spiky riffs in the genre’s tradition.

02. Founded in 2009, the band released its debut E.P. early the following year, and followed up with their debut full-length, Built on Respect, in November 2012.

03. Streaming above is the band’s most recent release, the Bearcat Sessions E.P., recorded at Bearcat Studios in Belfast.

04. Catch them this weekend in support of returning UK metallers Raging Speedhorn. Friday sees them hit the Crane Lane Theatre in Cork, on Saturday they’ll be at On the Rox in Dublin, and proceedings finish on Sunday at the Voodoo in Belfast. Dublin metallers Dead Label are also opening each night.

Verdict: Good, honest, no-nonsense hardcore. Not for everyone, but plenty there for fans of the genre.

BY ANY MEANS

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Crevice – improv electronic/ambient from Cork

What you may need to know…

01. Irene Buckley, Elaine Howley and Roslyn Steer are Crevice, a collective of electronic improv performers.

02. Each with a background in Irish independent & avant-garde music, the outfit specialises an atmospheric ambience. In their relatively short time together, they’ve come in for critical acclaim, winning the IndieCork Music Award in 2015.

03. Streaming above is Sludge Gore, a live take that forms part of their limited publicly-available output to date.

04. Performing next at Cork County Hall this Friday night for Culture Night, with Rory Francis O’Brien in support. Kickoff 8.30. Roslyn Steer also has a solo performance as part of TEDx CorkSalon’s #Cork Loves Music event, Wednesday night at Coughlan’s.

Verdict: By their nature difficult to discuss beyond vague descriptors and moods, Crevice are a compelling proposition, but must be experienced live to be fully understood.

Crevice

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Loner Deluxe – new “cassingle” Long Shore Drift

What you may need to know…

01. Since the last time we stopped in with Rusted Rail Records jefe Keith Wallace, he’s put together a third in a series of digital “cassingles” under the pseudonym Loner Deluxe.

02. Entitled Long Shore Drift, the whole enterprise was inspired by a trip to a remote island off the west coast, and slowly developed from there into tunes for imagined, abandoned spaces.

03. Streaming above is the video for lead-off track Moon Dunes, animated by Galway studio Tiny Epics. It’s a sequel to Deluxe’s last vidjo.

04. Long Shore Drift is streaming and available for download now at Rusted Rail’s Bandcamp.

VERDICT: Beatsier than previous outings, but with no less emphasis on spacey noises or atmosphere.

Loner Deluxe

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New Valley Wolves – releasing new single Silver Tongue

What you may need to know…

01. Dublin duo New Valley Wolves specialise in stripped-back, no-nonsense, heads-down rock ‘n’ roll.

02. Last year saw the release of debut album Refusal is Our Weapon on iTunes/Apple Music. “It doesn’t break the mould but it should break your mood”, said Nialler9 in the Irish Times.

03. Streaming above is the video for new single Silver Tongue, filmed on the road during the band’s summer touring by Junior Soares.

04. Having just finished the summer festival grind with two sets at Electric Picnic, more live dates to support the single release are to be announced, but for a start, catch ’em at Hard Working Class Heroes.

VERDICT: If you’re going to do the blues, do ’em with the same piss and vinegar as these lads.

New Valley Wolves

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Beithíoch – releasing a new full-length

What you may need to know…

01. A one-man project from the north-west, Beithíoch (“the beast”) plies an atmospheric take on black metal with doomy undertones, and pauses for breath of eerie ambience.

02. Emerging in 2008 with debut full length Aisling Dhorcha, Beithíoch’s explorations have moved further and further into heavier territory, while retaining a pensive air.

03. Streaming above is most recent album Ghosts of a World Long Forgotten, released last week digitally and on CD via Irish metal label HI ARC TOW.

04. In lieu of live activity anytime soon, Beithíoch’s discography to date is available in a digital bundle at the project’s Bandcamp, with certain albums available for free at the label’s website.

VERDICT: A focused, fleshed-out work that balances aggression, heft and atmosphere.

Beithíoch