Paul Callan – See The World

The glorious 12th!

The 12th and final song, that is, in Louth songsmith Paul Callan’s monthly release project.

A perfect way to close, the atmospheric See The World is straight from the heart.

Paul writes:

“How quickly the year turns around. It is now December and this will be my twelfth single release this year. See The World is just a reminder to lift your head and look around. Everything you need is right under your nose! A simple song with a simple message for any time of the year.

“This year I have written, recorded, produced and released twelve songs. All these songs will be compiled and released, with some other unheard material, early in the new year.

All of my music can be found wherever you listen to music.”

Nick says: A diamond dozen.

Paul Callan

The Delivery Boy & D’Beats – Pints

Thirsty?

Then get this down ya. Cork hip-hop duo The Delivery Boy (vocals) and D’Beats (producer) take a trip down memory lane to the watering holes of yore before 8pm curfews and all that malarkey.

Pints is from their new EP on bandcamp called the Minimum Wage Mixtape.

Ronan aka The Delivery Boy writes:

“It’s a concept EP with a storyline throughought about a working man who has a bad day, snaps, takes revenge on the landlord, and then faces the consequences. It’s supposed to be a light-hearted project, like a faux-socialist parable for cynical times.

“The tagline is ‘A day in the life of a man who had nothing. And lost it.'”

Nick says: A Shandon on the rocks.

The Delivery Boy & D’Beats

Jack O’Rourke – Sea Swimming

Splash!

Cork songsmith Jack O’Rourke braves the freezing water while paying a sort of homage to REM’s Nightswimming masterpiece on the latest single from his new album Wild Place.

The stunning video was directed by Daniel Keaney and also features fan footage.

Nick says: Not drowning but waving.

Jack O’Rourke

Shay Connolly & Aoife Connolly – I Would Trade My Santa Claus

Just ‘dropped’.

Aoife writes:

‘A song my da wrote about families living in emergency accommodation dealing with homelessness. Its from the perspective of a child at Christmas.’

Nick says: In fairness.

Paul Quin – Everything I Loved I Lost (That Day)

Magic and loss.

The inimitable Paul Quin (top) pays a heart-stopping tribute to a late friend on his new single on Scent Air Records.

Breathtaking lyrics and sumptuous synth sonics combine to offer a profound meditation on life, love and death.

Truly a work of art.

You can catch Paul perform his new single live at the Power Of Dreams Christmas Concert filmed on Tuesday and broadcast on Dublin South FM on Tuesday night.

Nick says: The mighty Quin.

Paul Quin

For Those I Love – To Have You

Dance me to the end of love.

David Balfe‘s project is one that we belatedly feature as it’s clearly one of the Irish albums of the year and it would be scandalous not to acknowledge it in this column. There’s always one that gets away!

A requiem for his friend Paul Curran, who killed himself in 2018, the self-titled album For Those I Love sees Balfe merge memories of his life growing up in Dublin with biting social commentary and all with a banging soundtrack that would bring the house down in clubland.

The video above, directed by Niall Trask, is centred on Shelbourne Football Club and Drumcondra village and was shot on Kodak 16mm in glorious black and white.

Enjoy!

Nick says: Tolka Park life.

For Those I Love

Windings – The Ground

Coffee and paracetemol. In that order.

Welcome to the wired and wonderful world of Windings (top), a five-piece indie collective from Limerick that sound like the South West’s answer to Beck.

Labelmates of Anna’s Anchor, Windings’s album Focus On The Past 5 came out last month on Out On A Limb Records.

Windings are: Stephen Ryan, Liam Marley, Patrick O’Brien, Mike Gavin and Brian Meaney.

Nick says: Limerick roll.

Windings

Anna’s Anchor – Rubble

“Honest songs for honest people.”

That’s the mission statement of Limerick’s Marty Ryan, the man behind Anna’s Anchor.
Having made waves with his third album A Glorious Ruction which was released on the Out On A Limb label earlier this year,

Marty is honouring his hometown’s skateboarding community on this new instrumental which includes found sounds.

Additional musicians include Brian Scally on drums and Alexander Numpaque on cello.

Nick says: The skater boys are back in town.

Anna’s Anchor

Klubber Lang – This Place

Klubber soul.

Dublin retro indie stalwarts Klubber Lang put some bite into the season with their new single on FIFA Records sounding like the bastard son of The Fall and the Pixies.

The band are: Ciaran Tallon on guitar (formerly of Revelino); Ciaran McGoldrick on vocals and bass; Fin O’Leary on drums (ex-Mexican Pets); and Ronan McHugh on keyboards and production.

The video was directed by Danny Butcher.

Nick says: For the sake of auld Lang sing.

Klubber Lang

The Raines – Always Snow On The Mountain

Have you ever seen The Raines?

Now is your chance as tonight the acclaimed folk trio from the West of Ireland play a live streamed concert in the Town Hall Theatre, Galway, at 8pm. See here for details.

The band – Ruth Dillon, Yvonne Tiernan and Juliana Erkkonen – have a new single out that is perfect for the season that’s in it.

Nick says: Onto every life a little Raines must fall.

The Raines