BK Pepper – Island

A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Unable to tour his masterful Territories album, Dublin composer and piano wizz BK Pepper (top) recorded a 4-song live EP, ‘From An Empty Castle‘, inside the 16th Century Rathfarnham Castle in south Dublin.

The film was directed by Antimo Puca and Hector Romero and the strings are performed by Glasshouse along with Gareth Quinn Redmond.

Pepper says:

“I grew up in this area of Dublin and my parents still live around the corner from the castle. So I have a strong connection to the castle and the area. I would pass it 3 or 4 times a day growing up so filming a performance here has been really special.

“We haven’t had the opportunity to perform the album live at all since its release. When you record something and release it, it’s time stamped, no going back to change it. Music is a living thing that develops and changes when you perform it. So it was great to record live versions in beautiful surroundings and acoustics.

“We had access to the whole castle so filmed in different rooms for different tracks and this all added to the dynamic of the performance. The castle’s squeaky floor also makes an appearance which adds to it too.”

Nick says: We hope you all enjoy the show.

BK Pepper

Maria Kelly – eight hours

“It’s in the not knowing
If I’m coming or going.”

Alt.folk queen Maria Kelly (top) tackles self-doubt on her introspective and charming single – the follow-up to the acclaimed Martha. Look out for her new album in the Autumn on VETA Records.

Maria says:

“You convince yourself that it’s just one single thing, and that if you could just find it, fix it, get over it – everything would be OK again. Ironically, through that process of invalidating, there’s so much pressure, guilt and shame, which just sends us further into that spiral.

“It’s a cycle I think a lot of us fall into, because it’s really hard to give yourself permission to struggle. I spent a really long time fighting against my own experience. Feeling down or lost always equated to ‘not trying hard enough’. I was always on the hunt for something to fix, but I’m constantly reminding myself that nothing is inherently ‘broken’ – so there is nothing to fix in the first place.”

Nick says: Maria’s the name.

Maria Kelly

Robert John Ardiff – Black Dog

“When the black dog sings
And the half light ends.”

Erstwhile member of Choice Prize-nominated Come On Live Long, Robert John Ardiff (top) gets introspective on this ballad from his second solo album The Corridors Of Love.

Robert writes:

“The album is a love song to the forgotten; the left behind. I wrote the songs over the past year, while I was looking around at the city I live in, thinking, ‘what the hell is going on and where has the soul from this place gone?’ And I don’t just mean because of the pandemic.

“The anxiety that people feel because they can’t afford a house or a place to rent, when they are living paycheck to paycheck, when they are trying to create art or raise children or buy food – and the people in charge don’t seem to care for them.

“The idea came about after reading a book by Deborah Levy entitled ‘The Cost of Living‘ in which she describes the apartment she lives in as ‘the corridors of love’. So I took this idea and tried to tell the stories of the people behind these doors and incorporate it with my own personal experience.”

Nick says: Rooms with a view.

Robert John Ardiff

Pa Sheehy – I Saw You At A Funeral

A family affair.

Pa Sheehy (top), the former singer with Kerry rock giants Walking On Cars, gets personal with his debut solo single that makes for a compelling if uncomfortable listen.

Pa writes:

“This is a song I find easier to sing than talk about. I didn’t want to give this part of my life too much attention because I was doing my best to focus on the good things in my life. But every time I sat down to write a song, it was always the first thing that jumped out of me. So I knew I had to get it out of my system.

“After it was written, it was all about not over doing it with the production. With such a blunt song it didn’t need any bells and whistles. A little keyboard arpeggio and some atmospheric sounds was enough to glide it home. My siblings listened to it once but won’t listen to it anymore. I take that as a compliment.”

Nick says: In the midst of life…

Pa Sheehy

Adrian Crowley – Take Me Driving

That petrol emotion.

Adrian Crowley (top) takes the passenger seat in the fourth single from his new album The Watchful Eye Of The Stars, out now on Chemikal Underground.

The star of his previous video A Shut-In’s Lament, Vera Graziadei is back behind the wheel in this charming promo co-directed by Vera and Trevor Murphy.

The song was partly inspired by a poem by Patrick Chapman from his 2007 collection Breaking Hearts And Traffic Lights.

Nick says: Tyred and emotional.

Adrian Crowley

Lisa Gerrard & Jules Maxwell – Aldavyeem (A Time To Dance)

A time to Dead Can Dance?

DCD stalwarts Lisa (top), who is Australian of Irish ancestry, and Jules, from Bangor, County Down return with the enigmatic third single from their new album Burn, produced by James Chapman and released on the Atlantic Curve imprint.

The video was directed by David Daniels.

Nick says: Maxwell’s silver hammered dulcimer.

Lisa Gerrard

Jules Maxwell

Ali Comerford – Knots

A is for anxiety.

Classically trained musician and singer/songwriter Ali Comerford (top) has penned a heartfelt pick-me-up for those in need of reassurance.

And props to the beautifully illustrated lyric video.

Knots is the second single and title track from Ali’s debut album, due on July 29.

Kilkenny-based Ali writes:

“Knots is a song I wrote about anxiety, something we all struggle with at one time or another. At the time, I was going through a stage of intense anxiety. I worried about the fact that I hadn’t released any music, about whether people would enjoy my songs or not and also over-analysed every little thing I had ever done wrong. I wasn’t sleeping properly and found I was lying awake at night replaying old conversations and feeling ashamed and embarrassed.

“Anxiety is an extremely isolating thing because when you’re in it, you believe that you are the only person who feels like this. I think it’s powerful when people can speak about their own struggles and maybe eventually it will help us all feel less alone.”

Nick says: Empathy for the bedevilled.

Ali Comerford

Elaine Mai featuring Ailbhe Reddy – Still Feel

Together in electro dreams.

Elaine (top right) and Ailbhe (left) – Two doyennes of the Irish indie scene – join forces in this live performance of their new single from Trinity College’s Science Gallery on Pearse Street, Dublin 2.

The video was directed, filmed and edited by Ciaran O’Brien.

Elaine says:

“Spaces like The Science Gallery which inspire, educate, and excite are so important. Their ‘Sound Check’ exhibition in 2017 gave me the opportunity to experiment with Moog Sound lab, which was incredible and made me want to explore analog synthesizers in a deeper way. Returning here to play ‘Still Feel’ live using my Moog Grandmother for the first time, therefore feels quite fitting.”

Nick says: Mai the force be with you.

Elaine Mai

Ailbhe Reddy

Tanoki featuring Farah Elle – Let Go

Up in the air.

Stunning visuals accompany the new single from Kilkenny-based virtuoso Paul Mahon (top left) aka Tanoki.

Filmed and edited by Tanoki himself, he also played bass, guitar, keyboards and synth as well as recording, producing and arranging the song, which is taken from the forthcoming album File New.

Libyan/Irish singer Farah Elle (top right) adds her distinctive lyrics, vocals and keyboards.

Farah writes:

“More than coming of age, the song is when you suddenly decide you want to live a life that’s aligned with your values and what you believe in, based on what you see in the world.

“The ‘senses are tingling’ line is when your empathy receptors are turned right up and you can really feel everything, and realizing the potential and power in that.”

Nick says: Tanoki dokey.

Tanoki

T. Cole – Sipping Not Tripping

If don’t mean a thing if don’t have that Afroswing.

Soulful R’n’B newcomer Tunolase Margaret Cole (top) aka T. Cole, from Drogheda, County Louth, impresses with this tale of clubbing, drinking and heartache.

T. Cole writes:

“It’s about missing someone. I wrote it about one of those moments in time. When you’re out with friends, and you think, ‘Oh, this person would love this’, or ‘I wish this person were here right now.’

“It could be a love interest, or a best friend. It’s thinking about how I wish we were enjoying this moment together. Doing this together.”

Nick says: Cole star.

T. Cole