Info: An interview Remy had with singer-songwriter Mundy a few months back in Abner Brown's Barbershop in Rathmines, presented by The Sound Feed. On the night Mundy treated a small intimate audience to an array of his songs from debut album Jelly Legs, 24 Star Hotel and his latest self-titled LP which was produced by Killing Joke's Youth (Martin Glover). We talk about his adventures in the States, from being a guest at The White House to singing Amhrán na bhFiann at a Red Sox baseball game in Fenway Park, Boston, as well as his views on the changing landscape of the Irish music scene over the last few years and recording his last album, Mundy. For a video of Mundy performing live on the night, head over to The Sound Feed website here http://thesoundfeed.com/ For info on the seemingly endless great live acts put on by Abner Brown's Barbershop keep up to date via their Facebook page, a visit is a must for any music fan https://www.facebook.com/AbnerBrownsBarbershop/
Info: August Wells is the collaborative name of New York musicians Ken Griffin and John Rauchenberger, who have released their latest single, 'A Little Too Real' (above) today. The pair began their tour of Ireland and Germany last night in the famous Róisín Dubh venue in Galway, they depart for Dresden on the 2nd of February before returning for the final leg just over a week later in Brewery Corner, Kilkenny.
'There’s nothing quite like the dying light of a wasted day.' 2016 breezes in with a chorus of brass, strings and shuffling guitar as the first bars of August Wells' 'A Little Too Real' permeate the January air. Ken Griffin’s baritone returns with the New Yorkers first release of the New Year and a taster of their new album ‘Madness Is the Mercy’ due out later this Spring on FIFA Records. 'A Little Too Real' is a sensitive ode to those who feel the world can be a daunting place. August Wells emotive first singles 'Here in the Wild' and 'Come on in out of that night' set the tone and tempo for a band writing and exploring music that rolls in like dusk; warm yet tragic, inclusive while conveying the outsider.
The press release for August Wells' new single observes that they are a band who could easily sit at the same table as Scott Walker or John Cale, and in particular, I found the former to be true. Whilst the vocals are different, the tone is similar to Walker's and musically it felt like the opening two tracks of Scott 3, 'Copenhagen' and one of my favourite songs that was ever written, 'It's Raining Today'. That's more to do with feeling than sound though and 'A Little Too Real' is of a far more sunny and merry disposition to the sometimes sombre mood of those songs.
There is something incredibly calming about this song, it's like the feeling you get after releasing a heavy sigh as your shoulders drop and your brain begins to relax. Griffin has a classic baroque baritone voice that's filled with warmth, yet drifts effortlessly into higher notes as required. There's also a charming nonchalance to the lyrics, a story about love that didn't work out, the protagonist describes what happened so casually and comes across completely comfortable with the outcome, an 'easy come easy go and so we move on' message.
If 'A Little Too Real' were released on a well-known 60's band or solo artist's album at the height of their game we would be hearing it today on their best of compilations. It's impossible not to be completely compliant and succumb to the short but extremely happy moments on this single, it's not an overt upbeat feel-good happiness, it's something else, I think the clue is in the last word of the song's title, perfect.
Info: Last week I reviewed the wonderful first single 'All My Soul Swallowed' from Oakland, California act Perhapsy, aka Derek Barber's upcoming second album MeTie Dough-ty Walker which is due March 3rd. Today he has released the video to accompany the track which is directed by Madeline Kenny, it's Perhapsy's first ever video and was shot in Joaquin Miller Park in his home city.
What Remy said: ''All My Soul Swallowed' was like a 90's trans-Atlantic indie cocktail of bands like The Strokes and Sterephonics in terms of the guitar. As his vocals make their way into the song it takes on a more shoe-gaze hue, the first one that struck me was one of his admitted influences of Sonic Youth, but also Oxford band Ride with a bit more oomph.'
Info: Dubliner Karl Knuttel, aka Bear Worship, has just released a double A-Side in 'Our Friends' / 'Pagodas', two wondrous slices of electronic dream pop that are an absolute feast for the ears. A debut album beckons in 2016 as well as a new video in February, in his own words; 'Bear Worship is about positivity and realism, love and friends, passion and nostalgia, and overcoming superstitions and harmful mindsets. Written and recorded out of necessity between mid-2014 and early 2015 during a period of intense anxiety and depression, the current crop of songs from Bear Worship are an attempt to grip on to the things that give life its meaning and to lift those things up in celebration.'
I'm an instant convert based on these two tracks, I listened to 'Our Friends' on loop last night, from the most surprisingly different vocals I've heard from an Irish musician in quite some time, to the over-powering sense of drama and a pervading feeling of exhilaration in the music it was a hook, line and sinker job for me. In it's quieter moment the music felt like Grizzly Bear on uppers, and the mood and wit was akin to Perfume Genius, there is a power behind every element of this song.
Bear Worship - Pagodas
On 'Pagoda' Bear Worship presents a more synth and electronic based approach. I'm still getting my head around the landscape he's painting, the music doesn't sound like any of the following artists but it calls forth an image of John Lennon, Queen and Elton John composing an opus in a pod adrift in space with decidedly 70's attire and visuals, the whole thing from start to finish kind of has my head blown in the most enjoyable way possible. Bear Worship has gone well beyond superimposing one of his objectives, positivity, onto his music and has majestically converted happiness into sound as far as this listener is concerned. I've more than enough here but I'll take an album full of it if it's going! (also check out 'Shimmerings' a free download on his SoundCloud).
Info: Tribal Dance are a three-piece heavy math-rock band from Dublin who recently recorded a Live EP at The Grand Social in Dublin in late October of last year ahead of recording their studio version in 2016. It just dawned on me I've never reviewed a live recording in 4 years so this was a first and it's a different kettle of fish altogether!
As a relatively recent convert and fan of math-rock I found the first track performed here, 'Flongo' to adhere solidly to the genre's principles of off-timing between drums and guitar and enjoyed it's punk edge when it came to the vocals. Like all good math-rock songs there needs to be a degree of deliberate chaos and this was certainly the case on 'Flongo' and third track, a cover of Foals 'Two Steps, Twice' (below), lead guitar wailing like an emergency alarm and fuzzed out effects with thudding bass and drums building to a dizzying upsurge, brief breakdown and finale.
Tribal Dance - Two Steps, Twice (Foals cover)
Among the other tracks I quite enjoyed the instrumental breather of 'Medicine' and final track 'xxontrol' showed another side to the trio, with some 21st century indie fitting in well with their trademark sound. It's difficult to judge due to the sometimes patchy recording which is understandable from a live venue and we will be relying on their debut studio EP to fully grasp what Tribal Dance are all about, but this definitely provides some positive indicators and these guys sound like they are assured enough to give a good account of themselves when it's completed.
Info:When two solo acts and label mates who featured separately on your Best Independent International Music list let you know they've done a collaboration there's only one way you're going to react, oh joy! Thus it is with Minnesota duo The Midwestern Bass Machine and Freudia, together known as Retro Burn, both of whom's 2015 albums, Don't Want To Live Here and Spirit Bear blew me away last year (links below). Explaining what's happening between the two they tell us; 'Retro Burn is a collaborative project between Nicholas Williams of Freudia and Brock Splawski of the Midwestern Bass Machine. The project focuses on the chopping, screwing, and distorting of layers of samples, in order to find a new approach to the original recording. The project’s first release, Follow The Light, The Light Is Your Guide, will be released on March 11.'
'Stars Like Christmas Lights' is the perfect opening salvo for the forthcoming album Follow The Light, The Light Is Your Guide, as with both artists, all encompassing futuristic sonic soundscapes envelope you as the track meanders and effects come to the fore and fade away just as quickly. It really does create the vision of a sci-fi movie where a spherical metallic ball buzzes forwards in front of you and comes back again, essentially, guiding you, perhaps like the light in the albums title suggests. Nothing is really given away here, you're not sure what to expect other than that it's going to be a very escapist trip when the full release comes out and I really, really can't wait for it.
Info: From Copenhagen, Denmark, songwriter Jacob Faurholt has just released his new album, Super Glue, along with single 'Floating In Space' (above video). Faurholt has been creating music under his own name and under the moniker of Crystal Shipsss for over 10 years, with this latest release produced by Brian Batz and drawing on his lo-fi and 90's indie influences.
According to Faurholt; "Super Glue is basically a break up album. It’s a record that deals with the emotions that follow, when you have to say goodbye to a person you have shared a big part of your life with. But it’s also a record that comes to terms with the madness and points forward. The song “Future Wife” is an example of that. Stylistically the album draws on everything from haunting ballads to melodic noisy rock, all wrapped up in Brian Batz' atmospheric production. When choosing an aesthetic path for the album, Faurholt drew inspiration from old favorites such as Grandaddy and Sparklehorse."
I was immediately taken in by the album's opening track and the beautifully animated video for 'Floating In Space'. I hear the comparisons to Band of Horses in it's solemn but ethereal tone, but also a small hint of Bon Iver's Volcano Choir. It's a heart-wrenching piece of music with other-worldly harmonies and spacial electronic keys, probably the most moving track I've heard so far this year, that feeling aided massively by the visuals.
The album's title track follows, an upbeat and indie-drenched number with a Joy Division-esque post-punk drum beat and Lou Reed vibes, at this point I'm thoroughly enjoying Super Glue and am very curious as to what the remainder of the songs hold in store. On third track 'Guided By Voices' I should be confused, here Faurholt adopts a more stripped down and simple approach, musically and vocally it has a folk feel. At this early stage of Super Glue there has already been a lot of variety, normally something that would come across as disjointed, but his vocals strangely carry everything with a certain commanding order.
Jacob Faurholt - Super Glue
Next up is a lovely short slice of new wave darkness with 'Holy Mother', a truly modern and warped nod to 80's synth that is disturbingly beautiful once again. 'Pictures of You' is, similar to 'Guided By Voices', a low key affair, a gentle ballad with yearning vocals and harmonies with a message of acceptance and a vision of a happy future for a former lover. 'Stars' and 'Sad World' reach deep into raw emotional territory, proceedings are kept simple but enveloped in a comforting soundscape of pianos and orchestral backing vocals. You worry a little that Faurholt may be ending the album on an elongated march of despair as final track 'One Last Goodbye' arrives, and the song title adds to this apprehension. Thankfully this doesn't occur, it's a spacey and determined closer, drawing many of the indie elements of the albums first half in to one place. There are some truly amazing moments on Super Glue, in particular on the opening third, there wasn't one track that I didn't enjoy to some degree and my only complaint would be I would have liked to have seen more of what was happening on tracks like 'Holy Mother' and 'Super Glue' itself, even if it meant the addition of just one more song on the album. Overall a really great and at times mesmerising collection of songs, and I think 'Floating in Space' will stay with me long into 2016 and beyond. You can by Super Glue on vinyl, CD and digital copy here http://jacobfaurholt.bandcamp.com/ Look / Like / Listen & Follow: Website: http://www.jacobfaurholt.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacobfaurholtmusic SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jacobfaurholt Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacobfaurholt
Info:Carlow producer and multi-instrumentalist Auxiliary Phoenix (James Strain) has released a new video for his latest track 'Monsoonami', recorded fully live on drums and keyboards with chopped samples, and without overdubs, cuts, edits or looping. Strain provides a bit of background on himself and the new track; 'I make experimental hip hop music inspired by jazz fusion, progressive rock, alternative hip hop, turntablism and wonky beats. I've produced remixes for Divine Styler, Lisa Papineau, windings & Bearcubbin', amongst others. I've released various EPs through the likes of Little L Records, Earstroke Records, Independent Music News and also independently. My next release is a jazz fusion / beats crossover EP called Camelopardalis, coming out this year on Inner Current Recordings. ''Monsoonami' is inspired by Deantoni Parks' 'Technoself' method of performing, I'm aiming to bring my own style and sound to the table.'
No stranger to the blog here, I've always found the variety of the project work that Auxiliary Phoenix presents highly interesting, from his pairing with Delaware rapper Gentle Jones in the form of High Elders, to his huge and seemingly endless solo output, everything is always different, every time and his music has been widely shared by radio DJ's including Dan Hegarty of 2FM, and Hot Press recently describing him and a recent release (below) as; "The man with the most productive shed in Ireland, Auxiliary Phoenix, treats us to the absolutely gorgeous ‘Decimated’."
Auxiliary Phoenix - Decimated (Live in the Shed)
Strain's music is simultaneously drawn from old jazz and jazz fusion, prog-rock, and hip-hop from the last four decades, the former of which can be instantly observed in the video for 'Monsoonami'. An avid collector of old vinyl who is on a never-ending voyage of connecting the dots between both genres and hip-hop, you get the impression he would die sooner from a lack of music than food or water, apologies for the morbid analogy. At the outset the track reminded me a little bit of French acid jazz outfit St.Germain and as it went on you kind of get lost in the carefully executed off-beat keys, snare and percussion.
It's a terribly off-putting cliché, but this is about as pure and honest as creative music can get, an extremely talented guy making music that is in a category that we can only loosely describe, maximising the tools at his disposal with no sign of the well drying up. You get the sense that the more music from the past that Strain delves into, the more unique and special his creations will become, but it's not just about looking to the past, that's only a small part of it. What's happening here is an extremely gifted and naturally creative mind running amok with amazing results, let's see where they take him.
Info: Cork native and electronic artist Femmepop (real name Margaret O'Sullivan) has been releasing her music since 2008's The Kick E.P. and her latest release is the Underground E.P. which drops on the 30th of January. Femmepop's 2014 album From a Girl Who Never Sleeps was reviewed here in 2014 and the excellent track 'Our Time' featured in my Best Irish Tracks that year also.
When you've just finished reviewing a release that you really loved you're already setting your sights on what the artist will bring out next, whilst obviously knowing these things take time and patience is a virtue! For me Femmepop was one of those, O'Sullivan in my view is one of the best electro-pop acts in Ireland of the last few years, a position shared by glowing reviews and respect from BBC's 6 & Ulster, The Irish Times and 2FM's Dan Hegarty.
Underground augments that trajectory since 2008 to today, and keeps the Femmepop show firmly heading in the direction it is intended to go. Opening with the pounding trip-hop sounds of the E.P.'s title-track, the music and vocals recall Sneaker Pimps & their singer Kelli Ali respectively. On second track 'There is a Place' we're entirely indulged by some gorgeously spacey synth, again the drum-machine is employed to good effect and you're already getting lost in the little world Underground creates.
Femmepop - Celestial
'The Game' (top) sees O'Sullivan return to her bread and butter, classic 80's synth pop with vocals that remind you of a plethora of female artists from the era, Lauper, Madonna, Carlisle, Wiedlin, resulting in a delightful nostalgia overload delivered with seeming ease. A standout favourite then arrives, 'Celestial' above, when I listen to this with headphones and volume turned up to the max I'm in unadulterated synthpop heaven, it appears that Femmepop can nail these type of tracks again and again. At the time of the previous album review I had said that her music could reside happily somewhere between Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx and College on the Drive soundtrack, and this one is another example of that sound.
Underground finishes with a contemplative, experimental and moving track in the shape of 'Games & Toys' (Ode to a Punk Boy) which is nicely executed, Eno meets Oldfield, but only because Femmepop has invited them. Here is an E.P. that brought something old, something new and very little borrowed, where you can feel the creativity, time, and late nights that were put into ensuring a progression was achieved once again, mission accomplished.
Info: Cork act Damsel are an alternative pop band who today release their debut E.P., Boy on the Rocks, 'they are a new recording and live project fronted by Cork's Luke O'Neill. Formed less than six months ago the band already have a string of fine live performances behind them having opened for Lisa O'Neill & August Wells and including a much coveted appearance at last year’s Electric Picnic.' I recently caught them at the Front Bar at Whelan's Ones to Watch last weekend following a recommendation and I was very pleased that I was able to enjoy their full set. A friend commented that they reminded them of Dublin band The Chakras, but I felt it was more like a beguiling mix of The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. Something that immediately strikes you both live and in recording is O'Neill's unique and shrill vocals, equally at home wooing us on opening track 'A Signal Sent' or reaching higher notes across the remainder of the E.P.. This first track starts with a folk vibe before raising the tone to what felt like a nice slice of Nordic pop to me musically, the melodies, keys and guitar also give an 'Across the Universe' nod too.
Damsel - Through The Fells
'Through The Fells' paints a wide-eyed and wondrous story; 'And the sunshine simmers through the blackened clouds inside your brain, when the tree-line fades into the sky you'll breathe that oxygen, you'll need that oxygen' O'Neill sings before a delicious Pink Floyd-esque guitar solo draws the curtain down. An undoubted highlight comes in the form of the above track 'A Break From Breaking Things', the vocals tremble and quiver, again lyrically O'Neill is witty and poetic in his descriptions, 'You make me age a decade in a day', and this was where I remember getting my Mercury Rev vibes, in particular 'Holes' from Deserter's Songs. The final track of the 5-song E.P., 'Rubber Knives And Socialites', is wistful and feels like Damsel's most personal number on Boy on the Rocks. It's also a beautifully constructed piece of song-writing, a tired and knowing smile could be more of a grimace as the protagonist runs through a life in the day set of scenes where he is world-weary and despondent. Music like this is what excites me the most and what I hope to discover over the course of a year, it's even more pleasing that it is a debut, and an exceptional piece of song-writing. You can buy Boy on the Rocks here http://damselmusic.bandcamp.com/album/boy-on-the-rocks-ep
Info: Released at the tail-end of 2015, Irish blues-rock three-piece Rollin' Empire have stamped a contemporary and current fusion of both genres on an old school rock blow-out that is debut album Nowhere to Run. Formed in 2014, the group consists of Stephen McGurrin (songwriter, vocals and guitar), Callum Condron (songwriter, bass guitar, keyboards) and Thomas Campbell (percussion, vocals). Close friends from childhood, the trio have many years experience playing together,this is very evident in the effortless ability to marry complex and distinctive melodies.
From the opening title track (above video) to the very end of Nowhere to Run, everything flows smoothly for the listener, the tempo of the drums and intent-filled guitar riff catapult you straight away into what the band are all about, no faffing about, we're here to rock and roll. The band's sound is very much steeped in late 80's early 90's rock, with front man and guitarist McGurrin intermittently calling forth Lars Ulrich on tracks like 'Long Way Down', a thoroughly enjoyable track that has a superb middle eight at the 2:15 mark.
Third track 'Nothing to Lose' has a Marilyn Manson style drum and bass sound, with an indie-esque chorus, Rollin' Empire evidence their claims of being a tight fit unit who have been playing alongside each other for some time, this could easily be a choice for a future single release. 'Head Over Ground' has some seriously enjoyable searing guitar solos, the musical equivalent of what white heat would look like, incandescent to say the least.
The acoustic intro on 'Bones' is heavy and sinister, again Metallica's Black Album briefly slips into your mind, there's a Seattle grunge feel to the track as well, in particular with the vocals. Anyone who has ever liked heavy rock music will love 'Take Down' and 'Trust Me', it's like the band took a secret rock template and arranged all of the mandatory requirements in their own image, the bass is notably enjoyable on both.
A track title like 'Darkside' can lead to all kinds of presumptions, and thankfully Nowhere to Run's finale contains all of the right ones, it also shows Rollin' Empire are expansive in how they think about song structure and their music in general. There are many successfully applied do's and don't's across the album without it sounding formulaic,and in 35 minutes they've knocked on the door and said 'Hello there, we have arrived, would one like to rock out perhaps?'. Yes please.
Info:Back in April last year I had to sit on Hot Cops' double A-side 'Decay / Six' for three weeks that felt like an eternity so eager was I to share it. Eight months have passed since then and thankfully the Belfast three-piece have come back on form with new single 'Passive Passive' which officially releases on the 8th of February, with a launch gig in Sweeney's in Dublin on the 3rd followed by a show in their home city.
'Passive Passive' opens with an electrifying guitar intro leading to deep toned and moody vocal solos and harmonies. The band's affection for Californian lo-fi indie geniuses Pavement comes through with the vibe straddling somewhere between Wowee Zowee and Brighten the Corners. Before all that happens though I was hearing some Placebo sounds on bass and in the vocals, think a less hysterical 'Nancy Boy'.
This is not an exercise in comparisons however, and Hot Cops have maintained the traits which caused much excitement following their previous releases, powerful and heavy bass-lines, interloping moments of sparsity and crashing guitars and drums all coupled with an ability to write songs that genuinely have us badly craving more and more. Easily one of the hottest tickets in Ireland at the moment and when the time is right, an album will provide something we can feed our fixes with.
Info: There's something in the water in Oakland, California, something very creative as I seem to be receiving an endless stream of amazing music from the city the past 12 months. The latest comes from Bells Atlas and Astronauts, etc. guitarist Derek Barber who goes by the name Perhapsy. 'All My Soul Swallowed' is the first single from his upcoming sophomore solo album, Me Tie Dough-ty Walker which is due March 3rd.
Perhaps unbeknown to Perhapsy (!) the opening of 'All My Soul Swallowed' was like a 90's trans-Atlantic indie cocktail of bands like The Strokes and Sterephonics in terms of the guitar. As his vocals make their way into the song it takes on a more shoe-gaze hue, the first one that struck me was one of his admitted influences of Sonic Youth, but also Oxford band Ride with a bit more oomph. It's a lot different to the music made with his aforementioned bands, more upbeat and residing in a very separate mix of genres. As the various music lines come together in a subtle crescendo towards the track's end you feel a certain joy, at times straight-forward, 'All My Soul Swallowed' is incredibly gratifying during it's just-shy-of 4 minutes duration. Bring on the album.
Info:The fourth video fromTrick Mist'sGap Seriesfrom hisJars in RowsE.P. has been relesed, with this latest installment coming courtesy of animator Freddie Leyden. The video, with its whopping 14GB file size, is an incredibly detailed affair and is equally frantic, trippy and unnerving.
The excellent Jars in Rows E.P. which featured in my Top 10 Irish E.P.'s for 2015 comes courtesy of Dundalk native residing in Manchester, Gavin Murray who provides the background to the latest track to feature in the series; ''Another's Tale' is about acceptance. It was written after my old dog died! Acceptance is something that is very much drawn from the real world. The song draws from the mystical and the other worldly in order to explore this very real thing. As a story it hopes to be highly visual and emotive much like a fairytale would captivate a child.'
You can download or stream the Jars in Rows E.P. on Trick Mist's Bandcamp page here https://trickmist.bandcamp.com/releases or on Spotify and iTunes at the following links;
