Participant - Photo: Ciara Coyne / Ian O'Neill
Info: REMY's latest Irish independent playlist is here featuring some of the best tracks to be released over the last few weeks, and there have been many, all wonderful. There's a nice balance between electronic, guitar-based and pop sounds above, and we jam 12 great numbers in on what has been a particularly busy week for new music, enjoy!
1) Participant - 'Coast'
Stephen Tiernan aka Participant has always kept us guessing over the past few years with his music, new single 'Coast' is perhaps the biggest curve-ball. Blowing the dust off his acoustic guitar, we are served up with a really beautiful piece of folk-infused music which recalls Keaton Henson. The beauty reaches epic heights at the half-way mark when Éna Brennan (Dowry) literally sweeps in from nowhere with some glorious strings which almost seem to have the power to affect Participant's vocal itself. Gorgeous.
2) Happyalone. - 'Haunted.'
The Cork alt-pop trio who know no boundaries Happyalone. share latest single 'Haunted.' On this occasion they show up with a mellow and atmospheric groover, lethargic clicks and beats creating a swaying and hypnotic motion, showing it ain't all about brash bursts (which we lurv). Their prolific and quality output continues unabated.
3) Kastane - 'Trang'
Galway electronic producer and drummer Alan Walsh, aka Kastane, released his sophomore EP, Trang, last month, here we have the title-track, and it was love at first hearing. Beginning as a side project whilst touring with another electronic act in Berlin in 2017, he went from on the street silent disco performances to the stage and full live rig set up. The manic intensity and old school flourishes of continental house and IDM are immediately enticing and rewarding for the listener.
4) Aislinn Logan - 'Wait On Me'
London-based Northern Irish artist Aislinn Logan continues to hone her unique brand of electro-pop on new single 'Wait On Me'. It's a more lively affair than previous singles, but also retains that contemplative mood throughout the verses. A refreshing aspect of this track is how modern it feels, synths are current rather than retro, avoiding the slightly over-used 80's pastiche we have become accustomed to over the last few years.
Paul Noonan - Photo: Ruth Medjber
5) Paul Noonan - 'Moth to Your Flame'
Bell X-1 frontman Paul Noonan released his latest single 'Moth to Your Flame' last week, wrapped in spiky synths and a simple electro beat, Noonan's vocal is at its inviting best, a soft beckoning with its winged protagonist using coy lyrical humour to express an aching love for his muse.
6) Lisa Maria - 'Silhouette'
Last year Monaghan native now Dublin-based Lisa Maria wowed all and sundry with her debut single 'War'. Returning with the trip-hop ambient stylings of 'Silhouette' we can witness how taking time to do things right and avoiding the temptation of an immediate follow-up can pay off in spades. The confidence and self-assuredness of the artist is recognisable, the track and Lisa Maria ready to hold their own at the top table of alternative-pop.
7) Jamie Adam - 'Last Ones Down'
Dublin electronic act Jamie Adam follows up previous single 'Cool Blood' which we had the pleasure of premiering on these pages with something very different in the shape of 'Last Ones Down'. The lo-fi brevity of the former switching to a delightfully drone-like piece of pop-flavoured 90's house on Last Ones Down', Adam is trying everything and anything he can muster from his head, and it's working with great results, maintaining this ambivalence for trends will be the key to continued success.
8) Johnny Fox - 'Algas Marinhas'
Taken from his wonderful sophomore album Águas, Wexford's Johnny Fox delights with 'Algas Marinhas', a track which builds slowly and with great delicacy. The comforting warm glow laps against the senses almost apologetically before soaring to psychedelic rock plains in it's final moments.
9) Heavy Soda - 'Greasy Feet'
Dublin alternative-rock trio Heavy Soda pop out a funky retro banger with 'Greasy Feet', merging early noughties indie-rock with 90's rock reminiscent of Red Hot Chili Peppers courtesy of the phat bass-lines, it's a thoroughly enjoyable jam.
Tanjier
10) Tanjier - 'Lights'
Dublin-based trio Tanjier's enduring strength has always been their ability to appeal to fans of both synth-pop and a more conventional pop sound, this is reflected in their highly enjoyable live performances. Like previous single 'Miles', 'Lights' leans more toward the latter style, without abandoning their electronic roots of course. On a personal level I still feel a greater attachment to singles such as 'Yu', 'Hymn' and 'Misfit Hour', where it felt like there was a little more layering to peel back. That said, with 'Lights' they will continue to garner new fans and stay on the steady upward trajectory which they have worked extremely hard to maintain over the past 2 years.
11) Feek - 'Some Wan'
A debut single from hip-hop n' pop duo Feek (Qboi Skew and BF Jack) who are no strangers at all to the Irish music scene, comes in the shape of 'Some Wan', in their own words a; "super overblown and consequentially LATE summer barbecue anthem about raw sex and rural-urban migration". Sinking their teeth into some State-side hip-hop grooves, the pair have put out an ebullient opener which is a lot of fun, and there's more to come very soon.
12) Music City - 'Pretty Feelings'
Fans of Ryan Adams' 2003 Rock N Roll album and more pertinently, the glam-rock joyousness of T-Rex, will find much to imbibe in the care-free power-pop of Dublin act Music City (Conor Lumsden) and his new single 'Pretty Feelings'. The track also features contributions from Conor O'Brien (piano) and some fab backing vocals from Ailbhe Níc Oireachtigh (The Cosmos).
To listen to our last Irish independent playlist, go here! https://thebestofmusicandfilm.blogspot.com/2018/09/irish-playlist-ae-mak-thumper-rews-we-cut-corners-odu-alex-echoes-alice-robinson-sam-wickens.html
