Info: I tried to do a 'Top 50', failed, spending way too much time procrastinating, so compromised at 60 singles which I personally felt set the bar each in their own way. During the course of 2018 between Playlist reviews, EP and album reviews I covered in excess of 700 Irish tracks this year, this is an insane figure for both me and the high quality output of Irish artists at the moment. I won't wax lyrical about how great the Irish scene is AGAIN just yet, I'll save that for another post soon.
One thing I did notice in 2018 is that it was, in my opinion, a better year all round in terms of releases than 2017, at the end of which I started to wonder were we seeing the first small blip of the last 4-5 years, thankfully those fears are allayed by a stellar past 12 months. As usual, the music that features on the blog is music that was submitted for review, or in the very rare case, by acts I saw perform live during the year. I've picked a Top 10, what Spotify likes to call my 'heavy rotation'! The remainder of tracks are in no particular order.
One last point of note is that I have excluded singles that were released as parts of EP's and albums - these are to follow over the coming weeks in their respected formats...
I'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of the artists who have sent me their music in 2018, much joy and a myriad of (pleasant!) feelings have been the end result for me, and without your creativity this blog would be redundant. Without further ado etc.! I start with the Top 10, then the Playlist itself, and a full listing of the additional 50 tracks can be found below also.
10) The Redneck Manifesto - 'Djin Chin'
" I'm all over new single 'Djin Chin', it has two strands, up-beat percussion and mellow guitars, both knitted together perfectly with an electro twist. This track, in parts at least, wouldn't be amiss on St. Germain's Tourist album, but there are so many enjoyable switches throughout to enjoy, The Redneck Manifesto oozing creativity like never before."
9) Molly Sterling - 'Stripped Down'
"Sterling once again defies belief by emerging with another piece of music that immediately impresses despite such a short career for the 20-year-old from Tipperary. From the barest of intros, we hear her pained vocal accompanied by a lamenting and creaking old piano. This sombre mood, cast in rustic old-world surroundings, rises as the singer releases an emotive gift of insight to us, peaks arising with grand and monumental curtains of cello. But it's the parts of the song where Sterling says the least and the music is at its least present which hold the most blunt power and impact, this is the perfect next step from her debut single, a growing song-writing diamond in our midst."
8) ROE - 'Wasted.Patient.Thinking'
"The hugely talented ROE from Derry, who describes her music as grumpy electro-pop, shares single 'Wasted.Patient.Thinking' which has all of the spunky attitude of an early Pink single, along with highly-strung synth zingers that fire up in the air like fireworks, it's a really funky and grooving pastiche of a single. Please stay grumpy."
7) EHCO - 'Éiclips'
"Dublin electronic act EHCO's third single sees their live show reflected more fully in their recorded music with 'éiclips'. Anyone who has seen them live thus far will know that as their set progresses it goes from full frontal impact at the beginning to an inescapable hypno-state by the end. On a personal note 'éiclips' captures both ends perfectly and a bar has already been set for other local electronic acts to ponder on and aspire to. Vocalist Jessy Lord hammers home the homage to 90's trance music like she invented it too. Bazinga."
6) David Keenan - 'Altar Wine'
"Keenan released a selection of what he calls various 'recordings, sketches, demos' called Strip Me Bare recently, with just two mics, a Gibson and a Steinway piano. I've picked 'Altar Wine' for this playlist as it resonates in a number of ways, the title itself casts me back to the rigid ceremonial witnessed every Sunday as a child, and the tone of the song matches the memory of poorly lit churches and ancient orations, a strange experience for a child. What makes Keenan's poetry even more magical is how he creates other memories in the listener's head, when he tells his story it is delivered with such sincerity that you feel like you were witness to an event that you never actually experienced."
5) The Felonies - 'Berlin Blues'
"With their latest single, The Felonies have just skipped a few hurdles, it feels and sounds like they've been around the block a number of times and are now rushing headlong into a chaotic brand of rock music that they are making their own. It's a blistering pipe-bomb of punk-rock anarchy, a race to the finish-line of noise between each of the band members from the very first second, vocals, guitar, bass and goddamn drums trying to smack each other out of the way toward that incendiary climax. Here's a band currently holding the candle for Irish rock fans, and importantly, there's a message behind the music, with 'Berlin Blues' relaying the experience of two of the band members witnessing a sexual assault and the anguish resulting from the perpetrators sense of entitlement which it brought forth."
4) Æ MAK - 'Glow'
"A disorientating blend of genres is the main course, by the time you've reached the end of 'Glow' you wonder how would anyone even begin to compose such a treat in its entirety. Slow, sparks, slow, sparks and then at 2:37 everything is dropped from a height into the blender, sliced to pieces that are so sharp they pierce your eardrums, magical."
4) Æ MAK - 'Glow'
"A disorientating blend of genres is the main course, by the time you've reached the end of 'Glow' you wonder how would anyone even begin to compose such a treat in its entirety. Slow, sparks, slow, sparks and then at 2:37 everything is dropped from a height into the blender, sliced to pieces that are so sharp they pierce your eardrums, magical."
Æ MAK - Photo: Eleanor Jameson
3) St. Bishop - 'Good Intentions'
"One of the best solo live performers in the country at the moment, Stephen Bishop releases the much anticipated follow-up to previous single 'Porcelain'. On 'Good Intentions' his smooth vocal intro leads us towards some nice grimey beats and his trademark high-pitched and dexterous range, you can never get enough of the 'slam' in his singles."
2) Silverbacks - 'Dunkirk'
""I hurt my soul, my soul is hurt, on a private beach in...Dunkirk..." follows the most lethargic and disinterested bass-line you've ever heard. From there everything gets better and better. Silverbacks kill me, lyrics, mood, music, they back me into a corner with every single, but apropos my intro, thisis my favourite single to date of theirs, it is, isn't it? Yes. Until the next one, pretty sure I said this about 'Dirty Money' too."
REMY's Irish Single of the Year 2018 - Happyalone. - 'bodybags'
Photo: Zach Cronin
My most listened to Irish track of 2018 since its release in April, Cork trio Happyalone. continue to confound with the seemingly limitless variations and experimentation in their music, their output has also been hefty in 2018, and all superb singles. For me though, I cannot break free from 'bodybags', never skipping to 'the next track', this one gets played from start to finish every time, at 3:13 in particular, my mind gets blown every time by the exasperation and chilling energy. By the time I do this list at the end of 2019 Happyalone. will have a record deal, a massive fanbase and if they're really, really lucky, verified social media accounts! That's my prediction anyway.
Not on Spotify!
Full track-listing:
| Artist Name | Track Name |
| Happyalone. | bodybags |
| Silverbacks | Dunkirk |
| St. Bishop | Good Intentions |
| Æ MAK | Glow |
| The Felonies | Berlin Blues |
| David Keenan | Altar Wine |
| EHCO | Eiclips |
| ROE | Wasted.Patient.Thinking. |
| Molly Sterling | Stripped Down |
| The Redneck Manifesto | Djin Chin |
| Jamie Adam | Cool Blood |
| Mount Alaska | Asterisk |
| Bicurious | Father |
| WASPS | Here Comes Mothra |
| Krisdeberg | Lies |
| Royal Yellow | Hazeldene |
| Columbia Mills | Close to You |
| Variant Sea | Winter Dance |
| Bitch Falcon | Prime Number |
| Montauk Hotel | Hands |
| Third Smoke | Maya |
| True Tides | Automatic |
| Conor Thornton | Heat |
| Deaf Joe | Where's Your Loving Gone |
| Accidents in the Workplace | Wake Up |
| Ailbhe Reddy | Shame |
| Flecks | Samurai |
| Dioscó na mbó | We Got Love |
| FIELDS | Get Worse |
| Pillow Queens | Gay Girls |
| Hvmmingbyrd | Papillon |
| THUMPER | Down |
| HAVVK | Glass |
| Brass Phantoms | Indigo |
| Nocturnes | Confetti |
| Jon Dots | Kamera |
| Sylk | Girl |
| Aislinn Logan | Spree |
| The Mannerly Hoods | Heather |
| Alan Finan | Slumber |
| Awkward Z. | Wildin' |
| Ivy Bloom | For All Who Dwell |
| Munky | 7am |
| Alex Smyth | Escort |
| Baba | Land of the Damned |
| Orchid Collective | Forces |
| A. Smyth | Coming Back to You |
| James Vincent McMorrow | Me and My Friends |
| Scally | Get Ready for War |
| Galants | Follow |
| Participant | Coast |
| Somebody's Child | Make You Alright |
| Sive | Quietly |
| 1000 Beasts, Marybeth | Trust Me |
| Zapho | Do Like I Do |
| TabloidTv | Frobisher |
| Zola Daze, Molly B | Sun Bleached |
| Flynn | My Gold |
| Nnic | 8th Wonder |
| A Ritual Sea | Seasons (Like You) |
