SONGS OF THE WEEK
Caoilian Sherlock - I'll Be A Fool For You
We've noted the Gaz Coombes-esque tones of Cork singer Caoilian Sherlock before as the frontman of The Shaker Hymn. His first solo single allows that raspy sweetness to dominate a song of bright laid-back blues folk.
John Gibbons - Would I Lie To You?
Someone (possibly his PR or the Dublin dance producer himself) has called him "Ireland's answer to Calvin Harris", so you know what territory we're in here. John Gibbons is coming straight for you with an in-your-face cover of Charles & Eddie's
Would I Lie To You?
. Additional production comes form Nick Bennett (Sigala), and Grammy-winner Wez Clarke (Gorgon City, Sam Smith, Clean Bandit). Obnoxiously danceable pop.
Exiles - Red Lights
Carlow/Kilkenny duo Johnny Smee and Darragh O'Connor display a penchant of 1980s retro electro and the bassline from MGMT's
Electric Feel
on their debut single
Red Lights,
which was produced by Ross Fortune, a man who knows a thing or two about synth-heavy electronic thanks to his work as Benny Smiles.
Mo Two - Bastard Loop
Taking a lo-fi approach to hip-hop and electronic music, on their new tune the Dublin group Mo Two come across like a nerdy Death Grips mixing rap, noise and beats in their bedroom with a nod to the humble crisp snack Quavers. The song is taken from their forthcoming album
Judgement Day
.
RELEASE OF THE WEEK
All Tvvins - llVV
It could be all too easy to take All Tvvins for granted if you've been keeping your ears to the ground of the Irish music scene in the past two years. Having arrived almost fully formed from the ashes of rockier acts Adebisi Shank and The Cast Of Cheers, Lar Kaye and Conor Adams' sheenful pop-rock was immediately snapped up by UK label Warner. So began the band-building and new audience introductions from European tours supporting Kodaline to a slow drip of singles. The debut album arrives with six previously heard tracks but the quality of the songs remain undiminished from repeat hearings. Taking poppier inspirations from The Police, Talking Heads and stadium rock,
llVV
is a bright and confident album filled with expertly produced modern rock songs and musicianship that never takes the obvious route.
NEW ARTIST OF THE WEEK
Susie Blue
This
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trade in pop/punk and indie-rock music. After singer Susan Donaghy released a few songs under her own name addressing love and sexuality, the band - John Goodman (drums), Caolan Moore (lead guitar) and Mark Doherty (bass) - formed.
People Like Us
is a bolstered take on the same themes that marks out the band's stall. Catch them playing Foyle Pride in Derry on August 27th.
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
September Girls - Catholic Guilt
Directed by Jessie Ward O'Sullivan
September Girls' new song spits with a justifiable anger in the direction of the Irish Catholic Church, but the video takes the idea of bodily autonomy and oppression further by placing the band as unwilling hosts for ideas that don't belong to them and shackles they didn't ask for. Plus, it's all shot in 360 degrees by the band's own Ward O'Sullivan, which adds a helpless roaming eyewitness experience to the viewing. September Girls play a fundraiser for
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at the Bello Bar in Dublin on Saturday 20th August.
