RIGHT NOW, THERE is vibrant and thrilling music being made around Ireland, in bedrooms, garages and home-made studios.
Here at The Ticket we champion music from all parts of our fair isle – and now we have a podcast dedicated to it. On the last Friday of every month, NewFound Sounds will bring you a taste of the music that is being made and released right now, be it by a band from Kerry or Belfast.
Irish electronic producer Toby Kaar has provided the theme music, and for the first column I take a look at bands who have just released or are gearing up to release something in July.
Dublin’s I’m Your Vinyl (Ken McHugh and Dana Donnelly, above) create electro-pop tracks with heart, including their single, Roll the Dice.
They have just released the first part of a three-part album – check them out at facebook.com/imyourvinyl.
Next, we go to Cork for Horsemen Pass By, (Ross Gillanders and Daniel Valle), who make instrumental music inspired by cult films, spaghetti Westerns, and horror movies. Their first release is a synth-heavy four-track EP called Giallo, which is available at
http://horsemenpassby.bandcamp.com.
Keith Mannion lives in a remote part of Donegal, so perhaps that is why his songs, crafted under the name Slow Place Like Home, feel so atmospheric.
He released his EP There Go The Lights Again on June 25th, and the track Selkie features on the podcast. You will find the CD in independent record stores, and on slowplacelikehome.bandcamp.com
Moving on to Galway, the micro-independent label Rusted Rail will release the Dominican Black Abbey EP on July 15th by Athlone-based avant-folk band The Driftwood Manor, from which I Could Sense a Violent Death is taken. See rustedrail.com.
Finally, there is Shadowboxing by Séamus O'Muineacháin, who dwells in Mayo and writes heart-shatteringly beautiful solo piano tracks. His debut, self-titled album will be released by Psychonavigation Records on July 9th. See seamusomuineachain.com.