SONGS OF THE WEEK
Sonnets and Sisters - Silence
Dundalk four piece folk-pop band Sonnets and Sisters' music is inspired by other young bucks Little Green Cars and the pastoral harmonies of Fleet Foxes. New song
Silence
is seasonal frosty folk.
White Collar Boy – To Find Love When You're Down
Three years on from their last release, the Dublin electronic duo Mark Cummins and Gavin White last week released a new four-tracker on This Greedy Pig's The Pig's Ear label.
To Find Love When You're Down
is a pulsating synth-driven track which recalls Depeche Mode in its first half and an uplifting lush house track in its second.
Robocobra Quartet - Correct
A Belfast band who mix punk, spoken word, jazz and classical influences, Robocobra Quartet might be the most unusual proposition around. Chris Ryan drives this project with his yelping vocals that seem to rise in intensity as track progresses as heard on
Correct
, which swirls with brass and bass. New album
Music For All Occasions
is out now.
Paul Sheridan - Blue
A singer-songwriter based in Dublin, Paul is following in his sister's footsteps (Karen Sheridan of Slow Skies) into the music game. His debut single is a slow atmospheric ballad with orchestral and piano touches, anchored by Sheridan's sweet voice.
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Magic Pockets - Volcano Of The Bleeding Skies
Netflix TV show
Stranger Things
rekindled an appreciation for music of an 1980s synth persuasion, drawing on reputations of soundtracks from the era and the work of John Carpenter (who recently played in Ireland). So the release of this debut album by Ruadhan O’Meara's instrumental synth project Magic Pockets is well-timed, especially considering O'Meara has been making music under the name for a few years (when not active with the synth-rock band No Spill Blood).
Volcano Of The Bleeding Skies
, as the title suggests, is a foreboding collection of instrumentals created using vintage synthesizers, drum machines and one-inch tape samples, thrillingly harks back to the sonics of an era, that sound more prescient in tomorrow's world.
NEW ARTIST OF THE WEEK
Marlene Enright
As a member of Cork's The Hard Ground, Marlene Enright's voice provides a contrast to Pat Carey's male vocals. On her own material, as we've heard through three songs, her voice is unfettered to be as commanding of the music as it wants. The music is drawn from Americana singer-songwriter styles and indie-roots and a debut album
Placemats & Second
is to be released next year.
Alchemy
, the album's first single encapsulates her appeal.
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
James Vincent McMorrow – Get Low
Directed by David M. Helman
Grainy black-and-white New York skate-featuring visuals accompany McMorrow's newest single and one of the best Irish songs of the year.
