SONGS OF THE WEEK
Orchid Collective - Lay As Stone
This Dublin-based five-piece have a rousing independent folk-pop sound with harmony to the fore. A bit like a gritier early Mumford & Sons.
Lay As Stone
is only their second single but it suggests a band of greater promise.
Stay Gold - Netflix & Chill
The newly formed
[ WordUp CollectiveOpens in new window ]
is attempting to bring together a new breed of young Irish hip-hop, urban and R&B performers, producers and musicians. They count AikJ, Damola, Young Phantom and Katie Laffan among them. Stay Gold received praise for their set at new music festival Hard Working Class Heroes last October and the title of their new single couldn't be more of the moment. This is R&B meets alternative rock meets pop in one go.
AS Fanning - Carmelita
Berlin-based Irish songwriter Fanning was formerly with The Last Tycoons.
Carmelita
is a robust reintroduction employing an organ, the singer's Nick Cave singing style, and lyrics about being “strung out on heroin, sitting down the back of the bus”.
Rory Grubb - Childlike You
Notable for his use of
[ "an electric ceramophone” in the performance of his musicOpens in new window ]
, Rory Grubb gives the impression that he has been meticulously recording his third full-length album since he was last in the public eye. Indeed,
Water House
, was recorded a while ago, between 2010 and 2012 largely in an old mill and cabin in Kilkenny. That unusual setup has lead to some idiosyncratic music, with the album's first single showcasing a dinky and whimsical cabin pop sound. The album is
[ currently seeking funding on IndieGoGoOpens in new window ]
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Solar Bears - Advancement
The music of Rian Trench and John Kowalski has always referenced the forebearers of electronic music: from Boards Of Canada pastoral ambience to the instrumental electronica of Vangelis and eerie horror soundtracks. With their third album releasing on Rob Da Bank's Sunday Best label next week, they now share a roster with David Lynch no less. Advancement feels content in its palette. There's a wistful sense of exploration and a lack of urgency in its style. These 40 minutes feel like explorations into process and sound, as opposed to their debut She Was Coloured In, which was constructed around high points while their second Supermigration was more realised version of those original sounds.
This time around, atmosphere and textures dominate proceedings. The pair's process involved degrading samples ("microsamples") and algorithmic programming, allowing the machines parameters to compose itself. As a result, what the album lacks in earworm songwriting it makes up for in an overall filmic mood and a mastery of operation. Check it out over on their Soundcloud page.
NEW ARTIST OF THE WEEK
Burnt Out
As you are probably aware reading this, I run a new music website which means I spend much of my time seeking out new music and sharing it with the world, even when I'm not doing that here. This week,
, received a big response from industry and readers alike. It's easy to hear why.
Dear James
is about a suicide of one in that community and it is delivered in a claustrophobic caustic alt-rock catharsis. It's matched by a video that at first seems like a documentary but soon reveals itself as a parallel world to the reality on the ground.
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
The Young Folk - Home
Video by Bryan Quinn
The Dublin band The Young Folk are aptly named as their music takes a youthful take on Irish trad and folk music. They've been doing brisk business in Holland of late, after being featured in a TV series there. The band have a new album coming on April 15th called First Sign Of Morning and it's proceeded by Home, a fine reflection of where they're going. The video features two actors from the recent RTE Rising TV show Rebellion, Gus McDonagh and Paul Reid, who are old pals from Portmarnock. The single is out Friday.
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