Free Download: White Collar Boy - 'Solar Midnight'

My how time flies. I first introduced White Collar Boy back in January of this year but quite a lot has changed since then. What began as a one-man show has now evolved into a duo, with fledgling beatmakers Gavin White and Mark Cummins teaming up having met at the Primavera festival in Barcelona. It may be a result of the pair's natural synergy  - or even just an inevitable refinement of the original sound - but these latest tracks glisten with confidence; feeling fuller, more assured and more complete. The loose, flowing rhythms and funky finale of 'Noah' make it an obvious standout but the real pinnacle is 'Capslock' - as Gemma Dunlovely's super sweet vocals do battle with some assertive beats. It's really promising stuff overall and there's enough clever ideas on show here to mark the pair out as a very exciting proposition.

Download the tracks for free now from Soundcloud and find White Collar Boy on Facebook.

A first single is pencilled in for early next year but for the moment you can catch them every second Thursday in Pygmalion, where they host live shows and DJ sets.

Their next proper live show proper is a headline slot with Bouts, Futures Apart and Ginnels in Crawdaddy this Sunday (December 18th).


  Solar Midnight by White Collar Boy

Free Download: Squarehead's Christmas Present

They say Christmas is a time for giving and Squarehead certainly aren't ones to break with tradition. As a thank you to all those who "came to the gigs, bought our album or just 'liked' our Facebewk" the lads have covered Darlene Love's festive classic 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)' and made it available to all (good or bad) as a free download. Complete with backing vocals from the newly enlisted 'Squarettes' - Saileóg O'Halloran and Lucy Smyth - it trumps any Lynx boxset or last minute Kris Kindle gift that's for sure...

On a similar note The Gorgeous Colours also posted a cover this week - trying their hand at John Lennon's 'Real Love' on the anniversary of the great man's death. A fitting tribute.

Squarehead - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Richter Collective

Real Love by The Gorgeous Colours

STL's Top Songs of 2011:: Part One - 60-41

So here we go again. Another year over means another 365 days (give or take) of musical output has to be recollected, distilled and ranked. I have something of a love/hate affair with these sort of lists because as much as I enjoy looking back on the treats the year has produced (and 2011 has delivered plenty) I find the decision process itself to be a difficult one. Songs have little personalities of their own and our view of them is constantly shifting according to time, occasion and place. A one-time classic quickly becomes jaded with repetitive plays, while a relatively recent discovery is still basking in the after glow of its emergence. On the whole however, I'm pretty confident that this batch of tracks are an accurate account of the year's best music according to my ears and these pages.

Unsurprisingly it is again dominated by the home-grown contingent - with 2011 besting a 2010 that was oft-defined as the best ever for Irish content. It's genuinely exciting to think that this time last year an artist like Moths was just messing about in his bedroom, making the tentative steps on songs that have now been blogged about the world over. As I trace the soundtrack to my 2011 what really excites me is the mound of great Irish music that I know I'll be writing about over the course of the next year. Anyhow, here's the first instalment with the final list to be completed in the coming days...



 60) The Ambience Affair - 'Weeds'

The Ambience Affair - Weeds by statemagazine 


59) No Monster Club – ‘Who Wants A Man'

Who Wants A Man by No Monster Club 


58) The Eulogys - ‘Bouquets'

Bouquets by TheEulogys 


 57) Nouveonoise - 'Believe'

Nouveaunoise - Believe by nouveaunoise 


 56) Tracksuit Warrior – ‘Suit Up and GO’

03 Suit up and GO by Tracksuit Warrior 


55) This Club – ‘I Won’t Worry’

I Won't Worry by This Club 


54) Leaders Of Men – ‘Up Against The Wall’

Up Against The Wall by leadersofmen 


53) Ghost Estates – ‘Paris'

Paris by GHOST ESTATES


52) British Sea Power –‘Mongk II’

British Sea Power - Mongk II by Brett Chapman


 51) REID – ‘Genesis'

Genesis by REID 


 50) SOnance HOtel – ‘Living Is For Dreaming’

Living Is For Dreaming by sonancehotel


49) Patrick Wolf – ‘Time Of My Life’

Patrick Wolf - Time Of My Life by infinityyeah 


48) The Vaccines – ‘Post Break Up Sex’

Post Break-Up Sex by The Vaccines 


47) The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – ‘Heart In Your Heartbreak’

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Heart In Your Heartbreak by Slumberland Records 


46) Bibio – ‘K Is For Kelson’

Bibio - K is for Kelson (taken from 'Mind Bokeh') by Warp Records 


45) Millionyoung – ‘On and On'

  MillionYoung - On On by DBF Music 


44) We Are Losers – ‘Sunset Song’

We Are Losers - Sunset Song by i-con  


43) The Minutes - 'Black Keys'

Black Keys by The Minutes  


42) Oh Land - 'Sun Of A Gun'
Oh Land - Sun of a Gun by infinityyeah 


41) Dogs – ‘Underbeats'
 
Underbeats by DOGS