Directed by Bob Corish (who taught in my old school for a short time incidentally) and produced by Tidal, here's the official video for The Gorgeous Colours' latest single 'It's OK To Be Normal'. I loved the track when it emerged recently, and the excellently crafted video only adds to its splendour.
The band play the Body & Soul main stage at this year's Electric Picnic festival.
A really clever stop motion video for Cashier No.9's new single 'Lost At Sea'. The track itself is intelligent and accomplished with a sweeping chorus that warms the spirits and it underlines just why the Belfast outfit have been enjoying growing attention as of late. You want more? Have a listen to 'Goldstar' below - a certainty for many 'Best Of..'. lists come December.
Formerly known as The Strutts (cursed legal wranglings...) The Statics are a four-piece Dublin outfit with a penchant for a jangly hook and a leaning towards 60s infused pop melodies. 'Had It Too' is a particularly catchy treat, bearing a sprightly rhythm and excellent vocals that hark back to the The Las, while 'Easy To Forget' is a good-vibe tune which the band launched a new video for just last week. View this nifty new video below and be sure to check The Statics out at the follow places:
Directed by Nico Casavecchia, this is the risquénew video for We Cut Corners latest single 'Go Easy'. The track will feature on Today I Realised I Could Go Home Backwards, We Cut Corners much anticipated debut album, due out later this year. The Dublin duo make an incredibly rich sound for a two-piece and thanks to an extra large serving of their distinctive soaring melodies - this is their strongest track to date.
'Go Easy' is available as a free download from their Bandcamp now (or below), along with two other tracks.
Sometimes I really wish I was in a band and the video for Bombay Bicycle Club's new single - which follows the Londoners on the road - only cements such feelings. 'Shuffle' is a mightily impressive return regardless, with that unorthodox opening keyboard riff and lush vocals making it one of my favourite singles of the year so far.
'Shuffle’ can be found on new LP A Different Kind Of Fix which is out at the end of August.
Hot on the heels of last year's debut, The Drums are back with the follow up LP - Portamento. With their influences firmly etched on their sleeves the Brooklyn outfit left many cold but I have to admit - I loved them from the off. In fact, I liked them so much so that they made a healthy dent in my Top Songs of 2010. 'Money' doesn't stray too far from their original formula - it's a fast-paced bundle of riffs, laced around a self-pitying, love-lorn tale of poverty and want, with a typically romantic 80s vibe evident throughout. A nice little warm up for the new material so - consider my interest piqued.One thing though - how weird is that cover image?!
Portamento is out on September 12th and the band play this year's Electric Picnic.
Tracklist:
'Book Of Revelation'
'Days'
'What You Were'
'Money'
'Hard To Love'
'I Don’t Know How To Love'
'Searching For Heaven'
'Please Don’t Leave'
'If He Likes It Let Him Do It'
'I Need A Doctor'
'In The Cold'
'How It Ended'
Having 'formed in a bomb shelter on the outskirts of Tel Aviv' the last thing you'd expect from this Israeli outfit is a toe-tapping, hip-swaying, positive little number. Nonetheless, that's what you get with 'Caroline' - a sunlit eighties anthem; complete with lovely euphoric touches and a playful bounce throughout. There's indie and then there's indie done well. Thankfully, this is most definitely the latter.
'Caroline' is taken from their self-titled debut EP and you can find them onFacebook.
For the current edition of Hot Press I interviewed Kip Berman, front man of New York's The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. Tremendously nice guy, interesting band and their new album LP Belong is a smashing album and a loving throwback to the '90s. Belong is out now and you can catch POBPAH at The Button Factory on June 1. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
With the follow up to their acclaimed debut album The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are threading that fine line between pursuing a bigger sound and alienating their existing fan base. Can they pull it off? Words: Bryan O'Hanlon
Having won over many a hipster’s heart with their slow burning gem of a debut, New York five-piece The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are back with Belong - a fuller, poppier and altogether more immediate album.
Describing it as ‘a big step forward’, frontman Kip Berman notes the presence of renowned production duo Flood and Alan Moulder as a major influence on proceedings.“It’s pretty rare for a band like us to get a chance to work with people like them,” he admits. “They’ve made some of the greatest records of the last 25 years but they were excited about working with us and they helped us achieve the sound we wanted.”
Despite the enlistment of a pair who have worked with the likes of U2 and The Smashing Pumpkins the band remain on a small, indie label, something which Kip believes is ‘a cool contradiction’. Regardless, he’s well aware that certain fans feared the move. “It’s a legitimate concern,” he says. “Suddenly we’re working with these guys who normally make a huge stadium rock sound but once people actually hear the record they’ll see that it still sounds like us. They actually really liked the weirdness of our band!"
Such ‘weirdness’ saw a ream of comparisons surround their emergence in 2009, with everyone from The Smiths to My Bloody Valentine cited in an attempt to classify their sound. Surprisingly, Kip and Co. are not opposed to such pigeon-holing. “We never feel bad about being compared to bands that are awesome”, he says and lists off an impressive encyclopaedic knowledge of their influences. “We didn’t invent music, anyone that goes around thinking that is just stupid. We try to create a sound and a feeling based on the music we grew up loving.”
Though their strikingly earnest name may conjure up desolate images of an outsider looking in, much of the new album is in fact, quite positive. The trashy early ‘90s vibe of the title track comes with a charming lesson in acceptance, while ‘Heart In Your Heartbreak’ shuns self-pity for a tremendously dancey love-lorn tale. With many still bemused by their melancholic title, is Kip aware of this contradiction? “Yes but we try to write about our lives and I think most people’s lives are like that,” he reflects. “There’s upbeat days and days where everything sucks. If we wrote about how we have picnics everyday and fall in love, or vice-versa, well that’s just bullshit, real life is somewhere in between."
If their eponymous debut can be defined as an awkward teenager of a record; full of endearingly jangly indie tunes, then this new instalment is its older brother; a confident, brash and more vocal twenty-something.
Despite this, Kip admits they’re anything but sure of themselves and the ironic truth is that, at it’s heart, Belong is very much the sound of a band still finding their feet. “I think it’s natural for us to make this big sounding record and then have doubts,” he admits, noting the balance between progressing and veering into ‘stadium rock territory’. “We’re trying to have it both ways and we might suck but at least we’re going about it the way we want to. Our aspiration isn’t to be the biggest band in the world. We just want to make music that means something to us and means something to people.”
And just like that a dreary Monday got a whole lot better. Upon listening to the new one from The Gorgeous Colours my mind is awash with words such as lovely, beautiful, charming and other such terms normally spewed by a love-struck, smitten teenager. To be frank though, associating 'It's OK To Be Normal' with anything else would be a blatant disservice to such a deserving track.
Effortlessly compelling and hopelessly endearing, it glides along perfectly; entwining melancholic strings and solemn vocals to create a carefully packaged, utterly romantic track. This is not the sound of the latest 'It' band or of a group over-reaching in pursuit of past glories - rather, this is the sound of a band at ease, doing what they do best, and creating beautiful, beautiful music in the process.
The release party takes place in The Workman's this Thursday. Get on it.
[Via the Torture Garden (amazing blog, check it out)]
The title track from last year's debut album, 'Light Shape Sound' sees the Kildare three-piece deliver another fine slice of catchy synth-led pop.
Miracle Bell have confirmed a very special all ages show on Sunday May 29 (3pm), with tickets priced €12 on sale now (for more details click here), while the band will also be making a number of festival appearances this summer:
May 12 – Clockwork Apple Mini-Festival (Whelans)
June 3 – The Courtyard Festival (Leixlip)
June 4 – Cold Pro Surf Festival (Clare)
June 6 – Happy Valley Festival (Thomastown)
June 10 – TempleHouse Festival (Sligo)
July 31 – Indiependence (Mitchelstown)
During a valiant last ditch attempt at organising my college notes I happened upon a notepad from during the year, where I had kept track of songs to be written about here. Most have since been covered but this one escaped my grasp. In truth, I've no idea where I heard it but as a breezy, hushed gem of a track it deserves to be shared. Its soothing tones perfectly reflect the cover image of a crushed pink lakeside sunset and to me, it sounds like a sentimental ode to the end of an era.
'Gentle, Polite' is taken from Eric & Magill'sAll Those I Know album which is available for free download now via Bandcamp.
Excellent new video from POBPAH (that bloody name...) who I had the pleasure of interviewing last week.
With a host of much-loved bands clearly embroidered on their collective sleeves, the New York outfit have delivered a bolder, poppier and damn right sterling return with their second LP Belong. On an album brimming with shoegazey early 90s splendour, 'Heart In Your Heartbreak' is an asbolute gem of a track and quite frankly, breaking up has never sounded so good.
Belong is out now and The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart play Dublin's Button Factory on June 1 with tickets priced €16.
It's funny how life works. A recent work placement has left me writing about music on a daily basis, casting the pseudo-cathartic role once played by this here blog redundant and thus, this page intermittently barren. Regardless, the good will out and there have been a few songs over the past few weeks which are crying out to be shared. Firstly, I introduce to you Dog & Panther.
Well, not so much Dog & Panther per se but their track 'Giant Hands'; a wondrous little creation which nestles nicely between the heart strings in a shy, endearing manner. Brash it most certainly is not and if played in the background, it's possible that it may drift by without much notice. Upon closer inspection however, its appeal heightens - a charming romantic serenade with the most striking opening verse I've heard in yonks. There's more than a touch of Death Cab For Cutie of the entire construct as it develops into a confused, insecure tale; embellished with off kilter percussion, varying riffs and some whistling - what more could you want? What's even more astounding is the 'making of' video which accompanies it and simply, has to be watched. It shows the Michigan based outfit develop the entire track from random ideas (including banging on a pillar for a drum beat) to the fully fledged song which your ears are now thanking you for playing - essential viewing.
The track, the making of and the lyrics are as follows:
you'll never be
free from me
you're far too nice
your heart is twice
the size and breadth of mine
you won't be here forever
but right now i'm what you need
there's not one for everyone
but this is the closest you'll ever be
and it scared you how tightly i was holding
and it scared you to let go
you never told me i was pretty
you just drove the wrong way home
dripping holes
cells resolve
we will never be friends
the matter folds your skin and pores
you know more than you pretend
if ever said
love's greatest spent
love is fear under a veil
giant hands
on water dense
we will never be friends
and it scared you how tightly i was holding
and it scared you to let go
you never told me i was pretty
you just drove the wrong way home
and it scared you how tightly i was holding
and it scared you to let go
you never thought that i was ready
you just lied to make me whole
Official video for 'We Should Be Lovers' by Dublin sextet Royseven.
The second single taken from their forthcoming second LP 'You Say, We Say', it's an instantly catchy slice of synth-fused-indie, with a killer chorus and some risqué lyrics thrown in for good measure.
This is my review of the debut EP from promising dublin pair Kid Karate. It was originally featured @ Culch.ie so I've thrown in a few new pics for good measure. Have a listen for yourself over at their Myspace.
Having gained notoriety for their live shows over the past year, Heart arrives as the first proper release from Dublin duo Kid Karate. Indeed, it was live where they first shot to my attention following an outstanding performance at last month’s Hard Working Class Heroes festival (pictures below). The pair swept away the Mercantile’s intimate confines in a blistering set which culminated in participatory drumming and with vocals delivered from a lead singer who lay convulsed at the feet of the audience. From that performance it was clear that Kid Karate possessed an unrestrained and impatient streak to impress and just as it paid off that night, so too does it on Heart.
This is a thunderous debut EP; urgent from the off and with a pace that never threatens to let up as the duo deliver four riotous anthems full of strident guitar riffs, chest thumping vocals and crashing drum-beats. Lead singer Kevin Breen’s vocals possess a definite primal element and his venomous refrains are suitably undercut with Steven Gannon’s driven percussion and backing vocals. Lazy comparisons to the other famous duo, The White Stripes, will no doubt ensue and while there’s a comparable rock edge to Kid Karate’s work, the clever use of synth’s throughout succeeds in propelling the band into an almost dancey-phase. This is most notable on highlight ‘Feel for You’ which is a pulsating, toe-tapping number, while the synth-led title track dominates proceedings and leaves you with the stirring couplet of ‘If I had a heart I would love you’ ringing in your ears. Rambunctious, rowdy and a hell of a racket for two people, Kid Karate have announced their arrival in style.
Heart EP is released Thursday November 25th.
An official launch party will take place the same night in Crawdaddy, with performances from the band themselves plus guests. Full details available here.
Hailing from sunny LA this all girl quartet have been attracting a serious amount of interest in recent months and it's easy to see why. Possessing a soulful combination of haunting vocals, shimmering hooks and a melodious unpredictability which ranges from tranquil to psychedelic, Warpaint are the real deal.
Have a listen to the instantly loveable lead single 'Undertow' and decide for yourself. If you're as taken with them as myself then the bad news is that you've just missed the ladies, after they played Crawdaddy last night. There's no other Irish dates confirmed but with don't be surprised if you see a lot of Warpaint in the near future.
Debut LP 'The Fool' is out this Monday and it's currently streaming in it's entirety via The Hype Machine.
Rejoice! Canada's greatest export, Arcade Fire, are set to return on August 2nd with their third LP, The Suburbs.
After their debut Funeral (2004) catapulted the band into the 'best-in-the-world' domain, 2008s follow up Neon Bible was met with a greaterlevel of division, with it's grandiose style proving too overblown for some.
Following one of the defining records of a generation was always going to be a struggle, and though it may not have quite reached Funeral's level, Neon Bible was still a truly excellent record holding enough genius to cement Arcade Fire's position near the pinnacle of modern music.
The next step was always going to be an interesting one for the band and amid talk of a potential double album and a collaboration with director Spike Jonze, these two tracks have emerged to offer the first taste of the new LP. The title track is unmistakably Arcade Fire, as it hops along nicely for a relaxed jaunt down suburban life and though not exactly ground breaking, it harbours enough creativity and nuance to suggest that it will demand far greater attention upon repeated listens. At the complete other end of the spectrum, Month of May is something of a departure from the usual Arcade Fire fare with the band going all 'rock' on us, as snarling riffs and thunderous drums mesh to deliver a punk-rock anthem of sorts.
The Suburbs is out on August 2nd and it will be interesting to see how these two tracks fit into the context of the album as a whole.
Arcade Fire play this year's Oxegen festival, their only confirmed Irish appearance of 2010, yet with rumours of a show at the O2 ever-present, such an occurrence is increasingly likely towards the end of the year.
