Month: June 2020

Cronin announce ‘A View From The Next Room’. Out July 3^rd on Gentlemen Recordings & Live Transmission Records. The brand-new album delivers the band’s most experimental and diverse set of songs to date. It was recorded at Transmission Rooms Recording Studio in Longford, Ireland. Following their work on Cronin’s critically acclaimed debut album ‘The First Kiss Of Love’, Karl Odlum (Glen Hansard, The Frames), Ger McDonnell (U2, Manic Street Preachers) and Mick Cronin return as producers. Cronin have also brought in outside instrumentalists and special guests like The Waterboys, whose violinist Steve Wickham features on two tracks. In addition, Damien Rice cello player Vivienne Long features on new track ‘Tell Me That You Want Me’ and Terry Edwards (PJ Harvey, Gallon Drunk) on the remix of ‘Little London’. Across the album’s six interrogative tracks the band displays inspired lyrics, deep orchestral arrangements and lifting hooks. 

New single ‘Several Perceptions’ comes alongside a music video of the band performing the song in the studio.

On the making of ‘A View From The Next Room’, Mick Cronin says:

“Some of these mixes have been about for some time and others are relatively fresh. With us unable to work in the studio we thought now would be a good time to release these as a mini album. It’s a diverse mix compared to our releases so far, it shows another side of what we have in our heads.”

The album title is a reference to the Henry Scott Holland poem Death is nothing at all.

“Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was.”

For the album artwork, the band enlisted DJ, photographer and Oasis brother Paul Gallagher.

For musicians, there’s no way out. Like Michael Corleone in The Godfather movies, some pull away from the centre of what they love doing, but then they’re dragged back towards it –kicking and screaming, perhaps, but always because there’s nothing they can do about it. Instinct connects. It takes over. They capitulate and then triumph because the music they make synchronizes with a united mindset. That’s the way it is for Dublin-based band My Sweet Beloved, whose debut single, ‘The Invitation’, has just been released. 

‘The Invitation’ (the first track taken from their forthcoming self-titled debut album) sees My Sweet Beloved merge the intensity of a fever dream with the kind of subtle, sultry pop smarts you thought had gone to Hell in a handcart. With brooding, atmospheric textures seemingly conjured out of the ether, the song (and album) is the cumulation of many months of artistic endeavour and some years of collective experience. The voice of Danielle Harrison Byrne (ex-Skindive) floats on music activated by musicians Derek Byrne (Autumn Owls), Anton Hegarty (Future Kings of Spain, A Lazarus Soul) and Dan Devlin (Moskowitz). 

When Skindive split up some years ago, Danielle – who arrived in Dublin from Los Angeles specifically to join the band – knew her true voice hadn’t yet been revealed. When that band fell apart, she was, she remarks, “a singer with no songs”, yet the determination to match her creative vision with her vocal skills never wavered. Slowly, assuredly, one song followed another. The process was painstaking yet precise, the lessons learned invaluable. 

The forthcoming album, says Danielle, is the result of a, “long journey that I am now able to fully appreciate.” With producer/musician Les Keye, Danielle produced and mixed the new album, her vision of what she wanted in perfect alignment with what she knew her bandmates could instinctively deliver. Call it fate, but for My Sweet Beloved the stars have arranged themselves in such a way (it might well be in the shape of an arrow pointing directly at you) that ‘The Invitation’ is one you can’t refuse.

Website:: www.mysweetbeloved.com/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mysweetbeloved/
Twitter: twitter.com/mysweetbelovedx
Facebook: facebook.com/mysweetbeloved/

Following on from the success of his first album “Tales From Home”, Brian Hassan’s new single “Two Young Lovers” marks a change in direction from folk to acoustic rock. First performed in The Ulster Hall in January, the studio version hints of a nod towards Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger.

“Upbeat and uptempo, a feel good song for the summer.“

Brian Hassan, “Two Young Lovers” available from July 1st 2020.

https://music.apple.com/ph/album/two-young-lovers/1520514341?i=1520514342
https://brianhassan.hearnow.com/
www.brianhassan.com

Sad Songs is happy to announce the new album by Plaice, ‘Losses’, releasing July 3rd 2020 on all platforms. ‘Losses’ is an album of restrained, tender vocals and a visceral mixture of electronic and live instrumentation. Over the course of 8 songs, Plaice creates a soundscape that collapses and rebuilds constantly. The listener can never be sure what is coming next. Combined with deeply personal lyrics and themes, this is a vivid, emotional journey into a broken mind. Plaice describes the inspiration for the album in his own words:

“‘Losses’ is a collection of songs that try to make sense of a traumatic event from multiple perspectives. It’s about one single thing that happened that changed the course of a life. I guess the album is an attempt at accepting and coming to terms with it. It was a way of tuning out the real world and dialing in to another place. A way to process unexpected loss and grief.”

Plaice is the recording name of Dubliner, Adam Browne. Having previously played bass in Autumn Owls and collaborated with Feather Beds on 2018’s instrumental EP, ‘Fabric‘, he is now ready to release his first full length album, following on from last month’s instrumental EP, ‘Planar En Plain Air‘.

Ultan Conlon’s ‘World From A Window’, released July 3^rd featuring GRAMMY Award Winners Sean and Sara Watkins.

‘World From A Window’ could easily have been written about the lockdown due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. A song written about Ultan’s house cat (Kitty) watching cars pass, birds fly by and the world move along, all from the safety of her front room window.

As the song presented itself to Ultan it became clear that we all experience life in a similar way, except through the windows of our phones, “in the safety of my home.” Conlon comes to the conclusion the cats view is a more meditative experience than that her human counterpart.

Maria Eugenia is a famous Brazilian Artist and illustrator who has collaborated with Ultan to make a beautiful Lyric Video to accompany ‘World From A Window’.

It is dedicated to those who sat on their couches and waited.

On Friday, July 3^rd Joe S is set to release his uplifting new single ‘The Lockdown (Stay With Me)’ on all digital platforms.

A regular performer at Ireland’s largest festival Electric Picnic, Joe has also performed alongside Irish behemoths Mundy and Bagatelle as well as headlining some of Ireland’s most prestigious venues including Whelan’s, The Sugar Club and the Roisín Dubh and is recently back from his first German tour in February 2020.

Joe S has three previous studio releases under his belt including his ethereal 2019 single ‘The Mountain’, which featured a beautiful Irish Sign Language interpretation by the Midlands ISL Learners Choir in its video.

Joe has spent the current Covid-19 crisis recording his latest single and accompanying music video.

‘The Lockdown (Stay With Me)’ features drums from OK Go’s Dan Konopka, is mixed by six time GRAMMY Award winner Brian Vibberts (who famously worked with Michael Jackson) and is mastered by world renowned engineer Bob Katz.

The anthemic release also features over 150 voices from people all around the world and is a testament to all the resilience and perseverance seen throughout this crisis.

‘The Lockdown (Stay With Me)’ releases on all online platforms on July 3^rd, 2020 with 100% of Bandcamp sales going to the Covid-19 Response Fund administered by the Community Foundation for Ireland.

You can pre-order ‘The Lockdown (Stay With Me)’ on joe-s.bandcamp.com and you can pre-save the single on https://push.fm/ps/joesofficial

Dublin 5-piece Silverbacks are today sharing a video for new single ‘Up The Nurses’, the latest track to be taken from their anticipated debut album ‘Fad’, produced by Girl Band (Rough Trade) bassist Daniel Fox. Following swiftly on the heels of recent single ‘Dunkirk’ – which hit the BBC Radio 6 Music playlist, and won praise at BBC Radio 1 from Annie Mac (New Name) and Jack Saunders (Next Wave) – ‘Up The Nurses’ leans into their new wave influences, as bassist and vocalist Emma Hanlon explains: “I love Blondie and Kilian overheard me singing along to them one night. A few days later he surprised me with our very own new wave jam ‘Up The Nurses’.  The song talks about “amour fou” (“mad love”) and the unwanted adoration someone receives for the care they’re giving someone.”

Vocalist and guitarist Daniel O’Kelly continues about the video: “With everyone in isolation we set ourselves the challenge of building our own weird world. In the video two amateur radio enthusiasts help an astronaut return to his galaxy queen. We all had a basic tin foil spec and story to work from and everyone then shot their individual parts. It’s loosely inspired by Be Kind Rewind and their resourcefulness.”

Silverbacks – Upcoming tour dates

August 27 – Kasbah Social Club, Limerick, Ireland
August 28 – The Grand Social, Dublin, Ireland
September 01 – The Crofter’s Rights, Bristol, UK 
September 02 – The Victoria, London, UK
September 03 – Network 2, Sheffield, UK
September 04 – The Hug & Pint, Glasgow, UK
September 05 – Psych Fest, Manchester, UK
September 06 – Heartbreakers, Southampton, UK
September 08 – The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, UK
September 09 – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, UK

The band have independently released a string of singles produced by Girl Band bassist Daniel Fox, beginning in 2018 with ‘Dunkirk’ and ‘Just In The Band’, each of which drew support on both sides of the Atlantic. 2019 saw the arrival of follow-up tracks ‘Pink Tide’, and then ‘Sirens’, which was part of a double A side 7-inch released with second single ‘Drool’ by UK independent label Nice Swan Records in January 2020. These single releases were backed by festival appearances at Simple Things, Swn, Eurosonic and Electric Picnic, headline shows in the UK and Ireland and supporting Girl Band on their sold-out UK tour dates.

Debut album ‘Fad’ represents the sound of a band trying to make sense of a noisy and disjointed world – one that competes for your attention at every turn. For them, it has come to be a symbol of what it feels like to try and absorb the world through both fleeting moments in front of screens, and prolonged obsessive periods filled with focus. They pull apart pop-culture in search of new meaning, whether it’s a nod to The Simpsons (“Fad 95”), imagining a lost John Hughes film (“Klub Silberrücken”), spiralling downwards into youtube deep-dives (“Pink Tide”), or making sense of youth culture through The Urban Dictionary (“Grinning At The Lid”). Much in the same way that modern life can be defined by its unpredictability, Silverbacks colourful, vivid and exuberant songs dismantle their source material and end up in places that you don’t think they will.

All over ‘Fad’ are the fingerprints of a band clawing their way through the remains of the day, seeing what there is to uncover.

Silverbacks: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify

Dublin-based Double Bassist, Caimin Gilmore commissioned Linda Buckley, Benedict Schlepper-Connolly, Sam Perkin and Nick Roth – four of Ireland’s most distinctive and vital youngcomposers – to write four new Double Bass works using funds from the Arts Council of Ireland, Cork City Council Arts Office, and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The 4 track EP, titled ‘String Ogham Live’ is now available on all streaming platforms: https://tinyurl.com/y9dp4xzr

Caimin has extensively toured internationally as a Double Bassist. He worked as bassist and vocalist with Lisa Hannigan for her ‘At Swim’ album tour, and plays regularly with Crash Ensemble, Stargaze, the RTE Concert and Symphony Orchestra’s and Ulster Orchestra.

He has played with Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), Zach Condon (Beirut), Squarepusher, The Staves, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Aaron and Bryce Dessner (The National), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), Dionne Warwick and recorded with Stargaze and Adam Cohen on Leonard Cohen’s posthumous album at the P-E-O-P-L-E festival in the Funkhaus Berlin 2018. He has played with Irish acts David Kitt, Valerie Francis, Inni-K and recorded for Saint Sister, David Keenan and Niamh Regan.

Before Covid-19, he was scheduled to tour a new project with Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) in May/June throughout Europe and a new song cycle by Daníel Bjarnason with Crash Ensemble in April. As a result of this cancelled work, he focused his attention on the release of his first solo Double Bass record, ’String Ogham Live’. The live recordings are accompanied by videos from the recording session, and include composer interviews by Kate Ellis (Artistic Director Crash Ensemble), Billy (aged 5), and his pal Ben (aged 12).

The contemporary classical EP comprises of 4 tracks:

<3 by composer Sam Perkin, written for two Double Basses and Tape, consists of the unrestrained joy of children giggling – made in to music; ‘Seancheann’ by composer Linda Buckley, written for Double Bass and Tape, explores a gentle side to the double bass, and envelops the listener in immersive sound; ‘Blackberry’ by composer Benedict Schlepper-Connolly, written for Double Bass and Resonator, softly reshapes and refracts a melody as it steadily echoes itself; and ‘Arris’ by composer Nick Roth, written for solo Double Bass, explores the Irish Ogham script, intersecting with painter John Noel Smith’s concept of ogham as ‘visual rhythm’, and informed by the work of Dr. Nora White, principal investigator of the Ogham in 3D project at the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS).

About the Interviews:

Following the live recording and filming of ‘String Ogham Live’, Caimin sought the help of Billy (aged 5) and his pal Ben (aged 12) to interview the composers via online video conferencing, to have a bit of fun, ask them about their pieces and play the trumpet. The duo conducted interviews with help from Kate Ellis, Artistic Director of Crash Ensemble, Ireland’s Foremost Contemporary Music Ensemble. The videos were premiered throughout the month of June and hosted through the social media pages of performing groups, promoters and labels Caimin works with (Ulster Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Crash Ensemble, Islander, Homebeat, Diatribe, Ergodos).

The EP and Videos are released as part of The Arts Council of Ireland’s Covid 19 Crisis Response Award to provide access for the public to new and original art during the period of COVID-19 isolation.

Stream and watch Double Bassist, Caimin Gilmore, perform four new Double Bass works, from composers Linda Buckley, Benedict Schlepper-Connolly, Sam Perkin and Nick Roth, with composer interviews from Billy (aged 5), his pal Ben (aged 12) and Kate Ellis (Crash Ensemble Artistic Director).

As part of The Arts Council/ An Chomhairle Ealaíon Covid 19 Crisis Response Award.

STREAM
https://tinyurl.com/y9dp4xzr

WATCH
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMLu7EfNZBv3bmcIlx1-evQ

TRAILER
https://youtu.be/GntBCbm65YY