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November 2011
The Archives
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11.22.11New Irish Sounds: Hidden Highwaysphoto by Olga Tiernan The name: Hidden Highways The deal: The freeflowing talents of two self-confessed reverb junkies smushed together to make one brilliantly breezy boy-meets-girl outfit. You may know Vertigo Smyth and Carol Anne McGowan already, but for those not yet acquainted, he's a ukulele-loving troubadour from County Clare and she's a smoky folk singer and (rather good) painter from Donegal. The sound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA6g8DI41lw Sweet and delicate. I'm feeling particularly charmed by their version of Dean Martin's 'My Rifle, My Pony and Me', from 1959 shoot-em-up western Rio Bravo, which they've just made available for free download (link below). Hidden Highways: My Rifle, My Pony And ...
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11.18.11Follow Friday: Irish musicians on TwitterThis may turn out to be a weekly thing, or you may never see a post like this again. Either way, these serial tweeters deserve a click of everybody's mouse... @jamesvmcmorrow Who: soulful wonderboy of Irish folk who, really, needs no introduction. Why: because there's more to JVMcM than beards and heartbreak. Sample tweet: @_KIDKARATE_ Who: screamy, smashy alt. rock duo with more energy than is possible to describe without visual aids. Why: they take their choons seriously, but everything else is fair game. Oh, and they like sharks. Sample tweet: @ang_kor_wat Who: experimental electrophile Angkorwat, who referenced cult documentary Grey Gardens in a song title, therefore earning my vote ...
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11.15.11INCOMING: Feel Good Lost FilmsFrom where I'm standing, part of the reason why Irish music is in such terrific nick these days is because of the countless promoters, bloggers, photographers, filmmakers and all-round creative folk helping musicians get their songs out of the wilderness and onto our headphones. One such man is Brendan Canty, whose Cork-based production company Feel Good Lost Films is responsible for about 70% of the kick-ass visual trippery that made made me go 'Holy Crap!' this year. In just 12 months, Canty has produced music videos for Irish artists Daithi, Mark Geary, Sacred Animals, Owensie, J2DR, Hush War Cry, Moths and ...
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11.09.11A welcome post featuring Lorem IpsumGreetings and welcome to The C Word, a brand new hotpress.com blog for breaking Irish music and other sonic sundries. Do join me as I hunt down the best new sounds coming out of our plucky little island and - let's face it, probably lose my cool over a couple of them. So let's get started, shall we? Brand new to the interweb is this bloody brilliant two-song preview of the forthcoming EP from Dublin experimentalist Lorem Ipsum. 'Village Fire/Garda Fight' is particularly delicious. Pramsheds by Lorem Ipsum Pramsheds by Lorem Ipsum
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11.09.11New Irish Sounds: Lethal DialectThe name: Lethal Dialect The deal: Sharpshooting Blanch-born emcee who makes woozy, classic-sounding hip hop. A cohort of Dublin-based rap group Street Literature and DFI rap battle champion. His debut solo album LD50 was released last year to general, but nowhere near enough acclaim. The sound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgthmCrvYMk He says: 'Fuck a profit! That's my catchphrase when the majors call...' - 'Metamorphose', LD50 I say: A talented little so-and-so who makes a great case for Irish accents in hip hop. For lovers of: Marxman, Scary Eire In a word: Sharp What now? We've been promised another album, LD50 Part II, by the end of the year, but in the mean time, ...