Links: 98 FM Interview

Anyone who was listening to John Barker's Totally Irish on Dublin's 98FM would have heard yours truly talking about O Emperor, I am Not Lefthanded, free music, as well as upcoming gigs. I promised to post links to all the free music (as well as the other stuff I covered), so here it is:

O Emperor - Reverie EP
Review

I Am Not Lefthanded
New Album/Donate



FREE MUSIC...

Cast of Cheers - Chariot - debut album of Bloc Party style rock from the Dublin band, made available for free, were due to play the Best of IMRO Showcase Tour last night, but pulled out due to concerns over the IMRO Licence, as “a show of solidarity in support of blogs, upcoming artists and artist-led labels.”
Download

Holy Roman Army - Desecrations EP - excellent collection of five covers from the Carlow duo. Their version of Bon Iver's 'Skinny Love' is a standout.
Download

Fight Like Apes - Live at Eurosonic - represented Ireland at the 2008 Eurosonic Festival, this year's representatives were And So I Watch You From Afar, Imelda May, Delorentos and Villagers.
Download

Bill Coleman - Black and Red EP, Black and Green EP, Black and Blue EP, but you can also download his older material, like his excellent 2007 album I Tear My Own Walls Down.
Download

Sacred Animals - Sacred Animals EP - Thanks to Peter at 2UIBestow for pointing me in the direction of the wonderful three song EP from up and coming Sacred Animals as well as the fact that Declan de Barra is offering up his past catalogue for free.
Download

Declan de Barra - Song of a Thousand Birds his debut, he's working on a new album, A Fire to Scare the Sun, at the moment. de Barra also represented Ireland at last year's Eurosonic Festival.
Download

Album Review: Holy Roman Army - Desecrations EP

The Holy Roman Army - Desecrations EP

On Saturday, the Guardian had a feature in its weekly Guide supplement entitled "Is it time for your rubbish covers album?" which was highly entertaining, and very pertinent in an era where everyone seems to release a covers album due to sheer laziness or else to make money.

Luckily, the Holy Roman Army don't fit into either of these categories. Desecration is a free EP, where each of the five songs covered have been reinterpreted into the Holy Roman Army's own style, and fit in perfectly with their already established tunes.

So let's follow the Guardian flowchart for the Holy Roman Army?

1. Are you a pop musician?
Not necessarily pop, but definitely music. So we'll go for "Yes".

2. Do you think you are better than Marvin Gaye, Roy Orbison or Public Enemy, or indeed all of them?
Well I can't speak for the band, but I'm going to go with "No" on this one. I'd like to think they're humble enough.

4. Have you have any hits this past decade?
Well, they've only been around a few years, and last year's debut album How the Light Gets In was met to much critical acclaim. So "Yes".

7. How have you spent most of this last decade?
Not sure about the "cocaine" answer, and it's not the money one, so I'm plumping with "Consistently releasing perfectly serviceable, very successful albums"

11. Don't bother releasing an album of cover versions. It's the last dice-roll of a desperate act. Unless you're Johnny Cash. And to be fair, it's unlikely you're reading this if you are.

So perhaps not the best time for Holy Roman Army to release a covers album. It's good for us that they only released half an album then. There are some interesting choices of covers here. It opens with the Pixies 'Wave of Mutilation' which has been beautifully mutilated into something they can call their own. Rollerskate Skinny's 'Speed to my Side' is an inspired choice, and is given a whole new dimension here.

The songs which work the best are Pavement's 'Here' and Bon Iver's 'Skinny Love'. The latter is almost unrecognisable from the original, with only the lyrics left to connect the dots. Holy Roman Army haven't desecrated anything, but rather redrawn and refined in their own fashionable way. A great little EP, and a nice stopgap until the next proper album comes along. Take that Guardian!

Download the album in a variety of formats from ogg to mp3 to flac here:
http://theholyromanarmy.bandcamp.com/album/desecrations

Or alternatively, have a listen here:

Live: Haiti Aid Stage Times

Haiti Aid Dublin 2010 takes place in Whelan's tonight, and unlike many other gigs, it begins at 8 sharp. There's a fantastic line-up, so if you haven't snapped up a ticket yet, you should do so now.

Stage times:
10:15 - 11.00 - Ham Sandwich
9:30 - 10:00 - O Emperor
8:45 - 9:15 - Butterfly Explosion
8:00 - 8:30 - The Holy Roman Army
(with Michelle Doherty MC)

More info:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000732571790&ref=nf#!/event.php?eid=258554429454&index=1

Live: Haiti Aid Dublin 2010

Wednesday 3rd of February is the date for Haiti Aid Dublin, a music marathon taking place in Whelan's and the Village. Tickets are €20 with proceeds going towards the Irish Red Cross's work in Haiti.

The event will be hosted by Michelle Doherty and features a marvellous line-up. In all, 14 acts will be performing, including Ham Sandwich, O’ Emperor, The Chapters, Patrick Kelleher and his Cold Dead Hands, The Holy Roman Army, Sleep Thieves, and Butterfly Explosion.

More info:
http://www.mycharity.ie/event/haiti_aid_dublin_2010/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000732571790

List: Best Irish Albums of 2009

A little late, but better late than never. Here's my Top 10 Irish Albums of 2009...

10. And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watc You From Afar

If Salvador Dali was still alive today, he may paint an album cover like that of ASIWYFA's debut album. Better still, if he was a musician, he'd probably make bizarrely brilliant instrumental tunes like the eleven shoegaze classics that appear on this debut album.

9. David Turpin - Haunted

Lauren Murphy called David Turpin's second album a disappointment, like his first. She outlined his vocals as the problem. In this opinion, she is massively wrong. Turpin has a gorgeous soft voice which perfectly matches his blissful lyrics. It's not grating in any way - no more so than Joanna Newsom - perhaps Turpin is the Irish Newsom? Divisive, but brilliant. Well, in this writer's opinion anyway.

8. Patrick Kelleher - You Look Cold

Patrick Kelleher plays a lot of instruments. Strangely enough, one of the many on here he claims to play is a door. The album itself is a mult-layered electronic triumph, which is sure to please fans of Animal Collective, Panda Bear and the like.

7. Pearse McLoughlin - Busy Whisper

A gorgeous debut filled with enchanting songs that take you back to a better time, Pearse McLoughlin has crafted out a first album that's up there with any other singer-songwriter you care to name. Yes, even that Rice fella.

6. Herm - Monsters

Another fantastic debut, this one is like an earworm that digs into your brain and just won't let go. The album is a wonderful slice of indie pop released on Catchy Go Go. I don't know about the go go, but this sure is catchy.

5. The Duckworth Lewis Method - Duckworth Lewis Method

Named after an extremely complicated way of determining scores in rain-affected cricket matches, this is the best concept album to come out of Ireland...ever. Pugwash's Thomas Walsh and the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon have teamed up to make the sweetest (spot) album of 2009.

4. CODES - Trees Dream in Algebra

An album two years in the making, Trees Dream in Algebra, is the most-polished Irish debut in years. They worked with excellent rock producer Greg Halford on it, and marked themselves out as one to watch for the future. The U2 of the 2010s maybe?

3. The 202s - The 202s

Good albums don't always have to be a well-structured coherent whole. Sometimes they can just be wonderful collections of singles. That's what the self-titled debut from the 202s is. Like a greatest hits package, it's full of powerful tunes with outstanding choruses. Although as a coherent whole, it's damn good too.

2. The Holy Roman Army - How the Light Gets In

I like alt.country and rock mostly. So it takes a great album from genres such as electronica to get me to listen to it more than a handful of times. However, this debut from fellow Carlovians stuck with me all year. Songs like 'Elegy' and 'Stagger Gently Home' are immediately gorgeous, with the latter being one of my songs of the year. Fabulously addictive.

1. David Geraghty - The Victory Dance

The break-up of Juniper has given us so much. Damien Rice and Bell x1 are both extremely successful on both sides of the Atlantic. However, Bell x1 guitarist David Geraghty could well end up being the best of all. His debut was a fantastic introduction, but his second, The Victory Dance was so much better. Filled with gorgeous guitarwork, it's a cracking collection of songs. And who knew he was such a great vocalist too? Wonderful. The best Irish album of 2009.

List: Top 10 Irish Songs of 2009

I originally posted this on Nialler9's blog as part of his readers' poll for the best Irish albums and songs of the year. Well here's my top 10 Irish songs of 2009, complete with videos. Enjoy!


1. The Holy Roman Army – Stagger Gently Home


What a fantastic video, created by the kids at Drumphea National School in Co. Carlow. Plus the song itself is amazing.


2. David Geraghty – Tuesday’s Feet
(No video, not even a live one online)

3. 202s – Ease My Mind


4. Duckworth Lewis Method – Jiggery Pokery


5. The Holy Roman Army – Elegy

(Recorded by 2uibestow)

6. CODES – This is Goodbye


7. David Geraghty – Watch Her Win

(also recorded by 2uibestow)

8. Super Extra Bonus Party – Comets


9. The Chapters – Videotapes


10. I am Not Lefthanded – Everybody Sleeps

Live Review: The Holy Roman Army, Twisted Pepper, 17 October 2009

The Holy Roman Army just get better and better. If you haven't checked out their excellent debut album How the Light Gets In, I suggest you do immediately. Their live show is just as fantastic. Although there were a few sound issues on Saturday night at Twisted Pepper for HWCH, they still played their hearts out. I was hoping for a bit of 'Stagger Gently Home', but as it was for Hard Working Class Heroes 09, the set was a short one. They opened with the jaggedy 'Berlin' and thus found their groove early on. 'Caught in the Wire' was a definite highpoint, with Laura's vocals really soaring. Chris really gave it his all on 'Dublin in the Deadlight', a beautiful funky tune, even better in a live arena. Closer 'Elegy' seemed effortlessly gorgeous, and is a match for anything Animal Collective or Grizzly Bear have out there. I recommend you see them if you have the opportunity.

Setlist:
1. Berlin
2. Caught in the Wire
3. Dublin in the Deadlight
4. How The Light Gets In
5. Elegy

Here's the band playing earlier on Saturday at Road Records:

Live: Fight Like Apes at the Academy (Once a Month Club)

As part of the Once a Month Club, Fight Like Apes will be playing the Academy on Thursday the 10th of September (that's next week folks), along with Bitches With Wolves, The Brilliant Things and the absolutely splendid Holy Roman Army.

Tickets are an excellent €5 and are on sale now from all ticketmaster outlets.

Here's some info on the splendid Once a Month Club:
The Once A Month Club is brought to you by The Academy in association with FMC. Taking place on the second Thursday of every month the club has already presented some of Irelands best live acts including one of the last live outings in the capital by Limericks Giveamanakick.

Set up to provide Irelands rising talent with a platform to perform with a band who have a dedicated live following The Once A Month Club also benefits two very worthy causes - Special Olympics Ireland and Pieta House - Centre for the Prevention of Self-Harm or Suicide with all profits from the club being donated to the charities.

Bands who wish to be considered as part of future bills can apply via First Music Contact, Space 28, North Lotts, Dublin 1 or info@firstmusiccontact.com

Watch Fight Like Apes 'Tie Me Up With Jackets':

Album News: Holy Roman Army

Great news, after being put back last month, the excellent Holy Roman Army album How the Light Gets In is due for release later this month on June 26th. It'll be released on their own Collapsed Adult label and is available from Road Records among others.

The album itself is an enchanting record full of songs that improve with each listen. 'Stagger Gently Home' is a wonderful highlight, and is one of the best Irish songs of 2009.

Watch 'Dublin in the Daylight':


More info:
http://www.myspace.com/theholyromanarmy

Live: Holy Roman Army and Tenaka at Crawdaddy

Next Friday is full of great gigs, album launch gigs. As well as SEBP, The Holy Roman Army are due to release How the Light Gets In at Crawdaddy on May 15th. It's a great album and the show itself promises to be just as good. Support comes from blog favourite Tenaka, giving his debut live performance, as well as Storkboy Choons and Colours Moving.

Doors are at 8, and tickets are €10.

More info:
http://www.myspace.com/theholyromanarmy
http://www.myspace.com/tenakadrifting