Songs of the week
I Have A Tribe - Scandinavia
As a sign of endorsement, it's clear that Conor O'Brien of Villagers also thinks Patrick O'Laoghaire is a talented man, as this latest track from the Dubliner was recorded with Conor on backing vocals and instrumentation in his home studio alongside Ber Quinn. Scandinavia is a moving track built on some poignant piano playing with a loose confessional vocal style. After supporting Anna Calvi on tour, a second I Have A Tribe EP is forthcoming before the end of the year.
Brian Deady – A Darkness
It's been five years since Cork soul singer Brian Deady released anything, not counting his impressive a capella doo wap series which showcased his vocal chops with covers of Kanye, Hall & Oates and Future Islands. A Darkness is a fortified version of what he was doing before, a soulful ballad that digs deeper emotionally. A new album Non-Fiction is forthcoming.
Galants – This Is Heaven
Fans of distorted fuzz rock will be pleased to have This Is Heaven hit their ear canals. Recalling the best of '90s indie, Dublin band Galants channel shoegaze and punchy melodic rock for their first of a trilogy of summer singles. You can see them live at the Workman's Club in Dublin on Sunday as part of the free August Bank Holiday Sunday Session.
New artist of the week
Lilla Vargen
Hailing from Ballymena, youngster Lilla Vargen delivers a knockout piano ballad on her debut song This Is Love. It's a brief song that leaves a sustained impression and enthusiasm for what may come down the line. She plays her debut Irish show in the Odessa Club on August 7th.
Irish release of the week
Kingston - Chapter From A Book
Too many bands follow in the footsteps of their influences so closely that it becomes possible to distinguish them from the source. You can't really say that about Kilkenny six-piece band Kingston who have taken their major inspirations of Brit rock and brass bands and smashed them together in a pleasant fashion. It helps that there are hooks intact on songs like Eating Flowers and Stare Through It.
Video of the week
Shrug Life - Funderland
Follow your dreams; pursue your true talents; do what you want to do; whichever way you cut it, that's the central message in Shrug Life's self-made video featuring a mime out of water who finally finds his brethren. "The band's been working on their second EP / it's taken two years and they'll sell it for free," sings Danny Carroll wryly on Funderland, which also captures the mundane - "Comatose commuters from indefinite places / On the red line home to broom closet bedsits" / "The rents a steal at 800 a month You can switch on the oven without getting out of bed."
