Ahh it’s always great hearing a familiar voice in a new group…especially when the voice belongs to Sorcha Brennan and is surrounded by some nicely crafted electro tunes!
Sleep Thieves have a very catchy sound indeed and even with the dubious sound quality of Twisted Peppers upstairs room where I first caught them, you can hear the promise of a great electro vibe. They will be having a full set in Whelans on the 24th of March along with Nakatomi Towers who are another excellent electro group that you should catch.
You can have a listen to the tunes from their ep It Was Only A Satellite at the excellent site for Irish bands Breakingtunes and check out their last.fm page for a download of the track City Lights.
City Lights
You can also download Make Your Move or stream it below- my favourite at the moment and I am really looking forward to some new material from them this year.
You should also check out the other groups Sorcha has sung in: Butterfly Explosion and little xs for eyes– both of which will be having new tunes in 2010.
Always good news when there is a new album coming from one of my favourites- Tunng’s …And Then We Saw Land will be released on March 1st from Full Time Hobby and you can hear Don’t Look Down Or Back below. If you’re on the other side of the Atlantic then you can get it from Thrill Jockey from March 9th.
Great harmonious folk sound as always although missing some of their signature electro samples and fuzziness which will hopefully be evident in the other tracks. There will also be a mini UK tour…it won’t include Ireland so hopefully you caught their sets at Electric Picnic last year!
Since last we saw them, the band have been on adventures both personal (Mike went to India, Ashley moved to Somerset) and shared – such as their ten-day voyage of discovery with Malian desert bluesmen Tinariwen, a unique collaboration that aimed to fuse the sounds of the two bands together and an experience that helped shape Tunng‘s approach to the new album “We learned that you don’t always need structure! As long as there is presence, emotion and groove. It taught us that everything is open and adaptable…”
In the spirit of all that travel and experimentation, they’ve decided to call their new album ‘…And Then We Saw Land – and it’s full of adventurous spirit. The first Tunng album to take more than a year to write and produce, it’s packed with big choruses and joyful tunes.“We wanted to make a record that would be a great live set,” says Mike. “My friend described it as ‘Epic Folk Disco Brass Magnificent,’ and I’m not sure you could call any other Tunng record that.”Three songs contain what the band describe as The Mega Chorus – a 15-strong group of collaborators and drinking buddies who lent their voices to the album one rainy night in an abandoned school hall in Old Street.
In homage to voyages grand and not-so-grand, Tunng will be hitting the road for a four-date mini tour in March 2010, dates as follows. Says Mike: “I want audiences singing along and becoming… THE MEGA CHORUS!”
Hope as many people as possible can make it to the Twisted Pepper on Thursday the 4th of February for this charity event organised by Sweet Oblivion– all proceeds go to Goal and will assist in their efforts in Haiti.
Rockers, DJs and Bakers get together to raise money for Haiti
A fundraising gig and bake sale will take place in Dublin’s Twisted Pepper venue next week to raise money for people affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
Dublin bands BATS, Hunter-Gatherer and Groom will play at the venue on Middle Abbey St on Thursday 4th February on what promises to be a fantastic night of fundraising for GOAL.
Organised by journalist and 2XM presenter Aoife Barry (of the ‘Sweet Oblivion’ radio show and blog), the event will kick off at 7pm when bakers begin selling their delicious homemade cakes (including vegan and gluten-free options) – with all money going to GOAL. The cake-selling will continue for the night but at 8pm the first of the three bands will take to the stage.
After the bands have finished their sets, the partying will continue upstairs in the Mezz room with DJ sets from Nialler9, Popical Island DJs and the Mary Jane Girls.
Tickets for the event can be bought on the door for €10 and there will be a raffle on the night.
Aoife said: “Like everyone in Ireland, I was shocked to hear about the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti, which is one of the world’s poorest countries. I wanted to do something to help GOAL do its work in Haiti and thought that a gig would be a great way to bring the music community together so we could all do our bit to help. The cake sale element is a way of boosting funds on the night but also for showcasing the skills of local amateur bakers and I’ve been stunned with the reaction so far. Everyone has been hugely positive and I would love if we raised a substantial amount of money for GOAL. I’d like to thank everyone who has offered to volunteer or help in any way with the gig, and hope to see a great crowd there on the night.”
How many Danish groups are good for your ears? It’s a question I have asked myself on more than one occasion and of course the answer is there are never enough!
The Alcoholic Faith Mission might have actually started in New York but their sound is Scandinavian through and through- glorious harmonies and varied instrumentation that come together to form a whole that is not only spectacular but becomes an addictive drug on the ears. An interesting twist to the name and their own words sum it up best:
Suddenly before them was big neon cross. This was a holy congregation called Apostolic Faith Mission – and this was just like booze is to the alcoholic, they thought. A true mission to withstand an empty existence; an Alcoholic Faith Mission.
For those users in Spotify countries click below for their latest album
For those un-Spotified you can listen to We All Have Our Shortcomings below or you can visit RCRD LBL for the stunning tune Nut In Your Eye and the slower and nicely sampled Time.
Many thanks to United Visual Artists (www.uva.co.uk) for the profile picture from the music video 'Tonto' by Battles. They have done some amazing light fixtures for other groups and shows so check them out!
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TenaciousT 