Tag Archives: Album Review

Album Review: Glimmerers, from The Dying Seconds.

  By Lisa McInerney | November 30, 2011 - 1:00 pm | The Culch
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We’re vocal fans of The Dying Seconds here on Culch, and that we were looking forward to the release of second album Glimmerers with the enthusiasm of a Svalbardian electrician greeting the summer will be news to absolutely no one with functioning ears. Against Ireland’s culture of healthy trad, conventional rock and pedestrian pop, The Dying Seconds’ orchestral electronica comes rather close to aural relief. They’re a band we should be very proud to call our own. Glimmerers was guaranteed to mark a progression from the sound of the gang’s eponymous debut. In hindsight, it seems obvious that the debut (featuring core Seconds Jack and David) was but preparation for a much bigger project; at the time, it seemed assured and accomplished in its own right. There’s no denying that Glimmerers is infinitely better, which is a pretty exciting thought in terms of any band’s promise and potential. Glimmerers is … There’s more →

Album Review: Wanted, by Moo.

  By Lisa McInerney | September 16, 2011 - 1:47 pm | Gigs, Music, The Culch
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We found ourselves tucked into a corner of The Crane Lane Theatre a few weeks back, during the decades festival in Cork, surrounded by girls in full skirts and pop socks, and boys wearing braces and snazzy hats. The decade celebrated was the 1950s, the jinks were high and the music was pure shoulder-shimmying compulsion, and it occurred to me, somewhere between my seventh bourbon and the floor, that music isn’t something that has to keep swelling towards the future to be fresh and fun. The sound was smokey, rockabilly and Americana, and my compadres were thrilled as canaries. MOAR ROCK N’ ROLL, they bellowed, as the doors were closing. And just in time, Moo rode into town. Moo are three lads with impressive musical pedigrees and no fear of hard work; as well as touring regularly, they have residencies in The Village on Wexford St, The Globe on Georges … There’s more →

Album Review: Coastal Grooves by Blood Orange

  By Lisa McInerney | September 2, 2011 - 9:00 am | Music, The Culch
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Let me make this instantly, unequivocally clear: you’ll have read more objective reviews in your time. I have come to Blood Orange’s Coastal Grooves pre-convinced that Dev Hynes is a musical hero. If I could replicate his fidgety creativity in a my own literary endeavours, I would be a scribe fulfilled. Dev Hynes doesn’t sit still. He plays around with music. He chases sounds and pins them down and then bounds for the next target. He’s best known as Lightspeed Champion, but Dev’s latest project, Blood Orange, isn’t just a side venture, taken to knit various half-songs together until it’s time to start recording seriously again. Coastal Grooves is a fantastic album from start to finish: tight, cohesive and compelling. It’s not a sidenote on Dev’s discography. Lo-fi funk with an understated cool, Coastal Grooves is an album for late-night chilling and headphone grooving. There’s a dash of oriental influence, … There’s more →

Album Review: Phil Selway - Familial

  By Bryano | October 6, 2010 - 8:43 am | Music, The Culch
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So, this is what it sounds like when the drummer of one of the biggest band’s in the world leaves down his sticks and goes it alone. While Thom Yorke’s The Eraser furthered the more eclectic streak of Radiohead’s work, Philip Selway’s endeavour is surprisingly restrained and lands firmly under the title of ‘acoustic singer song-writer’; a penchant which tends to yield nothing more than a stifled yawn these days such is the plethora of guitar-clad troubadours emerging. With vocals bordering on a whisper and a general air of restraint present, Familial does little to break such pigeon-holing on first impressions. Yet, as the gentle croon and delicate licks fall into place it becomes clear that Selway has crafted a complete record; one to be absorbed in it’s entirety and one which only shows it’s true beauty upon repeated exploration. For a man who spent his years battering pig skin, Selway certainly has a canny ear … There’s more →

Review: UNKLE - Where Did The Night Fall

  By Lisa McInerney | June 22, 2010 - 12:33 am | Music
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It’d make me a bit of a Bertie-socialist to complain about commercialism in music, wouldn’t it? As a part-time hippy (with foldaway bare feet), I’d like to waffle on that music needs to be free and unrestrained, and wafting meaningfully around city plazas in the summertime, but being mostly staid and sensible and stiletto-clad, I understand that music is a commodity, and must remain one. If you’re good enough to make music for the rest of us, for God’s sake, you should be paid for your trouble. So that one of the most broadcastable things about UNKLE is that they’ve done the soundtrack to loads of ads and games and tv shows and films shouldn’t bother me. There’s nothing wrong with James Lavelle and his ever-rotating army of cohorts spreading the electronica about like baked butter; every odd end that UNKLE have ever released is good enough for mass consumption. … There’s more →

Review: Barbara - We Are Scientists

  By Lisa McInerney | June 13, 2010 - 7:35 pm | Music
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When people classify* We Are Scientists, it tends to be as indie rock, because God help us but we couldn’t be doing with calling them “pop rock”, now could we? “Pop rock” is what Pink is. “Pop rock” is how you dismiss everything Green Day have accomplished since 1992. Pop rock has become a derogatory term, highjacked by the high-brow … but y’know, it needs reclaiming. There’s no better term to define the sound of We Are Scientists. There’s no better band to define the term. We Are Scientists are Keith and Chris and now Andy who used to be in Razorlight (presumably up til he saw sense). They are known for being much, much funnier than any rockstar has business to be; every interview, every music video is about coaxing giggles, making We Are Scientists a real love-to-love band. Barbara is their fourth album, and it’s a predictably catchy … There’s more →

Review: Been Listening - Johnny Flynn

  By Lisa McInerney | June 3, 2010 - 9:25 am | Music
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I was interviewing a band t’other day (you’ll find out-all-about as soon as I get around to writing it up), when something unfortunately distracting happened. A soundcheck got underway as the band, tucked into their dressing room, were getting chin-deep into one of my questions; instead of giving them my full attention, I was knocked sideways by a few bars of Johnny Flynn’s Kentucky Pill bellowed into the microphone, one hundred feet and several brick walls away. It would have been very unprofessional to interrupt my pontificating musicians with, “Sssh! Is that Kentucky-fucking-Pill?!” and a frenzied dash out into the main venue, but I wanted to. God, how I wanted to. That I love Johnny Flynn like a 90s cartoon animator loves inexplicable muscles will come as no surprise to anyone who’s ever been within half of a mile of me. When I fall for a musician, I tend to … There’s more →

Album Review: Teenage Fanclub Shadows

  By Peter | June 1, 2010 - 3:23 pm | Music
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This is the first of two reviews of Teenage Fanclub’s new album. For a differing view, check out Eilish’s post. Who do you agree with? - Darren I like teenage fanclub. Something in the name, maybe ? I like[d] their work. Not to become slovenly or banal in my writing but….. I want to be inspired. I wanna be adored. That comes to mind. So does Just by Radiohead. Ok maybe not an exact comparison. Seriously as I type, I re-read and my writing doesn’t make sense. But then neither does this album…. Its very like The Frames coming out with for the birds. Nothing wrong with that album. I bought it. I liked it as an album… but [wait for it] I’m surprised there weren’t birds chirping in the backround. Not fair? Coming off the tail end of a cranked up Revelate, I thought so. Anyhow, I flicked through … There’s more →

Album Review: Oasis Time Flies 1994 - 2009

  By Peter | May 29, 2010 - 6:54 pm | Music
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I remember when Oasis released their first album in 1994. I was 18 just and had gone to live in London. I’d bought Definitely Maybe on cassette just weeks previous. I’d just moved to Clonmel Road near the seven sisters tube station and had my guitar and cd player as standard luggage. The funny thing was Whatever came as the hidden song on the CD album only. So I bought Whatever as CD single in heathrow. Why is this important….? London to me was rock and roll. Especially for an 18 year old having just left Piltown Horticultural College in Kilkenny. Population four and a half sheep. My first sight of which was Kings Cross Tube Station. Every teenage boy to man needs an anthem from which to derive nostalgia and Oasis just handed them to me on a platter one after the other.

Review: High Violet - The National

  By Lisa McInerney | May 13, 2010 - 8:15 am | Music
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When it comes to weighing up the possibilities in any new social interaction, there are certain parameters I’ve come to rely heavily on, badges or beliefs or gentle oddities that tell me whereabouts on my Compatability Grid to place a would-be buddy. Are they strangers to the orderliness of proper punctuation? Do they laugh at my How-did-Bono-fall-off-the-stage-He-got-too-close-to-the-edge joke? And have they heard The National? Whether they like The National tends not to be significant - anyone who’s heard The National loves The National. Isn’t it a funny thing? Floundering in ignorance to misty-eyed zealot in the blink of an album; they really are that good. Not surprising, then, that the release of High Violet has been greeted with elation and relief in almost equal measure; it’s definitely been the most eagerly awaited album of 2010, if pub conversation and LastFM flaming sessions are anything to go by. This is The … There’s more →

Review: Stornoway - Beachcomber’s Windowsill

  By Lisa McInerney | May 11, 2010 - 8:30 am | Music
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They say timing is everything - magic in the right moment, and power to be had in its harnessing. And it’s this knowledge that made reviewing Stornoway’s rabidly-awaited debut Beachcomber’s Windowsill so satisfying; the indie-folk scene is blossoming, the days are getting longer, we’re all making eyes at new garden furniture and drawing outdoor Sundays in the air … this is the perfect summer album, and this is Stornoway’s time. ‘Course, I wrote about the lads before, and hopefully a few of you had the good sense to grab an earful while they were traipsing the ould sod. Brian, John, Oliver and Robert (and sometimes Adam and Rahul) are a bunch of clever clogs with marvellous cheekbones from Oxford who make music that is three parts folk, one part chamber pop, and utterly, utterly loveable. Beachcomber’s Windowsill is “a collection of bits and bobs that we’ve accumulated over the past … There’s more →

Review: Ellie Goulding - Lights

  By Lisa McInerney | April 11, 2010 - 1:24 am | Featured Post, Music
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Not so long ago, I wrote a review of Marina and The Diamonds’ debut album, The Family Jewels, in which I raved on in a manner that would have made Shaun Ryder blush. I had a reason for gushing, though; I was a fan for some time before the album was released, so witnessing her pretty, quirky demos moulded into kick-arse gorgeous songs was something of an emotional Event. It was on the back of this (almost overwhelmingly) positive experience that I came to Ellie Goulding‘s debut album, Lights, which was released in March. It turned out to be no good thing. Comparisons between the two are hard to resist. Ellie and Marina are both young, sweetly eccentric singer-songwriters, lauded breathlessly as future pop icons - Ellie was named as BBC’s Sound of 2010, with Marina coming second place. And they happen to be, like, totally bezzie mates as well. … There’s more →

Pooled 25: House Keeping Its Value Shock!

  By Lisa McInerney | April 3, 2010 - 2:00 pm | Music, The Culch
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It should come as no surprise to anyone (bar perhaps my GP, who would no doubt disapprove) that I am a bit of an Electronica Monster. From deep house to shallow, shallow trance, if it goes bleep boom bleep, I’ll bop to it. In fact, I can be quite militant in defending dance music’s honour; it being a musical genre tied in with the wilder end of socialising, with drink and drugs and blokes that go bump in the night, dance tends to be dismissed as superficial and throw-away. Whereas to my busy ears, it’s nothing less than classical music done on ‘puters. One should get the same rush from a well put-together electronic piece as from a beautifully composed instrumental. It’s music designed to pull at the heartstrings and to wreck the head. It’s music that should make your chest thump. If dance music’s remit is to make the … There’s more →

Don’t Take Advice If You Believe in Anything

  By Lottie | October 9, 2009 - 2:08 pm | Featured Post, Music, The Culch
4 Comments

Album Review: Delorentos - You Can Make Sound Release Date: 9th October 2009 The road to Delorentos second album “You Can Make Sound” hasn’t been smooth. After releasing their debut album In Love With Detail in 2007 the band appeared to falter. Be it for economical reasons or internal frictions in the band itself Delorentos announced their break-up back in February of this year. Their second album was to be their last, a best-of-luck and thanks very much to their fans if you like. Then much to my delight in April they made a U-turn on the decision to disband. They were on the road to recovery. The new album, You Can Make Sound is on the shelves today and hopefully is far from their last. In Love With Detail is one of my all time favourite albums, I know it by heart and as such any follow-up always had … There’s more →

CODES. - Trees Dream in Algebra

  By Rob Cumiskey | September 18, 2009 - 2:24 pm | Featured Post, Infected, Music, The Culch
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CODES are a band that understands the benefit of the words ‘Gradual Progression’. In this age of instant gratification and viral culture, trends, fame and, most importantly for CODES – music, rise and fall by the day. One minute a band is on top of the world, and the next, they’re has-beens. So, it’s refreshing to come across a band that have taken 2 years, 3 singles and a long recording process with Greg Haver (Manics, SFA) and mastering by Greg Calbi (U2,Interpol,Kings of Leon), before they released their very impressive debut album.