As Yanks, we generally aren't impressed with royalty and associated titles like "lord", "duke", or "sir". However, we are strong proponents of initiative and confident self-promotion. Accordingly, we applaud the decision of Dublin musician and songwriter Bobby Aherne of No Monster Club to award himself a title and brand his solo effort as Sir Bobby Jukebox. His second album as Sir Bobby is the recently released Sir Bobby Jukebox in the Organ Loft at Midnight. And we are featuring it here because it might be some of the most fun and satisfying pop music you have heard in a long time. It is infused with humor, joy, and a childlike sense of wonder coupled with an adult sense of the absurd. We have never had the experience of venturing to an organ loft at midnight. But if we knew that the climb up the stairs would lead us to a wonderful jukebox such as the one Sir Bobby offers here, we would happily make the trip daily.
The album is out now via Popical Island. For purchase information, see the Bandcamp link below. You can purchase the digital album, but a physical is only available via a purchase of bubblegum cards with the associated right to stream and download the album. The cards reflect the artwork of Sir Bobby's younger self, and are much better for the environment and easier to mail than vinyl and CD.
We always are happy to hear the Dublin musician Paddy Hanna is releasing more music. Today we can provide you with a stream of his new single "Mario Lanza", and news that Paddy's Frankly I Mutate LP will be out February 16. Both releases are via Strange Brew.
The single has an upbeat, even jaunty vibe, although its roots are in found in Paddy's feelings about his father's recent serious illness.
As those California boys with deplorable dress sense sang, "fun fun fun 'til her Daddy takes the T-bird away". Well, we aren't female and, sadly, we don't have access to a vintage Ford Thunderbird, but we love fun. Everyone loves fun. So today's feature is the new album from Dublin's Shrug Life. We note that the album is self-titled, but the trio prefers to use a series of keystrokes as a stand in for the letters.
What Danny Carroll (vocals/guitar), Keith Broni (bass) and Josh Donnelly (drums) deliver is Weezer's hook-infused choruses and Dogs Die In Hot Cars' manic energy. The songwriting is smart and humorous, and the lad's battles with first world problems and modern complacency are colorfully illustrated. Take, for example, a song in which Danny's job in the cancellation department of a satellite TV and broadband provider results in comparing his manager with Benito Mussolini ("Temp Life"). In fact, my only complaint about this album is not having the lyrics, but the vocals are high enough in the mix that you probably can work it our well enough. Aurally and lyrically, this is a real treat, and don't you deserve a treat this week?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ is out now in digital and CD formats via Jigsaw Records and Little L Records. Check the Bandcamp link below for details.
We write about No Monster Club with some regularity here. Why? Because they entertain us with well crafted indie pop that enters from the wacky side of the stage. The brainchild of Bobby Aherne, the Dublin-based band is in the midst of an interesting year-long project. Every month they are releasing a single that was written and recorded in its entirety in the previous month. The aim is to have an encyclopedia-like collection of singles by the end of 2017. The August and July offerings are below. Previous months can be found at No Monster Club's Bandcamp site.
Aherne is a prolific and versatile songwriter, and that alone should draw listeners to his recordings. But the emphasis on having fun is the cherry on the Sunday. The dude may be sad from time to time -- we all are -- but he never makes music to make us sad. How does he do it? A good attitude, of course. And cheesy instruments and tropical-tinged arrangements don't hurt in the least.
Despite the world's problems, here is your chance to be happy. Don't blow it like you did with your in-laws last Christmas.
With a busy day in the office, we wanted to start the day with a bright song, and the winning entry is "Dancing" by Slow Skies. The project of Dublin's Karen Sheridan, Slow Skies has crafted a song with sunny tones and pop smarts that builds appealingly from folky beginnings to a full blown party in your brain. Stream it below and check out other songs from the artist at the following Soundcloud link.
Oh happy days -- we have a new record from Dublin's No Monster Club. Where Did You Get That Milkshake only has four tracks, but Bobby Aherne packs so much melody and fun in every track that no one will complain, and we're always happy to feature them (most recently his fine I Feel Magic album here). Bobby's brand of music is art pop played by the Beach Boys on amphetamines with additional toy instruments to freshen the sound. It is euphoric, upbeat, surreal and irresistible.
And in our opinion, Where Did You Get That Milkshake is a very special edition of No Monster Club's deluxe tunesmithing. Starting with the surf pop opener "Do The Mess Around" and closing with "Hippocampus Circus Maximus", it offers four A-side quality tunes. You can stream both the songs named above in this post, but for a real dose of fun, view the video for "Do The Mess Around". A lurid, blood soaked tale of double-crossing and an unfortunate encounter with a depraved weirdo, all played for dark laughs, it begs for repeated views. And of course you can listen to the entire album at the Bandcamp link below.
You can find the digital version of the EP at the Bandcamp link, and the vinyl at the Emotional Response Records link. If you are in the UK or Ireland, Norman Records is your source.
And for the United States contingent of readers, No Monster Club has invaded us for nine shows. See the dates and locations of the seven remaining shows at the bottom of this post.
9/26 Pinky Swear, Chicago, IL 9/27 Stone Tavern at Michel’s, Kent, OH 9/28 Coyote Joe’s, Dubois, PA 9/29 The Dev, Utica, NY 9/30 Midnightat Otto’s Shrunken Head, Manhattan, NY 9/2 Candy Apple Island, Bloomfield, NJ 10/5 New Funky Jungle, Providence, RI
Ireland's September Girls are back with new LP Age of Indignation, and they are back, still loud, more sharply defined, darker, and it seems angrier than before. And I'd have to say that it is a very good look for them. As compared to their previous records, there is a bit less of Shop Assistant's style fuzz, and the punk strains have transitioned to a bigger, post punk sound with a near-Krautrock spine. The sound is more versatile, with richer details. But I think that this all reflects increased confidence as artists more than anything else. September Girls are a damn good band with something to say, and they know it. Lyrical themes include feminist issues and the Catholic Church. As we know from listening to innumerable punk bands over the years, it is easy to sound angry. But what isn't easy to to sound angry -- or perhaps more accurately indignant -- while still maintaining focus and on message. The women of September Girls manage to do so in great style.
Age of Indignation is a masterful interplay of biting commentary, shifting shades of darkness, and adeptly manipulated tension. We might ask for a bit more sunshine in the future, but for now we can enjoy this dark and lovely offering. The album is out now via Fortuna POP!
Do you feel magic? Bobby Aherne of Dublin's No Monster Club feels magic. So much so that his new album proclaims I Feel Magic. And how is this magic manifested? Upbeat melodies, delightfully off kilter touches, show tune flourishes, wacky stories, good humor, and all of it packed with sonic details and colored in bright, tropical-pop tones. Trying to isolate elements is like walking into a child's playroom filled with toy chests, drawers, and cabinets. You open the containers finding one interesting artifact after another, showing the multifaceted interests of the (obviously wealthy and completely spoiled, but I digress) child. But the genius of Mr. Aherne is that he puts it all together so adroitly that the finished songs virtually defy genre classification.
On "Sion" Aherne sings "I hadn't thought I'd be having so much fun...", and while it is modified by "that night" and relates to a performance at a sparsely attended gig, it is a wholly believable summation of the entire album. Because the sense I get listening to I Feel Magic is that perhaps no one in indie pop music had more fun than Bobby in making his album. And the result is that it is hard to imagine having more fun listening to an album.
I Feel Magic is out today via Popical Island in digital and CD formats and Already Dead Tapes & Records as a cassette.
Princess is a Dublin band playing a style of guitar rock that leans toward shoegaze, with plenty of electronic sounds along with noisy guitars. They recently opened for Cloud Nothings on that band's Irish tour, and have a new track to share, "Neverlook":
Heavy drum and bass lines anchor the tune, and the wall of treated guitar sounds take it to another level. This is a treat for fans of MBV, Deerhunter... guitar rock generally, and I note some similarities to another band we've enjoyed and featured recently - The Cheatahs. The tune ends wonderfully in a squall of guitar feedback that fades into the background... leave 'em wanting more, right? No specific news about an album yet, but surely that is in the works - we'll hopefully have more music from them to share soon. Tour info is available via their Facebook and Twitter, links below.
Last September we profiled (here) Dublin's hyper-energetic power pop four piece, The #1s and hoped that we'd hear more from them. We've just learned that "the more" comes on August 5 -- ten tracks of more music to be released by Deranged Records. While digesting that happy news, satisfy your ears with album track "Heartsmash".
The #1s are Conor Lumsden, Cian Nugent, Eddie Kenrick and Sean Goucher.
"You Made Me Do That" is a delicious bowl of lo-fi garage rock with a party sprinkles on the top. And you don't get to think about it very long because Soft Power is only manufacturing 100 cassettes of the single. "Oh" you say in that arch manner of yours, "surely the song will be on a later release". Well, maybe. But you can't be sure because Cruising isn't a regular band. Adopting the names Dick Vortex, Benzedrine Black, Sex Grimes and Dan Handle, some members live in Belfast and some members live in Dublin, and they are in other bands such as Girl's Names, September Girls, Sea Pinks and Logikparty. The official release date is April 28, and you can order now at the Soft Power links below. Or you can miss out and occasionally play the Soundcloud stream below and wish you'd ordered the cassette. Your choice ...
With a repertoire that includes indie rock anthems, pop punk and jangle pop, Dublin's Squarehead want to be in your music collection. And after listening to their new album, Respect, I think they make a very good case. But this band is making your decision easy -- Respect is available at the Bandcamp link below for the popular "name your price".
Examples of the harder-edged tracks are "Crystal Ocean", "Swing" and the following "Two Miles" --
"John of God" and "Pulse" ably demonstrate the band's more straightforward indie pop chops --
Squarehead has been together for several years. They have released several singles, a split album (with So Cow in November 2012) and a debut album. Activities in 2013 include SXSW in March and a tour in the Northeast US. Respect is their second full length album, and was recorded a few months ago. The members of the band are Roy (guitar), Ian (bass), and Ruan (drums).
From Dublin comes (hey, kids, earmuffs!) Fuck Mountain. This is super-noisy distorted guitar rock that really hits the right spot when you're looking for something loud, angry and without pretense. Featuring great drumming, fuzzed-out guitars and vocals that rise and fall in the mix, I'd say this is recommended if you're a fan of Dinosaur Jr., especially early Dinosaur Jr. Check out "Snow Day" and be sure to stick around for the guitar solo about 3:00 in:
The second cut on the EP, "No Shame", is a little bit janglier. A little bit. Still plenty of distortion and pure punk vocals, though:
As a bonus, here's a video they released last year for "Central American Man":
This music is delightful, and the band name is so inspired I can't believe nobody else has thought of it before. They have two EP's available if you click through to their Bandcamp above, and promise there is more to come. The sooner the better...
As we follow Dublin's September Girls from label to label, writing about each tasty slice of fuzzy guitar pop, the ladies might suspect that we are stalking them. Let me put that little matter to rest -- we are stalking them (just enter their name in the site search box, and the evidence is striking). But only in a music journalistic sense, not a creepy sense. And we have a zero phone hacking policy (at least until our IT department stops playing video games and does some work).
The latest installment is the two-track Talking EP, released April 22 on Cork City's Art For Blind label. It is available on vinyl with a download code. The A-side is an organ driven garage tune, while the B-side is a hooky pop-oriented song. Which is best? You don't have to choose.
Would you like some Hunk! for the holiday season? I suppose you are the picky type and you want more information before committing. Well then, Hunk! are two young ladies and one young man from Ireland (Galway, Cork and Kerry, to be specific). Sundra and Niamh founded the band and later added Ger to pound the drums. On aural evidence, this crew likes lo-fi, fuzzy guitar pop and is unafraid to make some noise. Their debut into your world comes via Livingston, Scotland's Soft Power Records, which is releasing a two-track single on December 17. Note that the record will be available only on a very limited basis: 100 cassettes with a download. Whether separate downloads are available after the cassettes are gone, I do no know. Listen to the tracks below, and if you like them contact Soft Power soon, because their stuff sells out quickly.
