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Dry County free downloads

Dry County are giving away free downloads. There are three tracks: Static Kids (B-side to Attention), Carol of the Bells (new track), Mannix (Nothing Stays In Place EP) two remixes: Another Idea - Jimmy Behan Remix (Another Idea B-side) and Fell into an Etch Bew remix feat. Anne Sophie (Nothing Stays In Place Remixed EP) and the video for Another Idea. free music
They have had a good year,being nominated for the Choice Award,touring the country extensively and just finishing up a UK tour. The live show is a master class in performance by the way and well worth the look.  You can catch em supporting  Giveamanakick in  ALT on May 2nd ,Liquid Lounge Cork on the 17th supporting Skeletons & the Kings of all Cities, Roisin Dubh 31st supporting Cars In Walls and Whelans on June 26th where they headline.

A touch of Vertigo

Vertigo Smyth is a shinny lad with glasses, and when I saw him, he was in need of a touch from the barber’s razor. Now being a blinding bean poll myself I’m not normally one for name calling but it’s almost inconceivable that the sound he creates came from such scant a frame. I was at Java Coffee shop last Wednesday for the Galway launch of “Future Happiness” EP. It was shaping up to be a pleasant affair, I got coffee and pie and saw a two young fellas warm up the gathering bodies with a blend of witty and energised songs followed by soft trance inducing (but that could have been the pie) ballads. Like I said pleasant.
When Vertigo finally got around to tuning up this guitar, banjo and ukulele I thought I knew where the night was going. It was going to be one of those soft strumming sessions laced with craic that happen in the back of pubs, coffee shops, any grassy area, house party or street corner near a supply of Buckfast that seem to pop up around Galway all the time. That would have been pleasant. But nobody soft strums a banjo and with a voice as clear and powerful as Vertigo’s pleasant was left at the door.

Giveamanakick Borrowed Time

Giveamanakick have a new album, Welcome to the Cusp and they have a new song, Borrowed Time, and they have a video for this song, it too is called Borrowed Time as it would not make sense to call it anything else. Here it is. Its pretty damn good I think you will agree.

Broadcasting Commission of Ireland Go Mental (No Other Way To Put It)

You know the way that everyone and their dog claims to be a little Irish around Paddies Day. The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland have decided to go one step further & let a whole bunch of Artists and Popstars (I cant bring myself to call Kyle an Artist) with not an Irish Granny to rub together between ‘em to claim to be part Irish. Well in the sense that their songs are their babies anyway. Any Song by any artist recorded in this green (and mad it seems) island will be counted as Irish Music. R.E.M.’s new album Accelerate is one case in point and as will of the afore mentioned nice bottomed pixie from OZ who recorded some of he new stuff in Dublin's Windmill Lane Studios.
Why do this I hear you wonder? The fact that most Irish Radio Stations have to make a percentage of their total airplay Irish music (about 30%) may offer some clue as to why. As you can imagine this has annoyed and not to say confused many actual Irish Artists. The rule on Irish airplay was meant to be a launching platform for home grown talent but it has now been side stepped in a very blatant way. Lazy assed radio  stations cant be bother to look beyond whatever press release gets posted to them or just want to ape the charts in the UK and US and now have found a nice loop hole to get out of having to look at the Irish music scene to ideas. In fairness it’s not like there is a shortage of Irish bands worth their salt, both contemporary and classic to make up the numbers.
I wonder what these fools make of an Irish Artist who records in another country, Will Gemma Hayes have to hand over her passport cos she records in the US?

Flogging Molly Float Our Way

Flogging Molly the best Punk/trad band (cept for the Pogues who are in semi retirement) are returning with their 4 full studio album Float March 4th. It will be the first one recorded in Ireland as they formed and found success in LA. The Molly will be Flogging their new songs June 5th  at the Academy in Dublin. Seen em live and trust me when I tell you boys and girls for high energy fun and leap about madness you cant beat them.

To prove it I grabbed a clip of them in action Its an earlier song taken from their first Album Swagger. Watch it and tell me it doesn't look like mental craic......go on I defy ya

Cathy Davey Joins Gavin Glass For A Song

Gavin Glass & the Holy Shakers have released Rag Doll and Cathy Davey, fresh from her Choice Music Award, has decided to join 'em. Gavin came to national attention for his version of Ohh La La in a recent Meteor Ad. Hopefully this follow up will lead to big things for this multi-instrumentalist.
Check out the song on his myspace page here

Glen Hansard Gets Oscar Nomination

Falling Slowly - taken form Once (performed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova) has been nominated for a shiny little gold man.It's a heart achy angst ridden ballad type thingy it’s the sort Glen (he of The Frames fame) pens a lot these days. He probably just wants a hug. After this amount of international exposure he wont have problems finding open arms.

County and Corpses

As we saunter slowly into the New Year (hey start as you mean to continue) we can’t help but reflect what has passed. Yeah we know most other blogs, music rags and shows have done their “best of” jazz already but we took our time to mull over the whole 365 days……and we DO tend so saunter slowly.
Internationally there was some tasty treats on offer like the Klaxons and Kings of Leon. Amy Winehouse was great on record and live when sober. DRM was dropped by the major labels, yahoo for freedom of choice. But the main thing that ‘07 will be remembered for internationally in the year of the reunion. Led Zeppelin, The Verve, Smashing Pumpkins, Spice Girls, Take That (who had the most played song on Irish airwaves for Shine, 10 thousand times or so) and a host of other groups from across the musical spectrum have followed suit, the Kinks are even talking about it but we are getting ahead of ourselves there.

But what was the home front like; did we get shafted in the musical landscape in Ireland just like we did on the political/health service/weather/property/cost of living/generally living here front? Happily I can say no we didn’t. The island is awash with talent. We had Stiff Little Fingers 30 year anniversary tour, more festivals than people to attend them and quite a few up-and-coming acts who fly the flag for home grown talent.  We could wax poetic on bout Cathy Davey, Delorentos and Fight Like Apes who all have had cracking years but we thought we would travel off the beaten path and take a gander at two bands who were too busy putting on storming shows to woo the press.

The best live act (outside of a festival) prize goes to Dry County . Their sound is in their own words “electronic and dance music, the natural and the mechanical mixed and combined”. They are not thinking outside the box so much as they are standing on it to see even further down the creative road. Think NIN, Bjork and Soulwax fighting in a room of lights and colours. Their live show gives lie to their career span, leaving you with the feeling you are watching been-there-done-that pros and not newbes with only one album to their name. They pack a lot into a gig and even have a visual show in sync with the music - a feat beyond the dreams any other new bands. The whole thing runs like Swiss clockwork, and packs that bass punch that their album lacks. Musically brave and visually spectacular. A must see in ‘08.

The other group who should get touted as one of the big things on the road in ‘07 are Only Fumes & Corpses . They were savage live in ‘07 and their 2nd CD “Read Between The Lines” is an unsung Punk/Hardcore gem. 8 tracks, not much more than 20 minutes of sheer passion and power. High point of the whole frantic thing is “Drawing Lines” for its tempo change and its effect on a live audience, think demented and joyous survivors of  a noise bomb. These guys are a force to be reckoned with and unlike a great many hardcore outfits there is more to OFAC than mindless noise, they can lay claim to musical talent. There is no weak link in the band, they can all play. The sound is hard driven but they never resort to killing their instruments to achieve it and singer Momme has a voice that was forged in an industrial vat somewhere designed to pump bile and raw emotion in equal measure. Deserve big things in 2008. Find the Album, see the band.

So that the best of new blood we stumbled across last year, teat yourself and check ‘em out. You have been warned and informed.