EP Review: Shannon - A Million Miles

'A Million Miles' is the mature sound from new Co. Meath artist Shannon and her band. The debut EP is launched on Monday 12th March in Whelans!

 The four track EP kicks off with the rocking title track which finds Shannon urging to be 'A Million Miles' away from a guy. The video for the track was recorded in Slane Castle and it works well with the fun nature of the song. Track two is 'I Can't Hide' which is a delightful love song. It conjures up the feeling of being away from a loved one very well and showcases Shannon's delicate vocals. 'Trouble' increases the tempo with some fine lyrics while the closing track 'Romeo' in many respects is my favourite track on the EP. 'Romeo' is all about Shannon's vocals with clever lyrics over a gentle guitar rift.

Listen to the title track here:





While this isn't the style of music that excites me I'm hugely impressed with Shannon's vocals. This EP is a great start to a fine career in the mainstream. A star for the future? More like a star in the now.

Shannon - A Million Miles [10 out of 12]

http://shannonofficial.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shannon/354158321282914

Album Review: Twin Terrace - Plural

Every now and then a little gem album comes along out of nowhere and blows me away! 'Plural' by Twin Terrace is a genuine contender for album of 2012.

'Plural' was paradoxically written, performed, recorded and mixed solely by Gavin Redmond under the band name 'Twin Terrace'. On various tracks he is joined by Stephen Parnell on Bass, Storyfold's Michael Fortune on guitar and Catherine Dolan providing 'Hope Sandoval' style backing vocals on the songs 'Victory Square' and 'Thin Air'. 'Plural' is very much like an old school shoegaze indie album without the feedback! I've spoken to a few people about the album and I struggle to describe the unique yet familiar sound. Here's the lead single from the album; 'You Keep Coming Back'



While I like the single, for me the impact tracks on the album are the middle bunch of five songs. The chorus of 'I Thought I'd Leave With You' hits home big time while the tracks with Catherine Dolan on backing vocals are simply superb. 'Thin Air' which you can hear below is vocally the best track on the album with the best lyrics and the impact from the backing vocals taking the track to another level.



The songs are well written and varied. The lyrics while not life changing keep your attention throughout the album. It's a dreamy fuzzy sound that works equally well as background music or for something worthwhile to get into. The only negative for me is that there are a few tracks that don't hit the heights on 'Thin Air' and 'Aquarium'!

Twin Terrace - Plural [11 out of 12]

http://twin-terrace.com/

Plural is out on April 6th!

Psssst .... if you like what you hear give Twin Terrace a 'like' on Facebook!

Single Review: Eleanor McEvoy - Harbour

Eleanor McEvoy's beautifully sung single 'Harbour' is this week's Play Irish track on Galway Bay FM and is another wonderful track I'd delighted to review on the blog.

Young musicians out there should look on Eleanor McEvoy's career for inspiration. While maintaining a fan base in Ireland Eleanor has been busy in the UK and Europe touring the folk clubs and reaching new audiences all the time. Her sound is always evolving and her songwriting gets better with time. 'Harbour' the new single first featured on 2010's 'I'd Rather Go Blonde' album but the single is lifted from last year's 'Alone' album of hit songs stripped back to just Eleanor alone.

The lyrics of the piano based love song 'Harbour' are enriching and comforting. Eleanor is reaching out for someone to shelter and shield her like a harbour. It's a piano based balled full of imagery sung with Eleanor's distinct vocals. With singles like this Eleanor deserves her place as a modern and respected legend.



Eleanor McEvoy - Harbour [10 out of 12]

http://www.eleanormcevoy.com/

Introducing a Mix of New Irish Music #11

Here's a mix of new Irish music that made it onto my radar in the recent weeks!

Shannon

Hailing from Co. Meath, Shannon is a twenty year old singer who is bursting onto the scene with a debut EP, an official video shot in Slane Castle and a headline date in Whelans booked for March 12th. The EP entitled 'A Million Miles' showcases Shannon's extraordinary vocal range on the Jazzy rocking tracks 'Trouble' and the title track while lovesong 'Romeo' and the gentle 'Can't Hide' are sublime.

Buy The EP: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-million-miles-ep/id505515374

EP Launch: Whelans March 12th




http://www.shannonofficial.com.html


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Swords

Swords are a three piece electronic rock band based in Dublin and are already achieving the kind of positive press most bands can only dream of. It's not my favourite type of music but there are some really nice moments on their debut EP 'Black Balloon' such as this track 'Special'.



http://www.swordsband.com/


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The Rambleers

Alternative blues rockers The Rambleers have been going strong since 2005 but for some reason they never got featured on the blog. The band are touring in March to promote their new music:

One new track is 'Layman' and it's free to download!

http://www.facebook.com/therambleers

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Sweet Little Lies

From Donegal, Sweet Little Lies make fun rock/pop with a hint of reggae to jazz it up! Think a chilled out Wallis Bird with a brass section! I'm loving the sounds of Sweet Little Lies!

http://www.facebook.com/sweetlittleliesmusic

Album Review: Cars Love Girls - Skip School

Cars Love Girls release a funky happy little album on March 8th entitled Skip School and it ain't too bad!

So Cars Love Girls are brother and sister Bres & Orla! Thankfully it's not Bressie! Oh wait Niall Breslin is also in the family. I bet he must hate the fact that his siblings write way better music than him! Anyway that's way too much sarcasm for one review.

'Skip School' is a good album of ten songs which are well written, sung and have the right amount of cheese. It's similar to the pop/rap of The Republic of Loose without being a Carbon Copy! It's perfect for pop radio without being annoying. It's got a number of good tunes but suffers from them sounding the same! It's an album I liked listening to without it getting me excited!

Cars Love Girls leave the best song until last. In that wise tradition of ending an album on an epic note, the seven minute anthem 'Funny Little Thing' is a superb track. Influenced by seventies soulful sound the track consists of wonderful guitar rifts and outstanding vocals which really hit the high notes. Other highlights include 'Left Us Sly' and the current single 'Future Ex-wife'.



'Skip School' is a decent album which will turn the band into minor celebrities in Ireland for a few months. The launch is on March 8th in the Workmans Club.

Cars Love Girls - Skip School [8 out of 12]



http://www.carslovegirls.com/

Live Review: The Purple Sessions - Boyles Feb 23rd

February's 'Purple Sessions' took place last night in Boyles of Slane and it was a superb night of music!

First up was Galway based Rory Bowens and his mix of quirky indie pop songs. He revealed his parents were at the venue listening to songs of heartbreak and lust! Standout track of Rory's set was this song 'John':

Next up was the folk sound of Polly Barrett from Cork. The set featured songs from her debut album 'Mr. Bookshop' as well as a new upbeat song reflecting her life in the now. Polly's vocals were superb throughout the set and brought to life the thoughtful lyrics of her songs. Standout track for me was 'Almost Friend' about how you can briefly meet new interesting people while busking and never get to know them!

Marc O'Reilly was up next with a superb set showcasing his amazing guitar skills and pure voice. Marc got a great reaction from the crowd who fully appreciated the quality of talents Marc possesses. Marc's debut album was reviewed on the blog last month and his set consisted of the guitar heavy tracks like 'Tell Old Joe' and 'Get Back'. I think Marc has such a wonderful voice and was disappointed not to hear my favourites from the album 'Family Reunion' and 'La Question'. Standout track from Marc's set was an amazing version of this instrumental:

Headlining the night were The Riot Tapes who once again proved to me that they are ripe for success. The tight set of pop rock tracks showcased Elaine's wonderful vocals over songs that make you want to move, sway and dance to!  Standout track for me was the encore song which was an acoustic version of their debut single 'Photograph'. 

Single Battles #2 - The Dirty 9s Vs The Frank & Walters

This is the second battle of a regular feature where I'm going to compare and contrast two singles from current Irish Artists.

Battle #2

The Dirty 9s released a new single from their soon to be released second album. Straight away I hear a clear difference between 'Hey' and their earlier debut album. The indie edge is still there but there's a freshness about 'Hey'. This fun three minute pop song epitomizes what the band are about. Fergal's vocals are pivotal to the song and along with it's all round catchiness makes this song one of the best new Irish releases of the year.



There's a wonderful video for it too!



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The Frank & Walters have released another fine pop song called 'Indie Love Song'. The lyrics remind me of the single from The Divine Comedy last year 'At The Indie Disco'. While Neil Hannon's song was brilliant I felt an unease with the lyrics in the same way as it doesn't make much sense to me to have a band with their 'Hey Day' two decades ago singing about writing 'Indie Love Songs'! The single is pure to the Frank & Walters sound and will please their fans. There's also a really cute video to accompany the song!



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In many respects The Dirty 9s could be the modern day version of The Frank & Walters! They both have vocalists with distinct styles and have the ability to write three minute pop wonders. I would hope however that the song themes develop with time for The Dirty 9s which on the basis of 'Indie Love Song' can't be said about The Franks!

The Dirty 9s - Hey [11 out of 12]

The Frank & Walters - Indie Love Song [8 out of 12]

Album Review: Daniel Thomas - Vandals in Eden

'Vandals in Edan' the debut album from Dundalk's Daniel Thomas is an average album I can't stop myself from listening to!

When I listen to singer-songwriters I can generalise a bit by stating they were primarily influenced by either Dylan, Waits or Cohen. However while listening to 'Vandals in Eden' I'm finding it difficult to generalise in that same way. There is nothing groundbreaking in the collection of eleven songs. They are all well written tunes each one with a central theme. Mostly it's Daniel's voice and an acoustic guitar rift at the core of the tacks while some tracks includes strings, trumpets, drums and bass. It's very much an independent release with limited information on the cd sleeve and when I take that into account it's amazing how good some of the tracks are like 'Ghost of Our Estates' and the title track.



Other standout tracks for me include the charming opener 'Darlin' Tonight', the poppy sound of 'Miracle Like You' and 'Blind Piper' with it's intricate trumpet. This is a super album to have on in the background and as mentioned above it's been my background noise for the last week. 'Vandals in Eden' is a good, honest debut album.

Daniel Thomas - Vandals in Eden [8 out of 12]



http://www.facebook.com/danielthomasmusic