Toby Kaar and Moths @ The Pavillion, Cork

As Hurricane Katia bore down upon our small island nation last Sunday night, some of our island’s best up and coming electronic artists took to the stage of Cork’s Pavilion for an evening of smashing tunes to help brush off the weather. In the small, green-tinted bar, a respectable crowd rushed in out of the rain and gathered to watch the rising stars of Moths and Toby Kaar shine.

Fresh off a show at the Electric Picnic the weekend before last, Moths a.k.a. Jack Colleran, opened proceedings with what some deign to call ‘chill wave’. Relying on subtle background synths, and effected lead lines, his sound seemed to fill the whole venue, seeping into every corner, getting under peoples skin. Known for his remixes of artists like Interpol and the Passion Pit, as well as his own laid back electro, he had the whole venue grooving.

Returning to the stage after DJing for most of the afternoon, headliner Toby Kaar sought to round off the evening. Having come to prominence over the last six months, after lighting a spark with his remix of Nouvueanoise’s track Cinnte, this was a sort of a homecoming for Toby. He’d played in Cork a number of times in the past few months, playing support to Gold Panda, and taking a slot on the FMC Tour, but this was his first headliner since his breakthrough and the home crowd were out in force.

There’s a serious groove to Toby’s music, which is a lot more immediate than some of Moths material, leading to a nice contrast in sound on the night. But even more so, there’s a groove to Toby himself. Hunched over his laptop and controllers, he sways back and forth, shakes, shudders and jumps along with the crowd as he kicks out the jams. His set consisted of a lot of his more well known tunes, and a few newer pieces that will be sure to appear on his debut album which, we all hope, will be out soon.

The quality of music on show in the Pav on Sunday was superb. The now, not-so-underground, electronic artists of Ireland can hold themselves up with the best of them. A bright future awaits Irish electronica and all of its shining stars.

Check out Moths and Toby Kaar on their respective sites here, and here. Catch Moths at Dublin’s Absolut Fringe Club with RSAG on Sept 22^nd, and see Toby in the Roisín Dubh on the same night.

Published on Drop-D.ie - September 14th, 2011

Tenonsaw - Beginnings

Tenonsaw are an electronic-folk duo made up of Tom Luke and Salt Erikson, based in the badlands of North Cork. This past week they’ve released a sixteen-track CD entitled ‘Beginnings’ compiling their time together over the last number of years. Rather than being a vie for massive national recognition, or an attempted leap at stardom, Tenonsaw have released this record as a pure piece of art, a snapshot of their time together as a group and a hint of things to come.

The song styles are all a variation on a theme. Programmed drum tracks and keys form a base upon which the pair lay a mix of electric and acoustic guitars, synths and Salt’s beautifully distinctive vocals. The tracks, being self-recorded, tend to range in quality but the majority give glimpses, allusions to the potential of the band. Due to the sheer amount of tracks on the CD it would be difficult to look at each one individually, so we’ll just look at a couple of highlights. The opener ‘Pact’ slinks into existence with a beautiful picked guitar with spikes of a supporting electric guitar stabbing behind it. The track swell at the middle and gives way to a bit crushed drum beat combined with arpeggio-esque guitar flourishes. Despite all that’s going on in the track, it still remains remarkably subtle and eventually recedes back into the acoustic guitar as the track fades.

‘Disappear’ is another marvellously subtle track, but its genesis is in electronica rather than folk. An almost hip-hop electronic piano accompanies the verses of the track as a number of effected drum hits patter beneath the piano and the vocals. The song stays on the downbeat side of things as it never really takes off, but that’s the case for Tenonsaw’s sound as a whole and it suits them. This for me is the stand out track on the album. The track ‘Neon´ is another favourite. The DIY style of production really comes through on this track, but because of that you can see the potential of the band’s sound. Parts of it echo Talking Heads, parts Massive Attack, parts Tool. There’s a dark aura here, mainly due to the deep bass line that runs through the track. Yet despite this there is a somewhat uplifting quality to the chorus with its mix of synths and pianos.

For this reviewer, ‘Beginnings’ exists in two worlds. One is a world where this album can be seen as a piece of art, an exposition of the talent and creativity of the duo and nothing else. The other world is the place where this CD should be seen as a sign of things to come. If the production quality goes up, if the vocals become more prominent, then they could be serious contenders. Tenonsaw walk the line between these two worlds. It’s up to them which one they choose to live in.

Drop-D Rating: 8/10

Published on Drop-D.ie - September 15th 2011

Music Video: Toy Soldier - Summertime

Another in a recent run of music videos from Cork director Shaun O’ Connor, electro pop band Toy Soldier have just released the video for their new single Summertime. A slow paced ballad, the track showcases the subtlety of performance that’s creeping into the band’s music. Every note, every effected beat and every lyric is placed perfectly.

Having been brought into the band’s lineup just about a year ago, singer Ciara Budds takes the lead vocal here, with the group’s other vocalist Cian Walsh taking a very much supporting role. It’s indicative of the work that Ciara has been clearly putting into Toy Soldier that she’s taking the lead here and it shows just how well Cian and Ciara work together vocally.

The video echoes the slow movement of the song, and Ciara’s prominence on it, as the focus is pulled between her and the ever changing background. The track is all about subtlety and the video is the same. Another great piece from a great director and band. We here at the D look forward to seeing their next outing together!

Published on Drop-D.ie - 8th September 2011

Video - Exit: Pursued By A Bear

Cork veterans Exit Pursued By A Bear have just released their new single, Hug. The track, and the accompanying video, are of such fine quality that they definitely deign a mention here on the D.

The band have always skittered around the electronic and the ambient, and Hug is a perfect example of how their sound is becoming ever more cohesive. The track is bathed in reverb; heavily effected guitars slink behind the loose drums and immediate vocals. The song’s bassline and pre-chorus breaks are a definite homage to reggae and dub. The track has a few peaks and troughs, but never really takes off, preferrring instead to give little crescendos then run back behind the wall of reverb and effects. It’s not a pop hit, but it’s an incredibly strong track that demands further listens.

The track’s elegant music video was directed by Cork up and comer, Shaun O’ Connor. Shaun has had a long standing relationship with Exit Pursued By A Bear, having directed two videos for them previous to this, as well as working with other rising Cork bands like Toy Soldier. And with works from Echogram, Ladydoll and Dave Hope and The Henchmen on the way, he’s definitely carving himself out a position of respect in the local scene.

In this case, the video reflects the mood and subject of the song very well. It’s shot in faint slow motion, echoing the laidback, almost lazy feel of the track. The heady emotions that go hand in hand with sexuality are expoused throughout. The excitement, the fear, the embarassement, the lust, the anger, the frustration and the intimacy are all very distinct in the short video. It’s beautifully sharp, and very well executed.

It’s indicitive of the state of the music industry in Ireland, and in general, that a independently shot music video has become part of the ‘package’ as much as having good music, good recordings, and guitars. Now if every band could put out the as high quality audio and visuals as Exit Pursued By A Bear have done here, we’d all be better off.

You can download Bug now directly from iTunes, or follow the links on the band’s Facebook here. Check out more from Shaun O’ Connor at his website here, and stay tuned for his new videos.

Published on Drop-D.ie, 9th August, 2011

Epigene - A Wall Street Odyssey

It’s been a while since this reviewer has been so divided in an opinion on a record. It’s rare when a release can be so promising and be so downright awful at the same time, and Epigene’s A Wall Street Odyssey is one such release. The album is a twenty-two track concept album detailing the rise, fall, and ‘second coming’ of the Wall Street Trader, Yossarian.

Across the album’s two CDs we follow Yossarian from the heights of Wall Street, through his mental and emotional breakdown, his drug use, his exodus to the country, his rehabilitation in the ‘Settlement of Love’ and his return to the city as an enlightened hippy to warn society about the impending economic disaster and an inevitable imposition of an oppressive police state.

The music that this saga is hung upon is a mixture of electro and prog. It’s not particularly innovative but it’s tight and suits singer Sean Bigler’s vocal very nicely. Bigler’s vocal itself is for the most part fast-paced and it works for him. There aren’t any big soaring vocals here and the tracks are better off for it. There are a few cheesy vocoder parts in places but in general the music is interesting and cool in a very retro sort of way.

My issue here is not with the music but with the subject matter. There are themes in music that are as old as music itself, themes that are universal, such as Love. Bob Dylan sang about being scorned by a lover and put it in a unique way despite the fact that hundreds of people had sang about the same thing before.

Then there are themes that are less universal and intersect with a specific places and time. An example in our time is the current world economic recession. Subjects like this tend to be discussed so much by the media and by the average person on the street that they very quickly become types of clichés. So the unfortunate reality in this case is that Epigene have worked very hard on a piece of work that the second it was released became dated, clichéd and irrelevant.

That’s not to say that there isn’t potential in the subject, after all the fall and redemption of a man is one of the oldest subjects know to man. But here it’s not being put across in a nice way. The lyrics are so immediate, ‘I woke up at 3 a.m. and brushed my teeth’ sort of immediate, that they are almost cringeful. This reviewer also feels that the band could have left out the new age hippy preaching that pervades the work from track eight onwards.

If Epigene’s back catalogue (which consists of a number of full length albums) keeps the musical style and drops the poorly relayed concept lyricism there would be some serious potential in their work, which is why this reviewer is so torn on ‘A Wall Street Odyssey’. But as it stands this is one album that I would steer clear of.

Drop-d Rating: 4/10

Published on Drop-D.ie, 9th August, 2011

ECHOGRAM - Remixed EP

This past week saw the release of Echogram’s Walk In The Sun REMIXED, a remix EP that contains a number of tracks by four electronic artists from both at home and abroad, Ghostcopy, Kurtis Mantronik, Real, and Cork’s own, Bantum. The artists have each reworked the song in their own distinctive manner and the result is quite interesting. The EP is a textbook example of how one song can be interpreted in many different ways, and each interpretation gives the track a new life.

The EP opens with what Echogram frontman Killian Petit describes a “hands in the air summer remix” by Ghostcopy. There’s a serious Chemical Brothers vibe off this track. Its relentless throb, the peaks and troughs put you in mind of ‘Star Guitar’. The extra lead synths added by Ghostcopy compliment Petit’s vocal line. It’s great to hear a contrasting but complimentary take on the band’s usual sound of electro driven rock.

With an Anglo-Jamaican background, Kurtis Mantronik’s take on Walk In The Sun is very different to the opener. This track would be right at home in any of the world’s clubs, or dance festivals. Listening to the swirls and pulses here, it’s hard not to imagine the tracks on a bigger stage. Kurtis gives equal priority to Petit’s vocal, something which Ghostcopy seemed to shrug off slightly, and the mix here is nicely balanced between the underlying rhythms and the vocal. The EP also features a subtly heavier version of the track for the remix’s true home on the dancefloor with a dub version of the song.

Next up is Real’s take on the song and again, we shoot off in another direction. It’s an altogether more laid back mix with a distinctly Garage tone. The standard Garage rhythm patterns open the song with pattering hi-hats, snapping rim hits and sporadic kicks as Real plays with the more subversive elements of Walk In The Sun. If Kurtis Mantronik gave a good balance between the vocals and the rhythms, Real gives whole bias towards the rhythms and vocals only feature slightly, and even then they are very much effected. Not that that’s a big gripe, but this reviewer is a sucker for a good vocal line, especially on tracks such as this. That said, the laid-back take on the band’s debut single here is great.

The fourth and final remix on the EP is by Cork’s own Bantum, aka Ruairi Lynch. Obviously each artist on the release brought their own style of music into their track and Bantum is no exception. Like his previous remixes for other artists have showcased, Lynch is a lover of reverb, big effected beats and even more effected vocals. All these traits are showcased here to great effect. It’s very much a shoegazey track and is easily the most lo-fi on the EP, but there’s a certain charm to that. As a whole, it’s an interesting EP; a nice departure from their usual sound. Definitely one to check out.

Drop-D Rating: 8/10

You can download the EP from iTunes. Echogram play the Crane Lane Theatre this Saturday, July 23rd. Watch this space for the band’s next single, ‘Conspiracy’.

Published on Drop-D.ie, 25th July, 2011

One Inch Badge Presents: The Best of Brighton

The Best of Brighton. This is one that anyone who is interested in the international music scene would be curious about. For years the Brighton music scene has been one synonymous with new music and has often been the trendsetter for ‘hip’ new music. The Great Escape, one of the world’s foremost music industry showcases is held there each year, so Brighton’s claim to be a home for music is well placed. Sea Monsters: The Best of Brighton is a snapshot of some of the key bands in the Brighton scene in 2011.

Now, to me, if you’re trying to show off how great the music of your area is, you don’t start your compilation CD with an out of tune guitar on a track that sounds like it was recorded on cheap tape recorder from the seventies. It sounds like a poor attempt at a demo by an old-school Californian dance hall act. But alas, these are the sounds of The Sticks and their “cool surf-rock” instrumental track, Night of Pleasure.

Thankfully, Pope Joan’s offering, Ground Is Shaky, follows and it’s altogether more together as a song. It’s exactly what one would expect from a new British band, guitar jabs, bouncing bass lines, and Vampire Weekend-esque rim hits and vocals. Innovative it is not, but as indie-pop goes, it’s very well done. The following track by Nullifier can be placed in the same Indie category. It adds a more synth edge to the genre, but really it’s just a variation on a theme and the same can be said for Hind Ear’s track. Here’s hoping that the standard Indie-pop ends with these bands…

Some respite comes in the form of Sons of Noel and Adrian and their quietly epic song, Black Side of the River. Almost Scandinavian orchestration gives way to an intimate, stripped down vocals, guitar and harp piece and is perhaps the most sweet and endearing of the compilation. There is something sweet about Us Baby Bear Bones’ Encore to a Fictional Idea, that precedes this, but the Sons’ track outstrips Bones’ contribution in both composition and sentiment. The upbeat and lo-fi Curly Hair has a charm to it too, and the tone of their lyrics definitely adds to this charm.

There then follows a number of tracks that are again a variation on a theme, but this time the theme is folk. They range from introspective, string driven songs like Jane Bartholomew’s Fiery Son, to the folk rock, full band songs like Salter Cane. They range in quality also, Stuart Warwick is chilling and beautiful, Bird Engine is somewhat cringeful, and Crowns on the Rats Orchestra nine minute epic, The Markov Charade/Markov Parade lies somewhere in between.

Brighton’s electro is represented by Soccer 96. ‘California’ blips and grooves along in the way electro tends to do. It’s quite a melodic track and shows that Brighton’s electronic underbelly can stand up with some of the best. The instrumental prog of Illness follow with the track ‘The Guardian’. As instrumentals go it ticks the all the boxes; the variety of parts, the odd times signatures, and the distorted guitars but besides that there isn’t anything spectacular here. The same can be said for the furious ‘Proof of Man’ by Cold Pumas. They attempt to channel old-school punk from both sides of the pond here, but all I hear is something brash and disjointed.

Drum Eyes are another 8-bit group, similar to the sounds of Soccer 96, but they’re altogether heavier which gives them an added edge, but as with a lot of heavy music, they tend to stray from the point and their offering clocks in at five minutes twenty, which is a good deal longer than it needed to be. Squadron Leader’s longwinded closer echoes The Sticks’ opener and that is one track I wish I hadn’t been reminded of…

I know I’m being hard on some of these bands, but I was hoping for something more spectacular from the home of new music in the UK. It seems to me that you could have gone into any town in England and picked out eighteen bands that sound exactly like this. In every town you’ll have your heavy bands, your electro bands, your gritty core of acoustic folk bands, your tight alt-pop bands and you’re left of centre soul/jazz/funk bands. Brighton is no different. Sons of Noel and Adrian and Soccer 96 are a notable exception, offering something a bit more than the standard, and maybe that’s enough, maybe that’s what makes Brighton shine. Yet I think that this compilation isn’t what makes Brighton stand out, but what makes it like everywhere else.

Drop-D Rating: 5/10

Published on Drop-D.ie, 13th June, 2011