State's Faces of 2011

february 2011

State.ie

I relan d’s music payload

Alarmist The Alice Kona Band Bearbones Bingo The Casanova Wave C!ties Cloud Castle Lake

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The Danger Is Eleventyfour Gaz Le Rock aka Retarded Cop Go Panda Go Hired Hands Jennifer Evans Kasette Laser Tom & The Blast Crew Little Green Cars The Mighty Atomics The Minutes Owensie Planet Parade Sacred Animals Squarehead We Are Losers Yeh Deadlies

g a z l a ro c k p ho t o g r a p h e d f or s tat e b y S e a n C on roy

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faces of two thousand and eleven

Another year, another set of new Irish acts to get excited about and another exclusive State Faces Of… digital magazine. This year’s list has been our biggest yet and takes in more styles and genres than ever before. Given that in past years we’ve tipped Villagers, Adebesi Shank, Heathers, Two Door Cinema Club and O Emperor, we hope that you’ll find something to tickle your fancy over the coming pages.

The words come from State’s editorial team, with the stunning images provided by their photographic equivalent.

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R e ta r d e d Co p ~

If you were down with Dublin punk-rock you’re probably aware of Moutpiece, and particularly with their album artwork which featured singer Gaz Le Rock in his jocks outside a Dublin city centre fruit wholesalers giving it socks with a guitar. Gaz, now an awesome RTE 2XM radio DJ (The Loving Room Floor) is channeling that same energy and fervour into his solo punk pop project Retarded Cop. Since November, Gaz has been posting up Youtube videos and streams of new songs almost every week. A debut LP is in the works right now with some gigs coming up very soon that will feature two drummers. It’s pop from the cop.

Words by

niall byrne Sean Conroy

Photography by

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EleventyFour ~

EleventyFour first won State’s heart when she brought us a packet of biscuits at last year’s HWCH mentor sessions. She then went on to win everybody else’s by playing live that night. The Cork native is a product of the cabaret as much as the music scene but don’t let that put you off, her songs are just that – real songs that just happen to make you smile.

Plus her dad think’s she’s better than Celine Dion and we would hate to disagree. We look forward to her new EP, recorded with Steve Lynch at Stellarsound.

Words by

Phil Udell D a m i e n Mc G l y n n

Photography by

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Sq uare h e a d

A l a r mis t

Citing the likes of The Beach Boys and The Wipers as influences, Squarehead deal in a brand of garage rock that’s crammed with melody, catchy hooks and lyrical deliveries that beg the listener to sing along. Over the past 12 months the Dublin three-piece have been gigging constantly, whilst also squeezing in some time to release their first 7" and contribute a song to the much-lauded Popical Island #1 compilation. 2011 promises to be even better for the band, having just completed recording their first LP with Shane Cullen at K9 Studios. Their plan is to release it before the summer.

The four guys in Alarmist wasted no time getting themselves noticed on the live Dublin circuit. A handful of shows in places like Bloc-T in Smithfield ignited their reputation as a killer live band. Yes, they’re another instrumental band but rather than taking their cues from rock histrionics, they are clearly inspired by a wider range of sounds. They share similar freneticism to Foals in interlocking melodies, Halves in ambience (Ellis Czerniak of Halves is in the band) and the beguiling notes of Strands.

Words by

Niall Byrne

Pat r i c k C o n b oy Photography by L o r e a n a Rus h e Words by

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Y e h D e a d l i e s ~

Yeh Deadlies are one of the pilot bands on Popical Island – Ireland’s premier leftfield pop collective – and put a Y into State’s A – Z of 2010’s EPs with last year’s The Dead Living EP. Embodying lo-fi, feel-good, sugar-coated indie-pop the Dublin quintet’s approach to song is straightforward: simple sing-along melodies, folk nuances and quirky lyrics wrapped in jangly guitar-pop overflowing with fervor while maintaining cut-loose DIY sensibilities.

Words by

A l a n R e i l ly Ya n B o u r k e

Photography by

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T h e A lic e Kon a B a n d

Dublin native DJ and producer Frank Sweeney aka Bingo is a resident of the MrJones club in Twisted Pepper and co-curator of Float, a twice monthly garage, UK funky, grime & dubstep event. Making music in the same vein of Mount Kimbie, Joy Orbison and James Blake, Bingo is very much in the same league as his prestigious peers. With finely produced and richly adorned glitchy tracks such as ‘Cold Without You’ and ‘Keep Me High’, Ireland has it’s very own post-dubstep poster-boy.

“The Alice Kona Band were formed in early 2007, when 19 year old Alice Kona decided her music needed to be heard. Answering the advert she placed in the now-defunct Del-Fi magazine, were four young gunslingers by the names of Ryan Wiles, Stuart Gowdy, John Culbert and Daniel P. Hunt. They soon set about learning their instruments, but before they could get any further, tragedy struck. Alice, while on a short trip to Nevada in the summer of 2008, was the passenger in a GTO which veered into a ditch, unfortunately killing everyone in the car. The Alice Kona boys were left with a hard decision as to continue or not. Thankfully, they persevered, scrapping all their previously written material and crafting a catalouge of new songs.”

Words by

A l a n R e i l ly c ait fahey

Photography by

So goes the Alice Kona Band’s own version of their history. How much of this is true we doubt but we do know that they are yet another fine example of Northern Ireland’s ridiculously vibrant scene. Feeding ’60s garage into a mix of ’50s pop, LA hardcore and 21st century misanthropy, expect a debut EP later this year.

Photography by

Phil Udell

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Kasette ~

Previously featured in our Might Be Giants series, Kasette are school friends Karen Sheridan, Ailbhe Doherty and Sarah McErlean who formed in Vancouver while on a J1 summer. Delivering folky chamber pop – harmonic vocals accompanied by stirring viola, piano and gentle guitar – Kasette hold a unique place in the current Irish music scene – a sweet diversion from the prevalent (and excellent) instrumental math rock and rhythmic alt-pop.

A Mixed Tape is a four track collection evoking the softer side of Mountain Man and Joanna Newsom.

Words by

A l a n R e i l ly richard gilligan

Photography by

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Jen nife r E va ns ~

Jennifer Evans likes to keep herself occupied. Not only has the Dublinbased singer recorded and released her debut EP in recent times, but she also landed a prestigious slot in the ‘Other Room’ section of RTÉ’s Other Voices series. And that’s all in addition to a rather full gig schedule, which included a date at Berlin’s King Kong Club in December. It’s only right that she should reach a wider audience, because Evans possesses one of the most arresting voices you’re likely to hear this year. Whether performing alone or with her band, The Ripe Intent, she conveys a genuine soulfulness over a sound that weaves alternative influences together with rootsy jazz, folk and blues.

Words by

Pat r i c k C o n b oy A l e ss i o M i c h e l i n i

Photography by

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Pl an e t Pa r a de

T h e Da n g er I s

Three childhood friends who discovered their true sound only once they had all given up on their original choice of instruments, Planet Parade made their debut at the 2009 Hard Working Class Heroes festival, releasing their first EP around the same time. Sounding every bit as spirited as a three piece guitar pop band should be, the band has progressed through the old fashioned values of playing live and getting their records played on the radio, all of which sets them up nicely for this year’s debut long player.

Niamh Farrell (not to be confused with Niamh Farrell from Ham Sandwich) is responsible for The Danger Is. Farrell who studied painting at NCAD has been writing music for years and has pored her musical knowledge into this indie-pop project. The songs are breezy and Farrell’s voice stands out thanks to her ability to inject emotion, range and choir-inspired backing vocals into the mix. Her debut four-track EP which was released late last year. It was recorded in Wicklow produced

by Ken McHugh. Look out for her on this season’s Other Voices too.

Words by

Phil Udell D a m i e n Mc G l y n n

Photography by

Words by

Niall Byrne Keiran Frost

Photography by

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C lou d C a s tl e L a k e ~

Taking their name from a Vladimir Nabokov story, Cloud Castle Lake are driven on by a mish-mash of influences, allowing them to slide easily from freaky krautrock one moment to ethereal shoegaze and epic postrock, often within the same song. Their sound is also typified by intuitive use of samples, a variety of percussive textures and Daniel McAuley’s distinctive vocals. And, despite the fact they have yet to release any material, they’ve built up quite a reputation for themselves – thanks mainly to their jaw-dropping live sets, which have already earned them spots at the Electric Picnic, Castlepalooza and Hard Working Class Heroes festivals.

Words by

Pat r i c k C o n b oy c ait fahey

Photography by

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Sacr e d A ni m a l s

T h e M in utes

Sacred Animals appeared out of left field in 2010 with their Welcome Home EP, which promptly received State’s seal of approval. The CD came housed in a homemade cover that was thoughtfully designed and carefully assembled – quite apt, as their music is constructed in a similar fashion. The Gorey-based band excels at composing languid, ambient folktronic soundscapes, overlayed with perceptive lyrics; a sound that is influenced as much by the landscapes that surround them as the records they listen to. They’re modest about their efforts, with singer Darragh Nolan saying he’s “…not so sure we have things figured out at all.” When you listen to Sacred Animals, though, you quickly realise that the opposite is true.

A classic case of a band going away and waiting till they got it right, The Minutes a far more intriguing prospect than we might have imagined.

An out and out power pop trio they maybe, but the Minutes have a lot more to them than just some loud guitars and catchy tunes – although those would have been enough to win us over. The excellent videos for last year’s ‘Secret History’ and ‘Fleetwood’ singles showed a creative intelligence at work and their debut album, now due on Fight Like Apes’ label Model Citizen, is already one of our favourites of the year.

Words by

Words by

Phil udell Ian Keegan

Photography by

Pat r i c k C o n b oy L o r e a n a Rus h e

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Be arbo n e s

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T h e C a sa n ova Wav e

X Imagine our disappointment when shortly after we featured 8Ball in our Faces Of 2010, they announced they were breaking up. The band were just starting to fulfill their promise after six years of dealing with the machinations of the music industry yet couldn’t go any further.

Thankfully, some of the band namely Ken McCallister, Bren McGinley, Sarah Jade Evenden and Austin Agnew are back with a new project Bearbones. This time around, the band are promising “a steady stream of quality tunes” with a healthy split of genre-hopping as they write songs separately and then work on them together. Ken told us: “We’re going to use Bearbones as a vehicle for our collective and individual interests so you might get a techno heavy track alongside an acoustic or a brief interlude track alongside a 10 minute opus.”

There’s only been one official tune so far the Deerhunter-esque ‘Moonman’ as well as a song by Ken under the name Skeleton Jones which will now be taken under the Bearbones umbrella. Both of these tracks are rather brilliant though so we’re not worried about sticking our neck out…

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niall Byrne

Waterford’s Brian McCartan is the man responsible for The Casanova Wave. A solo project of jaunty live electronica, McCarthan oversaw the entire process from writing to playing to recording and mastering his music. The result was a debut five-track EP of promising electronic jams with a decidedly upbeat and positive disposition.

Words by

Niall Byrne

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Owensie ~

Owensie is to Jose Gonzalez as James Vincent McMorrow is to Bon Iver; the comparisons are inevitable but when you look past the immediate similarities and you’ll find a remarkable artist in their own right. A former member of Terodactyl and Puget Sound, Owensie’s current sound is a blend of Spanish/classical guitar and wistful Americana-tinged folk with a vocal that is altogether more palatable that Gonzales’ – breathy with a smooth falsetto. His debut LP is collection on 9 tracks, compelling plucked guitar hooks and resonating melodies. Entitled Aliens the album is out now via Out On A Limb.

Words by

A l a n R e i l ly Niall O’Byrne

Photography by

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Li tt le Gre e n C a r s

c !ties

Slightly hampered over the past year by the likes of school exams, Little Green Cars have thrown themselves into post academic life with gusto.

The spring will see a single released on the Young & Lost Club in the UK (home to Noah & The Whale and Johnny Flynn), with more live dates to build on supports with the likes of Chief and Girls.

Injecting vigour into the reigning instrumental music scene Clare band C!ties infuse power riffs, ambient sounds, ghostly chorals, electronics and even some drum n’ bass beats into post-rock arrangements – hear for yourself on Breaking Tunes. A constant on the live circuit the trio impressed our own Daniel Harrison in Galway when they delivered “a set that not only brings the volume but also wrong foots you with deft twists and turns, with the band switching between pounding post-rock, guitar-led grooves and electronic flourishes”.

Words by

Phil Udell

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A l a n R e i l ly N a y McA r d l e

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T h e M ig h t y Atomic s

Describing themselves as “Pavement jamming with Go West,” Gavin Elsted’s We Are Losers splice together retro synths and backbeats with riffy, lo-fi garage rock straight out of 1980s America. They retain an unashamed pop sensibility beneath all the bleepy keys and superfuzz guitars, with addictive vocal hooks and summery harmonies shining through in the mix. The group, which features members of Super Extra Bonus Party and Grand Pocket Orchestra, quickly earned their spurs when, for only their third ever gig, they supported Local Natives. The band has a busy start to the year, with a string of split side 7" releases, compilaton contributions and their first domestic single all due in the first quarter.

Formed in the summer of 2008, The Mighty Atomics are proof that there’s more to rock ‘n’ roll in Ireland than a certain singer from the Liberties. A far rougher version, throwing surf and punk into the mix, they released their debut album in September, following it with a three week European tour that culminated with a support slot to, yes, Imelda May at the Olympia.

Words by

Words by

Phil Udell Keiran Frost

Photography by

Pat r i c k C o n b oy Sara Devine

Photography by

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Hi re d Hands

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g o pa n da g o

X If intricate indie-pop is your thing, then look no further than Galway and Dublin’s Hired Hands. Signed to Any Other City Records which of course, released Villagers early material as well as New Amusement, Hired Hands revel in the sounds of folk, a touch of jazz, melodies like nursery rhymes and playground times with waltzing rhythms.

All packaged up with distinctly Irish voices combined in Dirty Projectors-esque harmonies.

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Far from China, Go Panda Go represent the North West of Ireland with member hailing from Donegal and Galway. The quartet impressed us with their four-track debut EP released last year on Bluestack Records (home to Daithi O’ Dronai who contributed to the EP, Lost Chord and The Casanova Wave). A mix of taut indie-rock rhythms, boisterous harmonies and reflective melodies, the band display an assured and established sound so we’re convinced that there is plenty more to look forward to in the coming 12 months. Go Panda Go indeed!

niall byrne Words by

Niall Byrne Y vo n n e Rya n

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L ase r Tom & The Bl ast Cr e w X Former member of Les Bien and key figure in the Synth Eastwood collective, Simon Cullen’s latest project is the constellation wandering Laser Tom & The Blast Crew – the crew providing funky horns, grooving rhythms and soulful live instrumentation to Laser Tom’s disco jabs and cosmic samples. Signed to Bearfunk since November 2010, ‘Two Sides’ will be their debut single – a slow-burning DFA-esque jam with languid disco-funk beat, piano samples and swathes of brass. ‘By My Side’ and ‘By Your Side’ follow the same laid-back groove pattern with building electronica. Expect remixes by Justus Kohncke and Love Heels and full LP before the end of the year.

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