Northern Ireland Tunes - Round-up #19

Sometimes, getting new music from Northern Ireland can be like waiting for a bus. You wait ages for one to come, then you decide that you're done waiting and decide instead to walk home, enjoying the scenery and happy that you were able to get some exercise in.

Whoops. That's not it. I'll start again.

Sometimes, getting new music from Northern Ireland can be like waiting for a bus. You think that there's nothing worth waiting for coming, and then all of a sudden you're inundated with so many buses that it's not possible to board them all, so you have to make the decision of which bus to take and which ones to ignore, and hope that those bus drivers don't feel heartbroken that you decided not to go with them.

Actually, on second thoughts, getting new music from here is absolutely nothing like getting a bus. I honestly don't know why I tried to make that comparison.

Nonetheless, here's a few new tunes from Northern Ireland which have been floating The Metaphorical Boat so far this month. None of them are about buses:
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Sullivan and Gold - Lonely

Local record label Smalltown America is perhaps best known for releasing music very much on the heavier side of the rock spectrum. Having been formed to release material from Jetplane Landing, the label has put our records by artists like Lafaro, More Than Conquerors and Axis of. However, more recently the label seems to have signed a few artists on the softer, more folksier end of the musical spectrum. Earlier this year they signed the wonderful Little Bear (who, if there is justice in this world, will be absolutely massive in 2014), and later this year they will be releasing "For Foes", the debut album from Derry duo Sullivan and Gold.

Taken from that album, which will be released on November 25th, is the lovely single "Lonely". The song has great harmony vocals, and is made even more notable by containing a piano line that in places seems more in keeping with a house track than a song of the folksy variety.

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Paper Man - The Only Sea for Miles and Miles

Ballyclare four-piece Paper Man released their debut E.P "After Effects" this week. Taken from the E.P is "The Only Sea For Miles and Miles", a track which seems to have been tailor made for the Kerrang! Radio playlist, given that their angsty sound calls to mind the bands such as Feeder & You Me At Six. Whether or not their music director takes to their music like a duck takes to water remains to be seen.


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Cordials - Head in the Clouds

Ooh, Britpop-y sounds from the Portrush/Coleraine area? Cordials, you have made me a very satisfied captain indeed. "Head in the Clouds" is an upbeat sounding guitar-pop tune which Supergrass would be more than happy to put their name towards. And being such nice fellows, the band have made that track, alongside their self-titled E.P, free to download.


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PigsAsPeople - The Art of Leaving Your House

When a band list as their influences acts whom I have never heard of, it normally means that they are purveyors of genres that I have no real deep knowledge of, either sludgy doom-y metal-y music or jazz. Pigsaspeople claim that their new E.P, "Idles & Us", was inspired by artists such as Converge, Slint & Touche Amore, and I gather from those names that the band aren't likely to be going off into 7 minute saxophone solos in the middle of their sets. Or are they? Find out at The Speakeasy, Belfast on 24th October, where they will be launching the E.P alongside El Ten Eleven and Droids. But for now, listen to "The Art of Leaving Your House", and embrace the riff.

Northern Ireland Tunes - Round-up #16

Here is The Metaphorical Boat's round-up of tunes from Northern Ireland which have caught our attention this month. Tunes come from old friends, reconstituted friends, and a few new friends as well:
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Not Squares - Simpler Vibe

"Simpler Vibe" by Not Squares was the first single released by Start Together Singles Club, a new label which releases limited edition tracks on a number of limited edition, novel formats (this song was first released as an egg shaker). After being hidden from the interwebs for the first few months of its release, the song has now been made available for streaming, for the benefit of the those who didn't get their shake on in time. "Simpler Vibe" sees the band move further away from the disco-punk that marked their debut release, with the song being closer to pure dance, and not a million miles away from Hot Chip. Anyone expecting a new "Asylum" will be disappointed, but it's a fantastic song nonetheless.


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Go Swim - Halo

A relatively new band (only playing their first gig this week), Belfast 5-piece Go Swim contains members of former local groups Parachutes Over Paris and Nakatomi Towers. Their first release, "Halo", is a jaunty slice of Two Door Cinema Club-esque indie rock.

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GRIM - Little Fizz

A bit of an acquired taste, this one. Derry man Laurence McDaid, who records under the name GRIM, mixes lo-fi electronic production with distorted jazz guitar on his most recent single release, "Little Fizz". If you're enjoy some of the less accessible work of Eels, then this might be up your street.

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The Hangfires - Your Love

Northern Ireland isn't exactly short of classic rock revivalists at the moment. Million Dollar Reload have been entertaining hundreds of people over the past few years (including supporting The Darkness at the Ulster Hall), Screaming Eagles' debut album has received some positive reviews, whilst The Answer have enjoyed two top 40 albums, plus an illustrious supporting slot with AC/DC in America.

Hoping to join this illustrious set of bands are Antrim quintet The Hangfires. "Your Love" is an uncomplicated slice of rock and roll - 2 verses, several choruses, a guitar solo in the right place, and an extended guitar outro. And sometimes, that's all you really need.

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Safe Ships - Invertebrates

The riff. The riff. All hail the glorious riff.

Belfast based group Safe Ships were recommended to this blog on Twitter after asking our followers about which local groups they were particularly excited about. "Invertebrates", taken from their most recent E.P "The Greatness Inside" is a powerful juggernaut of a rock tune, with heavy guitar riffs and vocals which go from a Johnny Rotten-esque snarl to hardcore overload over the space of 4 minutes. One cannot help but feel however that the song would have been greatly improved had the song had instead begun from the 1:45 mark, during the highly infectious "rich and famous" vocal hook.


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Johnny Marvel - Brothers and Sisters

And finishing of this month's round-up is North Coast based alt-rock trio Johnny Marvel. Taken from their debut E.P "BlissfulHatefulBeautiful", "Brothers and Sisters" is a track which makes fine use of quiet/loud dynamics.

Northern Ireland Tunes - Round-up #13

It's very rare that the blog does two local round-ups within the space of a month, but there's a competition that is running on Northern Irish music website Chordblossom which has given the blog a chance to discover some rather nice new artists.

For the past month, Chordblossom has invited unsigned Northern Irish artists to submit their best song for consideration in their Kickstart competition, which is designed to give several local artists the push they need to have a career in the music industry. There's a smorgasbord of prizes on offer to the overall winner, which includes time in a recording studio, getting a single professionally printed and distributed, a slot at the annual Glasgowbury Festival, as well as getting the single played on Radio Foyle.

Given the overall value of the prize, as well as the fact that last year's winner SOAK was given a massive boost through it, there were over 130 entries to the competition, which has now been whittled down by the website to 20. There will be a public vote over a two week period to whittle those artists down to 10, after which a panel of music experts will decide the overall winner and runners up.

It's encouraging to see so many local names that have featured on this blog have made the final list. Favourites such as The Jepettos, Kept Under Glass, Pretty Child Backfire, Hologram, Those Ghosts & The Clameens are among the artists up for contention. However, it is even more encouraging  to see several artists that I hadn't come across before have made the longlist. Therefore, The Metaphorical Boat has picked out five of the most interesting artists that made the list that haven't appeared on the blog to date. I do however encourage you to listen to all the finalists before deciding on who will get your vote when the public vote opens on Monday 25th March:
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August - Counting Hearts

August is a Derry based musical trio fronted by Jonny Everett, who also fronts local alt-rockers Furlo (the same band that spun off another blog favourite - Ruairi & The Owls). Their debut single, "Counting Hearts", is a wonderful piece of otherworldly folk, which has already been picked up for use in an upcoming local film.

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Sara Crockett - Hide & Seek

Many moons ago, Sara Crockett was the lead singer of the Paramore-esque Goodbye Pluto, who sadly split up before they had the chance to make a mark. Sara is now recording under her own name, and having provided guest vocals on a trance track last year, she has now re-established herself as a country-pop singer . The first song to come out of this is "Hide & Seek", a charming, well polished tune, one which sounds as if it's been ripped straight from the soundtrack of an Ally McBeal compilation album.

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Team RKT - Good Morning

To protect the world from devastation,
To unite all peoples within our nation.

To think there's a generation of kids who won't know Jesse & James' epic poem off by heart, given that they didn't watch Pokémon every afternoon at 4pm on ITV1. They don't know what they're missing. Sigh.

But anyway, one duo keeping their legacy alive is Portstewart based Team RKT (letters presumably removed for legal reasons). Self-describing themselves as "chiptune rock", the band sound like a mix between the most tolerable aspects of Owl City and 3OH!3. A new E.P is forthcoming, but for now enjoy the self-produced "Good Morning", which was released last summer.

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Andrew Martin - Outside These Harbour Walls

Now on to the other 'Port', with Portrush based Andrew Martin. "Outside These Harbour Walls" is taken from his nautical themed debut E.P "The Lighthouse Sessions", and is a great modern interpretation of 'classic' folk, underpinned by his great vocals, which showcase such depth and maturity that it seems hard to believe that the person providing them is only eighteen.

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Novo Rapids - Curiosity

Finally, some straight-up rock from Belfast's Novo Rapids. "Curiosity" is a great track because it strips rock music right down to its core. There's no 3 minute guitar solos, no gimmicky guitar effects and no vocal aerobics. It's just an honest-to-goodness riff-led rock track which should be savoured for its simplicity.