We’ve reached the halfway point of the year and our homegrown talent have produced some incredible music, have a listen here…
It is one of the most exciting times for music in Ireland with new musicians and artists popping up in almost every town in the country. The variety is amazing with a whole new wave of electronic experimental music along with folk, dance, indie and acoustic still going as strong as ever.
There’s been an abundance of great new Irish music released this year but we’ve picked out our 10 favourites songs of 2014 so far:
Talos – ‘Tethered Bones’
Cork based Talos is the work of Eoin French (singer) and Ian Ring (producer) and their first release ‘Tethered Bones’ has been one of the most exciting songs we’ve heard in a very long time. A lot of genres are mixed here and it’s quite comparable to James Blake, the future looks bright for Talos.
We Cut Corners – ‘Best Friend’
The two-piece from Dublin are one of the best live bands in the country and have been for the last few years. We Cut Corners released their second album ‘Think Nothing’ back in April and our favourite track off that offering is the outstanding ‘Best Friend’.
Hozier – ‘From Eden’
Hozier has been the success story in Irish music this year. The man has gone global with BBC Radio 1, David Letterman and Ellen all getting in on the action in a big way. There was probably a bit of pressure on Hozier to follow up the monster hit ‘Take Me To Church’ but he duly delivered with the brilliant single ‘From Eden’.
Tvvins – ‘Thank You’
Tvvins are a side-project of The Cast of Cheers’ Conor Adams and Adebisi Shank’s Lar Kaye and they’ve received rave reviews for what they’ve released so far. It’s electronic, synth, anthemic and it just works, so much so that they were booked to open the recent Arcade Fire in Marlay Park. The latest release ‘Thank You’ is a belter and here’s the live version recorded for the brilliant Press Record in Asylum Studios.
The Riptide Movement – ‘All Works Out’
It was only a matter of time before The Riptide Movement burst into the mainstream because they’ve been one of the best bands in the country for the last five year. The single ‘All Works Out’ from their album ‘Getting Through’ is one of the most played songs on Irish radio this year and we’re big fans of it here in JOE. The video, which features Amy Huberman, is brilliant too.
Daithi – ‘Case Closed’
With his blend of dance, pop, electronic and fiddles, Daithi is one of our favourite Irish artists. His album ‘In-Flight’ has been critically acclaimed and it features some of the most radio-friendly dance music you’ll hear this side of Disclosure. This is JOE’s favourite single from the album, it features Cork singer Senita and it’s called ‘Case Closed’.
The Young Folk – ‘Way Home’
The Young Folk have a band that JOE have been keeping our eyes on for quite a while, their wonderful folk sound caught our attention a few years back when they released ‘Way Down South’. They played SXSW and signed an international publishing deal already this year. The first single from their album ‘The Little Battle’ is one of our most played songs this year, it’s called ‘Way Home’, check it out here.
EMBRZ – ‘Slow Down’
Jack Casey from Kildare is better known as EMBRZ (pronounced Embers) to music fans in Ireland. He’s been producing and remixing music for a while now and his remix of Ellie Goulding’s How Long Will I love You was a huge hit. EMBRZ also make his own music and our favourite track of his is the tinkling beauty ‘Slow Down’.
James Vincent McMorrow – ‘Gold’
James Vincent McMorrow‘s album ‘Post Tropical’ was a real departure from his first album ‘Higher Love’. It was three years in the making and it was well worth it as it’s one fine piece of work.
He’s been touring incessantly since it’s release and be sure to catch at one of the festivals this summer. ‘Post Tropical’ is one of those albums you can listen to from start to finish but in JOE’s opinion ‘Gold’ is the one you have to hear.
Staring at Lakes – ‘Consanguinea’
Staring at Lakes are an alternative indie five-piece from Dublin who’ve massively impressed us with their first single ‘Consanguinea’ which is Italian for blood relative. They are hoping to release an album later this year and we’re excited to see what they can do.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
