Jestem is the 3rd single from Dancer, Singer-Songwriter, extraordinaire DORA GOLA.
Jestem, meaning ‘I am’ in polish, demonstrates the dark moon aspect of Dora Gola’s musicality. While previous releases including dance ballad ‘Dark Sand’ and the spritely bopping ‘Flying Tree’ move the body, Jestem is a song which moves the emotions.
Jestem is a captivating down tempo lullaby with natural soundscapes of water drops, whale whistles and gentle hand drumming.
Dora’s striking voice transmits a sincere intimacy with sections of slavic lyrics which mark Jestem as the first song released by Dora Gola written in both Polish and English.
By hearing Dora sing in her first language, we hear a new side of her multicultural expression and one which flows right to the heart. Paired excellently with Eastern instruments which summon a landscape of aching beauty and wonder as strings swell and recede in keeping with rich and dynamic choral voices.
This push and pull reaches its climax with an almost ceremonial section of primal chanting, evoking a celebration of self-acceptance and self-love for the many identities we each have coming together as a whole.
‘Jestem’ music video will be released via YouTube on April 26th 2022.
Hugely exciting Irish Neo Soul / Pop artist DeCarteret releases ‘Trip Me’ today, Friday 8th April.
The track is taken from her forthcoming debut EP ‘Cumming and Crying On The Bathroom Floor’ which is released at the end of May.
You may recall her last track ‘Luvseat’ received some amazing media support with inclusion on Spotify New Music Friday UK, Our Generation, Best of Jazz UK, A Breath of Fresh Eire etc.
“For this song I wanted to experiment with the use of more instruments, specifically taking influences of traditional Irish music. I asked my close friend Tadhg Griffin to write some fiddle lines over the song, and I also asked him to create a bridge for me. This really completed the track, it’s a mixture of neosoul, pop, trad and classical music, it’s hard to label but i think it creates such an interesting texture and elevates a very pop-driven chorus hook and song.
Sticking with that Irish theme- I was staying in Sligo with my family at Christmas, the aul fella who ran our bnb fell in love with our dog billy, a border collie, and wanted to take him out to his sheep to see how he would react. We stood there for 30 minutes and talked about his farm and his childhood, I thought his accent was so interesting so I took out my phone and recorded what he was saying. That’s the mans voice you can here dabbled in the song.”
SomeRiseSomeFall – the Cork-based music and arts eclective is delighted to release a beautiful instrumental “Crystal Palace” ft two renowned instrumentalists who transcend genres: Edel Sullivan and Aisling Urwin.
On this recording they are joined on cello by Edel’s son Oscar Casey. The track was recorded on February 19th in Wavefield Recording studios under the masterful production of Brian Casey – producer of SomeRiseSomeFall’s 2nd album “No Simple Highway” – all proceeds to Irish Motor Neurone Disease Assocation (IMDA) Https://www.Imnda.ie
Commenting on the release SomeRiseSomeFall’s Michael Fitzgerald said:
“Edel was here at the start of the SomeRiseSomeFall eclective when I commissioned her to write a traditional Irish tune which we dubbed “Some Rise Some Fall” in a variation on the eclective’s name. We were delighted to ask her back in the recording studio and it gave me the opportunity to issue an overdue invitation to the multi-talented Aisling Urwin to join the ever-growing list of talented artists shaping and realising our vision of the transformational power of music & art.
When I approached Edel last summer to re-imagine this lost gem from genre-bending Breton group Gwendal, she nominated IMDA as the preferred charity for the release. It is appropriate, given the silencing effect of motor nuerone disease. this single stands in stark but beautiful contrast to our previous releases which have a strong emphasis on lyrics.
The accompanying video picks up on a project by award artist Sarah Roseingrave whose work explores themes of abandonment, the hidden, but also resilience & growth. Sarah’s work is a perfect for SomeRiseSomeFall as core to the project is that music and art are transformative and that shining a compassionate light on people’s struggles brings connection, empathy and growth”
SomeRiseSomeFall is an independent community of songwriters, musicians, and artists formed by Michael Fitzgerald. The ever-evolving eclective brings together musicians and artists and with the aim to interpret & reimagine songs for unique new recordings and create connection through art and music. Their most recent album “No Simple Highway” released in February 2021 was an album of the week on a number of radio stations and was released to unanimously positive reviews.
Biographical Details
From Cork City, Ireland, Edel Sullivan originally studied classical violin at the CIT Cork School of Music (Suzuki Method) and Anglia University, Cambridge, U.K. From her teenage years Edel has been exploring the use of the instrument in a wide range of genres from rock to folk.
She has performed, composed, recorded and taught extensively, particularly in the Irish traditional style with gigs on the international folk festival circuit, to avant garde theatrical incidental music to Michael Flately’s show ‘Lord of the Dance’.
In addition to an M.A. in fiddle performance, she is also a qualified music therapist (Nordoff-Robbins, London) and trained community music facilitator (CM Sounds, London), currently lecturing at the CIT Cork School of Music in these subjects and Musicianship (Kodaly approach).
An avid tune writer and arranger in the Irish traditional and folk style, commissions include the incidental music for Tír na Nollag (Glow Christmas Celebrations Cork 2013), a suite of tunes for the Club Ceoil Trad Orchestra whilst their musical director (2014) and a specially commissioned instrumental “Some Rise Some Fall” for SomeRiseSomeFall’s debut album “Some Climb” (2017)
Her own debut solo fiddle album, ‘In The Time Of’ was described as
“….the best traditional album I’ve heard all year…..she manages to blend a smooth sweetness of tone with life, swing and spot-on rhythm. It’s as a composer and arranger that she really stands out, though.”– Sarah McQuaid, Hot Press
“Spellbinding.” – Siobhan Long, The Irish Times
“….In The Time Of” is a rarity to be championed.” – Earle Hitchner (Irish Echo, New York)
‘The most astonishingly beautiful recording I’ve heard in years.’ (Sing Out! U.S.)
Aisling Urwin is a harper-songwriter-teacher from Kenmare in the Southwest of Ireland
With a background in Irish Traditional Music, Aisling strives to paint the harp in new colours, challenging traditional views in an effort to stretch people’s preconceptions of what the harp should sound like, taking it into new sonic spaces. Aisling’s music combines the organic sounds of lever harp and natural vocals with rich electronic sounds and textures.
In 2018, she began touring with World Music artist ‘Ajeet’. This creative friendship led to the formation of ‘Woven Kin,’ a new duo project between Aisling and Siobhán Moore (AKA Ajeet) featuring harmony-centric melodies and folk instruments such as harp, bodhrán, bouzouki and mandolin. Woven Kin’s 2021 debut album, ‘Hibernate,’ is out now.’
Sarah Roseingrave works in a range of media including glass, ceramics and printmaking. She completed her degree in Contemporary Applied Art in 2017 at the Crawford College of Art and Design. She is a full member of Cork Printmakers.
She has won several awards, including Future Makers awards in 2017 and 2018, was short listed for the RDS Craft Awards in 2018, and long-listed for the RDS Visual Arts Awards in 2017. She has had residencies with the National Sculpture Factory and Cork Printmakers.
The Brave Collide is the creative brainchild of Chloë Agnew & Brian McGrane, Chloe having cut her teeth with the hugely popular Celtic Women, and then forging a solo career which has garnered over 20M streams to date, joined forces with singer songwriter and multi-intrumentalist Brian McGrane. The next offering from the pair is ‘FIRE’ an upbeat pop ballad with acoustic folk influences out on April 8th.
Chloë Agnew and Brian McGrane first joined forces in 2017, an era during which releasing covers of popular songs on YouTube had gained significant momentum.
After releasing a well-received cover of Coldplays’ “Everglow”, their strong friendship also lended well to their professional relationship.
One cover turned into many, then in 2021 Agnew and McGrane released their first original track ‘Somebody Just Like You’ (picking up several Spotify editorials, and a performance on The 6 O’Clock Show) which set an official partnership in motion.
Though their individual careers took off down different paths after that first Coldplay cover, they found parallels along their journeys that would keep them aligned in music and in life.
Building a concept around the musical freedom and artistic connection they found when working together felt like the natural way forward for Chloë and Brian, and this eventually paved the way for their new venture, The Brave Collide.
Through a unique writing partnership, Chloë and Brian aspire to reintroduce a simple musical concept to a generation who may have forgotten the power of a performing duo. Drawing inspiration from similar sounds, they throw themselves into a fun and free-flowing creative process to write music that connects with the soul of their listeners.
The unique musical strengths that have brought them both individual success come together now in synergy, and the result is a powerful collision of art that carves its own space in today’s musical climate.
The Brave Collide opens up a new creative avenue for Chloë and Brian to explore together.
The name represents the bravery that comes with stepping out of your comfort zone, taking creative risks, and bearing your soul to your audience in the process. It’s also a nod to the ever-evolving music industry in which artists are forced to take brave leaps into the unknown in order to reap the rewards.
The first release of The Brave Collide is FIRE, an upbeat pop ballad with some acoustic folk influences.
FIRE is co-written by The Brave Collide, Brian McGovern and Eva Campbell during the fun and free-flowing creative process that underpins all that they do, and encapsulates both the sound and the spirit of The Brave Collide.
‘Where The Wildbirds Sleep’ is the new single by Vickers Vimy.
It is a song about the imprint of loss, and the search for the enduring beauty of the Wild Birds’ song as an expression of hope and resilience. Working on their own tail winds, Ed and Fintan lovingly crafted the song over the Summer of 2021.
The band, arranged, engineered, recorded and produced the single themselves in Eamonn’s home studio in Mayo as Covid restrictions were gently eased in December 2021.
Vickers Vimy are:
Ed Drea (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals)
Fintan Hanley (Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Backing Vocals)
Irish born singer – songwriter Megan O’Neill is set to release her brand new single ‘Fail Better’ alongside her stunning new EP ‘Time (Thought You Were On My Side)’ on the 8 April, across all digital platforms.
Speaking of the release of the EP Megan O’Neill said: “I’m delighted to finally have this new music out in the world. It’s really thrilling (and also slightly terrifying!) as an artist to change direction sonically, but this new music and new direction feels really true to who I am now as an artist and a person.”
Named one of the Irish Examiner’s Ones to Watch in 2022, this year is set to be a breakthrough year for Megan O’Neill. ‘Time (Thought you were on my side)’, the brand new EP, features five songs written and recorded throughout 2021 with producer Richey McCourt. This new material is somewhat of a new era for Megan O’Neill as she merges her folk, storytelling roots with more pop and electronic elements.
The first single from the new EP ‘Wildfire’, released 21 January, was selected as iRadio’s iLoveIrish Track of the Month, playlisted by RTE Radio 1 and featured heavily across Irish press and media. ‘Wildfire’ also charted in the Irish Breaker’s Charts (Top 10) throughout February.
Megan O’Neill has been growing from strength to strength over the past two years. Her most recent album, ‘Getting Comfortable with Uncertainty’ (2021), features a haunting cover of Jim Croce’s ‘Time in a Bottle’, which was selected by Netflix worldwide hit TV show ‘Firefly Lane’ to appear in the opening scene of episode #1 in February last year. A week later, Megan O’Neill performed the song live on the RTE Late Late Show – reaching an audience of approximately 2 million and the single charted that same weekend in Ireland across all genres. ‘Time in a Bottle’ was the highest new entry on the Irish Homegrown Charts and playlisted by RTE Radio 1.
Deemed a “rising star” by uDiscover and Timeout Magazine London, Megan O’Neill has toured the UK, Ireland, US and Germany to date. She has performed at private Oscars’ parties in LA alongside Gavin James (on invite from JJ Abrams), had her song ‘Don’t You’ featured on ABC’s hit TV Show ‘Nashville’ (Season 3) and has opened for the likes of Sir Tom Jones, Lighthouse Family and Jamie Cullum(to name a few).
‘Fail Better’ the brand new single from Megan O’Neill is out on the 8 April across all digital platforms, alongside her stunning new EP ‘Time (Thought You Were On My Side)’.
Rising star Bradley Marshall is set to drop his first official single “Make Believe” on 8 April across all digital platforms.
Dublin based artist-songwriter Bradley Marshall has garnered a big following across social media by posting heartfelt, soulful videos singing a mix of both covers & self-penned songs.
By choosing “Make Believe” from his repertoire, Bradley Marshall sees the tear-jerker as the perfect representation to announce himself to the world and speaking of the track he said: “I can’t wait to show people what I can do. I wanted to write a song that people could relate to, and I think I did that with “Make Believe”. Connecting with people through my music is important to me. I feel this is the ideal way to start my journey”
Having spent the last few months carefully honing his craft with top songwriters in the Irish industry, Bradley Marshall is set to make his mark in 2022.
“Make Believe”, the brand new single from Bradley Marshall is set for release across all digital platforms on 8 April.
Pauline Scanlon’s unique voice, described as “a superb mix of china cup fragility and steely strength” (Irish Times) comes from an ancient place yet is always fresh. Her music is both Irish and universal, traditional yet subversive at every turn. The ‘steely strength’ comes to the fore in both her activism and her determination to constantly evolve as an artist.
As a founding member of FairPlé, the role of women in the arts is central to Pauline’s creative path and something she is very vocal about. Her new album, The Unquiet, out now 8th April 2022, reimagines what it is to be an Irish woman in the context of music and song. It is an album that will shift expectations and defy genre.
Next week, 2pm Friday 15th April, RTE Radio 1 will broadcast ‘The Unquiet – Songs for my Mother’ – a fascinating radio documentary produced by Elizabeth Laragy, following Pauline Scanlon over 3 years as she makes her album ‘The Unquiet’.
The album is a representation through song, of the life of Pauline’s late mother Eileen Scanlon. In making the album and documentary, Pauline wanted to sing about modern era women, their lives, their joys and their struggles, through the medium of traditional song. The documentary follows Pauline as she travels to London to record with producer John Reynolds and guest artists Damien Dempsey and Barry Kerr. Pauline delves deep into the life of her mother Eileen, an incredibly dynamic, charismatic, and loving woman. She chats with her father in her native Dingle, unearthing and illuminating corners of their lives that have been difficult to speak about for many years.
‘The Unquiet’ is an ode to Pauline’s mother, to a woman who lived life to its fullest, a woman of sharp wit and intelligence, a hostess, and an animal lover who was always for life’s under-dogs. This truth-seeking documentary discusses adoption, secrecy, abuse, and inter-generational shame through Pauline’s efforts to bring agency and meaning to the traditional songs symbolic of Eileen’s life. Dialogue, tradition, activism, music, and honest conversation are central to this story, a story that is specific to Pauline, but one that will no doubt resonate with households across the Island and further afield.
About The Unquiet, Pauline says:
“All my life as a singer, I have been drawn to old songs. In them I find solidarity with the ghosts of people I have never met and yet share fragments of feelings with. Somewhere in the empathy that is shared between singer, listener, and ghostly forms, I find strands of myself that didn’t originate in my own heart but have found their way in there all the same. They belong to someone or somewhere else, yet I feel them as deeply as if they were mine.
With this album I seek to represent the realities of modern-era women through traditional song. I am intentionally redirecting these songs away from the traditional narrative, turning them to face the modern era, to reflect a new social outlook, and I am imagining the present as I sing them.
’The Unquiet’ is based on the life of my late mother, Eileen Scanlon, and her contemporaries in Irish society. I include myself in this. The songs are not literal in that they do not reflect specific events in my mother’s life. They do, however, have a resonance and a purpose in reflecting her lived experience and that of modern-era women in Ireland, through my perspective.
I made the album for my daughter, Kitty, that she may know her grandmother, what she was like, the bright, loving, funny and powerful force of nature that she was, so she will always know what her grandmother and many other Irish women lived through.
I dedicate these songs to my sisters in arms, to those who suffer and protest, working tirelessly to make Ireland a country that I hope my daughter can enjoy; an equal place, kind, inclusive, free of shame, and liberated from all institutions and instruments of oppression.”
The Unquiet was produced and recorded by John Reynolds at New Air Studios, and features guest vocalists Barry Kerr, Loinnir McAliskey, Bernie Pháid & Damien Dempsey.
The album is out now on digital, CD, and viny. Order on Bandcamp:
Having released ‘No Fall of Rome’ late last year, Keelan X returns with a new indie-synth-pop crossover sound on his latest release, ‘These Days’. The track oozes 80’s sensibilities. A homage to 1980’s production values, the track sparkles throughout as Keelan experiments with uplifting synth soundscapes, soaring guitars and the use of a relentless, foot-tapping drum-machine style beat. Lyrically, These Days explores themes that exist in our society today. The idea that we have become more distant and ever more isolated despite the advancements of modern technology seemingly bringing the world closer together.
“Musically the song is very intentionally a nod to 1980s production, complete with some 80s snyths, chorus-rich guitar and drum machine sounds from that era. In a way, it’s my little homage to the 80s. But rather than being an 80s pastiche, my intention was to somewhat contrast the innocence, colour and creativity of the music in that era by lyrically reflecting on how things are today, socially etc” – Keelan X.
Over the years, Keelan Cunningham has had a conflicting relationship with his one true love: music. A former member of up-and-coming Irish band The Marigolds, the dissolution of the band had a profound effect on Keelan as he quickly fell out of love with the industry. With more than ten years passing without music in his life, the world-wide pandemic revitalised Keelan’s creativity. Strapping on his Fender Telecaster and switching on an old Roland keyboard he began the process of writing and producing songs once again. The results were immediate and quickly culminated in the formation of his new project, Keelan X.
Cherry picking approaches and styles of song craftmanship he had developed whilst playing in an array of bands over the years, the multi-instrumentalist set about writing a varied collection of songs. Keelan’s distinctive sound is borne out of his eclectic taste in music, taking influence from contemporary artists such as The War On Drugs, The Weekend, Sam Fender, The Academic and melding this with his love of the likes of Bowie, Tears For Fears, Prefab Sprout and Giorgio Moroder.
This is the second single to be released from his forthcoming debut album. Keelan X aims to unveil a number of singles over the course of 2022. The Castleknock, Dublin 15 native, regularly locked up in a recording studio in Dublin or London, has rediscovered his passion for music. The creative compulsion, love and buzz Keelan has is on full display here in his new release. These Days is out on 15th April 2022.
