Author: Breffni Banks

The latest instalment of newly remastered catalogue releases, from the home of Tara Music, comes today from legendary Irish Folk group Clannad. Aligning with the group’s 50^th anniversary together, having formed in 1970, two special re-issues of ‘Crann Úll’ and ‘Fuaim’ are again available on 180gram Vinyl, CD and digital.

Arguably their most influential, these two significant re-releases have been beautifully remastered by Aidan Foley/Masterlabs and overseen by Pól Brennan. They are also notably the first and last to feature the bands younger sister Eithne Ní Bhraonáin otherwise known as Enya.

“We are very pleased that ‘Crann Úll’ and ‘Fuaim’ have been remastered and are available again on vinyl …they were an important part of our musical journey….we are also very happy to lend our support to independent record stores everywhere” – Pól Brennan of Clannad.

The first x80 copies of ‘Crann Úll’, originally released in 1980, are pressed on 180gram Dark Grey vinyl. The first x82 copies of ‘Fuaim’, released in 1982, are pressed on 180gram Simple White vinyl. Both are signed and numbered exclusively on https://claddaghrecords.com/

CLANNAD: on Release July 16th

Crann Úll & Fuaim

FORMATS: LP (180g Vinyl), CD, and Digital (DIGITALLY REMASTERED)

Despite all at play in the world, Another Love Story presses ahead and fixes its eye on the calmer waters of summer 2022 and announces the first carefully selected collection of artists to play our hopeful full-blooded return to Killyon Manor, Co. Meath, Ireland, August 19th – 21st 2022.

We have been sitting on some of these announcements since spring 2020, and so it is such a thrill to finally move forwards with some resolute conviction and hope for better days ahead.

The past 18 months have been hugely challenging but thinking of the sights and sounds of the festival in full flow surrounding these amazing artists as they perform is the thought which has kept us going through what have been the darkest of months for a small independent festival.

LINE UP ANNOUNCEMENT #1

We are so thrilled to announce performances from :

Legendary Manchester selector, event creator & personality Luke Una | Profound emerging Irish voice and firm ALS favourite Rachael Lavelle | A mesmerising live performance from Berghain / Osgut Ton regular Barker | The gentle tones of Choice Prize nominee Niamh Regan | The nuanced yet pulsating live electronics of Leipzig’s Map.Ache | And, the searing sounds of Cork’s The Altered Hours.

With many more to be announced in due course and set across the rolling meadows and cosy corners of our beautiful home Killyon Manor.

TICKETS

Tickets for Another Love Story 2022 are On Sale Friday July 16th 12 noon.

Tier 1 Early :               €175.00 + Fees

Tier 2 Regular :           €195.00 + Fees

Tier 3 Late :                 €215.00 + Fees *

* Tier 3 Tickets available in 2 x handy Instalment payments of €107.50

Event subject to Licence, and all government advice & restrictions.

Tickets available at www.anotherlovestory.ie or via Eventbrite.

Composer and bass player Jenny Hallahan is set to release her debut EP with her newly formed quartet, ‘This Life’. The EP consists of five pieces composed by Jenny for baritone sax, piano, drums and bass. 

Jenny says that the EP was, “Inspired by life itself.” The jazz tunes skip and soar through intricate melodies and polished arrangements, creating uplifting and thoughtful soundscapes. The project secures the emerging composer as one to watch in the Irish jazz scene, and she cites influences such as Alfa Mist, Avishai Cohen, and Pino Palladino. 

Jenny says about the project, “My partner and I took a sabbatical to Bali for 3 months in late 2019. Inspired by the beautiful beaches, surf, waterfalls and landscapes, I began developing the ideas for my first release. 2020 gave Jenny the space and time to work on composing the music for this release and with support from the arts council of Ireland she assembled her quartet.”

She goes on to say, “The gender imbalance within the jazz scene in Ireland has always been an issue. In the last year I started to look and see if it was the same in all genres of music. I found it wasn’t, and electronic dance music presented a platform where women are equally treated for what they write and produced. These women have inspired me to do the same within the jazz scene.”

‘This Life’ was recorded remotely with recording/mixing engineer Scott Halliday, and was mastered in Austin, Texas by Stephen Ceresia of Stonyfield Mastering. The performers on the record include Owen O’Neill (Baritone Sax), Luke Dunford (Piano), and Dylan Lynch (Drums).

Jenny Hallahan is composer and bass player from Kildare, Ireland. Jenny has performed as a bass player throughout Ireland over the last 10-12 years, sharing the stage with some of Ireland’s finest musicians. Throughout her career, Jenny has worked as a side-woman for various original artists in Ireland including Zrazy, Mystic Tears, Dorotha Konchevska, Propeller Palms, and Talking Waves. Jenny has a BA in Music from Waterford Institute of Technology, as well as BA in Jazz performance from New Park Music centre, Ireland’s primary centre for jazz. She has studied under major figures such as Eric Sweeney and Ronan Guilfoyle. 

jennyhallahan.com

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Jake Carter has just released his self-penned summer anthem ‘Sink Or Swim’, out now. The single is an uplifting, feel good pop song, which makes you instantly want to sing, dance or bop along to it – no matter where you are!

The vibrant pop track was produced by Diffusion Lab’s Chris Bubenzer and Marcin Ciszczon, the team behind Jake Carter’s previous singles ‘I Won’t Be Leaving’ and ‘Loving In Darkness’ as well as the producing for the likes of FLYNN, Jafaris, Soule and Rushes among others in recent years. Full of feel good summer vibes, the track was written by Jake Carter along with Irish songwriters Conor McQuaid & Graham McCartin at The Nucleus Studio in Dublin.

Speaking on the song’s origins, Jake Carter says: “It was a song we wrote a couple of years ago and it always stuck out as that feel good, Summer Drive-Along song. We changed lyrics, re-wrote melodies and spent hours and hours on making sure we had the track just right. I can imagine myself sitting on a beach and drinking cocktails whilst listening to this song, and that’s the vibe we were all going for. I think we could all do with as much summer vibes as possible this year!”

Liverpool born but Ireland based since he was 18, Jake Carter, still only 22, has already made a name for himself in the world of creative arts through his victory on Dancing With The Stars as well as acting roles in a number of stage shows. While he enjoys the idea of continuing to bring that triple threat of acting, dancing and singing, music is Jake’s first love. The 22-year old is now seeking to firmly establish himself as a pop star in the mould of Olly Murs and Justin Timberlake and to create music that reflects who he really is and not who people think he should be.

Jake Carter has plenty more songs in the pipeline and looks set to build upon the success he’s had so far and make a name for himself in the music industry. With over 440k total streams on Spotify as well as 400k+ views on his YouTube channel, combined with appearances on The Ray D’Arcy Show and The Late Late Show, shows at Vicar Street and Cork Opera House as well as radio slots on Today FM, 2FM, Spin1038 and more, the future’s looking bright.

‘Sink Or Swim’ the brand new single from Jake Carter is now out across all digital platforms.

Irish purveyors of hook-heavy indie-rock scorchers The Academic are excited to share the ‘Community Spirit’ EP, featuring the new single ‘Not Your Summer’.

The EP is streaming now, and is released via Capitol Records.

‘Not Your Summer’ opens ‘Community Spirit’, and debuted on Thursday with a global first live animation event using Google Slides and in collaboration with BDDO New York. Fans were able to watch live as a team of animators put together the video in real time. It’s a fizzing, frenetic tune, with Craig Fitzgerald’s vocals floating effortlessly over a bed of breezy guitar chords. The circumstances in which the song is being released only adds pertinence to this wistful ode to what would usually be such a celebratory season. “Maybe it’s not your summer // Maybe it’s not your year,” resolves the song’s chorus hook, delivered in a cool falsetto which brings to mind The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas.

Although ‘Not Your Summer’ wasn’t written directly about lockdown, the anxiety induced by the pandemic has undeniably left its mark on the single. Craig explains: “Enjoying your own company can be a great thing, but it can also take its toll and that’s how I was feeling at the time, needing time away from myself.”

‘Community Spirit’ sees the Mullinger 4-piece honing their knack for epitomising the excitement and apprehension that one meets at the intersect between youth and adulthood, without a hint of cynicism or pretence. These are sky-scraping, heart-on-the sleeve anthems, accented with guitar hooks which immediately take up residency in the head of anyone who listens.

‘Kids (Don’t End Up Like Me)’ – the only cut from ‘Community Spirit’ to have been shared thus far – marked an unflinching return from The Academic. Written by Craig as a teenager, the song documents his fears of never leaving his hometown or amounting to anything. “I started looking through all my old notebooks and found this song fully written,” he says, retrospectively. “I had a gut feeling that it might come to life now with a few more years of living behind me since it was originally written.”

Having collaborated with Kaiser Chief’s Nick Hodgson on last year’s ‘Acting My Age’ EP, this new collection of tracks will mark The Academic stepping into the producer’s role, unquestionably developing as musicians with each thumping release that passes.

Despite their young years, Craig, Dean, Matthew & Stephen have already acquired a following and a CV that many bands would relish from a lifetime of work. Support slots with Pixies, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and The Rolling Stones (upon Sir Jagger’s personal request), as well as a debut album that reached #1 chart in the Irish charts, firmly cements The Academic in an enviable position amongst their peers in the category of UK and Irish bands on the path to superstardom.

Following the incredible reception that met 2020’s ‘Acting My Age’ EP, Mullinger’s finest had their bags packed in preparation to showcase their new tracks to a perpetually growing fanbase, before lockdown rules tightened once more. “Our minds as far as music goes is: record, release and tour. And it was very hard to accept that we wouldn’t be playing all this new music for people,” Craig recalls. ‘Luckily there’s some light at the end of the tunnel now and it’s only going to make going on tour all the more joyous.’

After an agonisingly long wait for the band and their followers alike, the guys will be returning to the stage towards the end of summer; where their intoxicating anthems truly comes into their own. Following a spot on the Main Stage at this year’s Reading & Leeds Festival, The Academic will embark upon a full UK tour in Spring 2022.

Catch The Academic Live:

 APR 09^TH … ULSTER HALL … BELFAST
APR 10^TH … MILLENNIUM FORUM … DERRY
APR 12^TH … ARTS CLUB … LIVERPOOL
APR 13^TH … O2 ACADEMY … OXFORD
APR 14^TH … CLWB IFOR BACH … CARDIFF
APR 15^TH … O2 INSTITUTE2 … BIRMINGHAM
APR 17^TH … RESCUE ROOMS … NOTTINGHAM
APR 19^TH … RIVERSIDE … NEWCASTLE
APR 20^TH … SWG3 … GLASGOW
APR 21^ST … THE CAVES … EDINBURGH
APR 22^ND … TUNNELS … ABERDEEN
APR 24^TH … STYLUS … LEEDS
APR 25^TH … O2 RITZ … MANCHESTER
APR 27^TH … O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN …LONDON
JUL 21^ST … FESTIVAL BIG TOP … GALWAY

YouTube: https://theacademic.lnk.to/YouTubePR
Facebook: https://theacademic.lnk.to/FacebookPR
Instagram: https://theacademic.lnk.to/InstagramPR
TikTok: https://theacademic.lnk.to/TikTokPR
Twitter: https://theacademic.lnk.to/TwitterPR

Balancing high-intensity raps with considered spoken word, 29 year old Limerick man Willzee draws listeners in with his flawless flow and social commentaries. Willzee is part of a musical movement that brings his hometown Limerick to the top of the Irish rap scene.

He is preparing to release his debut album later this summer via the Berlin label Welcome to the New World, and today shares a new song from the album.

‘No Remorse’ – https://found.ee/NoRemorse

“’No Remorse’ is an answer to those so-called friends we have in our lives that, are only there for information and news of things going bad, those friends that we work on projects with to achieve a unified goal but envy you all the way. This is my answer to those people.”

“Fri-enemies want to see me bleed, because they got envy, seeing me succeed.” (Willzee)

The story of Willzee is the story of rising from adversity, struggle and hardship. As a series of moments shed light on another way to live Willzee discovered music as a way to express his true self freely. He began to dream about turning everything that shaped him into something good that could help the next man or woman.

Willzee‘s first official appearance was as the lead actor in the music video of fellow label artist delush’s single ‘It’s Alright’. Willzee also channels his talents into spoken word and script writing. He won the 2019 Virgin Media Discovers Short Film Competition with his script for the film ‘Innocent Boy’ which premiered at the Dublin International Film Festival in February 2020.

His first spoken word release in 2020 ‘Dear Friend II’ plots a different potential course for Limerick but moreover, for communities in need of care all over the world, he urges us to “let the past be the past, but take it further.” Followed by an impressive single release featuring UK MC Mic Righteous, Willzee announced his debut album to be released this year with it’s first singles ‘A Dream of Peace’ and ‘No Remorse’.

‘A Dream of Peace’ – Willzee : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCqGM02ucaY

‘No Remorse’ – Willzee – OUT TODAY. Stream/Buy: https://found.ee/NoRemorse

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willzeetwow/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/willzeetwow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WillzeeTWOW

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2gJDPJbvj52DkO2q7jG2NS?si=ouHW1FKKRAKHLccIARWVRg

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/de/artist/willzee/1500335806?l=en

YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UC-EJTHLzLflLzpliPuEfvDw?feature=share

Performed by Eimear Quinn and composed by Brendan Graham, ‘The Voice’ was the last of Ireland’s famous Eurovision winning streak, taking the prize in Oslo in 1996.

25 years later it remains a cult winner carrying a distinctive Irish sound and message that led this month to Prince Charles himself, announcing Eimear’s ‘The Voice’ as one of his all-time favourite songs in a radio programme honouring NHS volunteers.

Eimear’s ‘The Voice’ took its place in the Prince’s pick, alongside such classic songs and singers as ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ – Barbra Streisand; ‘La Vie En Rose’ – Edith Piaf; ‘Upside Down’ – Diana Ross; ( https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/04/uk/prince-charles-song-choices-intl-scli-gbr/index.html)

Now, in this unique new a cappella version of ‘’The Voice’ the song is stripped of its distinctive Irish instrumentation and is carried solely by Eimear’s soaring, soprano voice.

Dublin born Irish singer and composer, Eimear Quinn, who is best known for her Eurovision win, has forged a career for herself as one of the pre-eminent most distinctive Irish voices of her generation and a recognised composer (Classic FM Hall of Fame, 2021).

Over the past 25 years she has toured and performed extensively internationally and has released four albums; her most recent being ‘Ériu’, recorded with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, released in 2020.

Séan Laffey, editor of Irish Music Magazine says of Quinn’s performance of ‘The Voice’;

“When Eimear Quinn was discovered by Brendan Graham singing with Anúna he knew he had found an astonishing vocalist to sing his Eurovision 1996 entry ‘The Voice’. Eimear’s performance of the song was outstanding, winning by a clear margin, her single went to Number 3 in the Irish charts and later the song became a staple of The Celtic Woman shows. A lasting testament to the timeless beauty of Eimear’s performance.”

This is the second happy occurrence from Quinn’s album ‘Ériu’, in an otherwise awful time for musicians. Her composition ‘In Paradisum’ was voted into the Classic FM Hall of Fame this year – One of a handful of works by a female composer to included in the list of 300 works.

Classic FM’s Hall of Fame is the world’s biggest poll of classical music tastes. Quinn ranks as one of only five female composers in the 2021 chart, alongside Clara Schumann, Debbie Wiseman, Yoko Shimomura and Phamie Gow.

‘The Voice’, a cappella version, also features in the documentary Songs of the Great Hunger, https://youtu.be/_zuPkjV1qwc

It will be available to download on all streaming platforms for the 25th anniversary, from July 16th.

www.eimearquinn.com

Niall Brennan is a songwriter/musician from Dublin, Ireland. ‘Like A Rose’ is his brilliant debut single release from his forthcoming E.P. ‘Something Glorious’. It’s an upbeat, lively, melodic 3 ½ minutes that captures the essence of a relationship that has hit a difficult patch and could go either way. A beautiful blend of acoustic & electric guitars with a rock backbeat and Niall’s unique vocal style to the fore.

It was produced by Niall’s long-time friend Gavin Ralston who tragically passed away during the making of the E.P. Another long-time friend Brendan Tallon (ex-Revelino) stepped in to finish the project.

Other musicians who play on the single are John Boyle (Marianne Faithful) and Aonghus Ralston (The Waterboys). ‘Like A Rose’ will be available on all streaming platforms from 16th July and available for download from Niall’s Bandcamp page.

https://niallbrennan.bandcamp.com/

Darkwave electronic duo SYLK are set to release their latest single ‘FREAKY’ on Friday 23rd July 2021.

SYLK worked with the leading production company Diffusion Lab on the production of this track.

On the track ‘FREAKY’ the duo said, “We wrote this about the feeling of being somewhere new but it feels so familiar and never wanting the night to end, for us we thought about the feeling of being in a new city like Berlin, Amsterdam, Europe getting ready to go out feeling confident and feeling freaky! We missed this feeling so much during the Pandemic and wanted to create something that would remind us of these nights.”

SYLK are a queer female electronic pop duo based in Dublin, Ireland. Laced with an underground aesthetic SYLK’s (Taylor & Bebhinn) signature sound is distorted, manipulated and lyrically dark.  Also behind the duo are the SYLK COLLECTIVE, a group of creative friends who plan the ideas and the future of SYLK, including Fiach who executes the visual identity of SYLK.

Taylor & Bebhinn are best friends who met at a gig when they were teenagers, connecting over their need to make music they knew it was something they always wanted to do, a few years later with more experiences to express and a sound they wanted to create, SYLK formed with the release of ‘Am I Alone’, in 2017, following this was their acclaimed EP ’nwyr’, which led to a full capacity EP launch show, gaining mainstream radio play (including RTE 2FM, BBC, Today FM, SPIN 1038, 98FM, FM104) and standout appearances at Forbidden Fruit Festival, Body & Soul Festival, Hard Working Class Heroes, Electric Picnic, as well as headlining the legendary Button Factory- to name a few.

Spotify | Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | Vevo

WWW.SYLKSOUNDS.COM