Jane Deasy – Thawing
Jane Deasy is a Dublin-based composer and performer who also works as a sound designer. Thawing is a two-track EP released on 1 October and follows her Notes from the Bath released last year on the Fort Evil Fruit label. Recorded at her studio in Dublin, Thawing, Deasy writes, ‘generates microtonal systems to create intricate textures and harmonies. These minimal, harmonic structures often result from “sonic excavations”, revealing inaudible layers of recorded material and acoustic space.’ The digital and analogue synthesis of ‘Close to the surface’ slowly develops before applause appears and a woman’s voice begins to reflect openly on her life. ‘They want to be loved. They have to be loved… I’m finding it harder and harder to stay in touch…’, she says, creating a quietly compelling track. ‘Walking’ has cascading notes, the texture becoming richer and more complex over its 11 minutes, drawing you in. The cassette tape of Thawing is already sold out but you can listen on Bandcamp: https://janedeasymusic.bandcamp.com/releases

Thumper  – The Loser
With two drummers, three guitarists and a bassist that write and perform loud, stomping sounds, Dublin noise-rock band Thumper embody their namesake through their music and demeanour. Latest release ‘The Loser’, out this week, has been part of the band’s live repertoire for the past number of years and is just now being released as a recording. The song crash-bangs through a winding, effervescent chorus as lead singer Oisín Furlong sings through a veil of distortion ‘I am a loser, baby, lose yourself with me / I am a waster, baby, waste away with me’. Commenting on the track, Furlong said ‘“The Loser” is presented as a love song but is howled by an unreliable narrator. A fishing-for-compliments style tirade of non-sequiturs, each verse is bursting at the seams with faux self-depreciation. The song races along at breakneck speed, each section pushing past the crescendo of the last. As the final chorus blasts through your speakers, the saccharine melody reveals a pathetic character that has spent the whole song talking about themselves.’ Thumper are currently touring the UK and will release their debut album in early 2022. Visit: https://found.ee/thumper_theloser 

Maria Kelly – The Sum of the In-Between
Singer-songwriter Maria Kelly today releases her debut album the sum of the in-between on Veta Records. The fourteen-track record comes after the release of singles ‘Martha’, ‘eight hours’ and ‘good enough’. During the pandemic last year, Kelly relocated to a small cottage on the southern coast of Ireland where she wrote the record while reflecting on her twenties so far. Kelly’s light-as-air vocals are supported by floaty guitar accompaniment, twinkly percussion and snippets of voice messages seemingly sent to her friends, giving the music an extra layer of communication and meaning. Commenting on the album, Kelly said ‘this album is about meeting yourself where you are, wherever you are, and it’s about giving yourself permission to be vulnerable in that space.’ On 12 November, Kelly will celebrate the launch of her debut album with a concert at the Workman’s Club in Dublin. Purchase the sum of the in-between on Bandcamp: https://mariakellymusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-sum-of-the-in-between

David Keenan – WHAT THEN?
Dundalk singer-songwriter David Keenan today releases his second album WHAT THEN? on Dublin label Rubyworks. The record includes previously-released singles ‘What Then Cried Jo Soap’, ‘Peter O’Toole’s Drinking Stories’ and ‘Sentimental Dole’. In January 2020, Keenan released his debut album A Beginner’s Guide to Bravery and then moved to Paris for a residency at the Centre Culturel Irlandais where he wrote a book of poetry, Soundings of an Unnamed Bird, along with new music. WHAT THEN? is an endearing, explosive, meandering and absorbing reflection of the artist’s past year and a half. Purchase WHAT THEN? on Keenan’s website: https://davidkeenan.com/

Anselm McDonnell – Light of Shore
Light of Shore is the debut album from Northern Ireland composer Anselm McDonnell. McDonnell previously took part in the Free State emerging composers project by Crash Ensemble in 2019, and also featured in their Refractions series, which was performed as part of Music Town and New Music Dublin. This diverse double-album features five substantial works, from suites for piano, guitar and cello with electronics to a work for double-bass and electronics. ‘Light of Shore is an album about renewal and resurrection,’ writes McDonnell, ‘reviving the past to find a way forward, which is an important aspect of my approach to composers.’ The four-part piano work, Ceaselessly into the Past performed by Cahal Masterson, is a wide-ranging opening with multiple influences from the spiritual to the political. Shards on a Beach explores the experience of seeing various pieces of detritus on a beach, with double-bass by William Cole plus electronics. The exploratory Eyewitnesses of His Majesty was McDonnell’s ‘earliest attempt at a large-scale composition’, on his own instrument, guitar, performed by Chris Roberts. On a Stone Pillow, Jacob Dreamt of Salvation performed by Isabelle O’Connell is influenced by Saariaho and Adès. The final work, Three Words for Light, performed by Martin Johnson on cello and electronics, is the most recent work and a highlight of the album. Purchase Light of Shore on Bandcamp: https://anselmmcdonnell.bandcamp.com/releases

Eoghan Neff – Unrecalled
This is the second solo album from Cork fiddle-player Eoghan Neff, following Week One in 2011. Prior to that, he released an album of improvisations in Glenstal Abbey with organist Cyprian Love in 2009, titled Amalgamare. Unrecalled is similarly alternative, comprising live fiddle looping in duet with artists including Seán MacErlaine, Sean Carpio, Icelandic composer Atli Örvarsson, Spanish musicians Germán Díaz and LAR Legido, Galician gaita-player Anxo Lorenzo, and sound artist Caoimhe Doyle. It’s an ambitious album, moving between minimalist soundscapes and full-on pop-trad. The CD is like an art-box, with small photographs by Kathleen Price of 1930s Ireland from the National Folklore Collection and a ‘Mud Turf’ performance guide. Purchase Unrecalled on Bandcamp: https://eoghanneff.bandcamp.com/album/unrecalled 

Christian Wethered – Mon Petit Jardin
Originally from Sussex, Dublin-based poet and singer-songwriter Christian Wethered today releases his debut album Mon Petit Jardin. The record has an acoustic sound overall with influences of folk, indie and French musicians such as Serge Gainsbourg and Jacques Dutronc, deriving from Wethered’s time spent living in France. Mon Petit Jardin was also written in response to a relationship break-up that happened while Wethered was living there. The album includes session musicians such as drummer Dylan Lynch of Soda Blonde, and pianist, bassist and guitarist Cillian Byrne of Basciville. Visit: https://christianwethered1.bandcamp.com/album/mon-petit-jardin-2

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