Incoming: A Quick Chat With Oh Boland

Oh Boland by Sean McCormack

Oh Boland by Sean McCormack

Oh Boland shall be brewing up a storm of a mastercful raw, noisy garage pop in BRÚ House, Newbridge on Friday, December 1 – fresh from doing the same across the other side of the Irish Sea.

This is the second in a series of collaborative shows between Broken Home & I, as we aim to bring some of our favourite musicians and artist to Newbridge – of which this line up comes up trumps for both of us.

Galway trio Oh Boland are one of the brightest talents to emerge from these shores. Their early EPs are superb and their 2016 debut LP, Spilt Milk is a treasure – and one of the finest records of recent times. The trio truly provide  a masterclass in raw, noisy garage pop that is ragged but irresistible, blasts of lo-fi goodness. Tunes trash, screech and rumble rumbustiously along, while brash it is, it is supremely catchy and mashed with earworm hooks. Here in lies the brilliance of their sound, traversing the space between brash and beautifully catchy. Oh Boland create something unique and special, perfection through imperfection if you will. Just superb.

Oh Boland join Silverbacks and Luke Redmond in BRÚ House, Newbridge this Friday, December 1, for what is a rather formidable lineup – Doors @ 9pm | Tickets (€5/€7) available here.

Ahead of the weekend’s show I caught up with Niall from Oh Boland for a quick chat….

Tell us a little bit about Oh Boland. How did it come about? And what is the essence/inspiration behind the project?

Hi Barry, how are you? Oh Boland are three wholesome shrubs from the verdant plains of Tuam county Galway. Roughly five years ago, I was a gormless dropout working in my Dad’s pub filling swill for fossils. I’d known Simon and Eanna since we were in our teens and so when their band broke up we started hanging out a lot and playing at the weekends in Simon’s house. All of this is probably an intolerable cliché so with any unfortunate reader in mind I won’t elaborate much further. Yeah, that’s how we started playing. With regard to essence or inspiration, I’m not sure. At this point I guess we try to make drunken, poppy, noise music or noisy, drunken, pop music. Those are the three constants in our lives.

After a long time trying to make it work, we finally got you to Newbridge. Are you excited to bring the Oh Boland show to town?

My grandfather is from Newbridge so I’m really excited to get back to the flesh and blood. Stephen of course who’s putting the show on has worked with us on some videos and is a good friend, looking forward to seeing him. My memory’s useless but I’m fairly sure this is our first time playing with Silverbacks too. We have seen them a few times and they’re super good and I’m really excited to be playing with them too.

What can we expect from an Oh Boland show?

Hmmm. Tough one. I think it’s got to the point where we barely know what to expect ourselves. Expect a healthy amount of new material at this point for sure. We’ve a new LP almost ready to go and the live set is often how we get the new stuff together. Otherwise, you can expect a slobbery gurgling bubble-gum punk mess. There’ll be a lot of oohs and aahs and unnecessary soloing. We’ll inevitably end up sounding like a cranked up showband trying to play the national anthem, slowly going down with the ship.

On the issue of touring, you toured the US last year; it would be interesting to hear your perspective on the differences (if any) between touring Ireland and the US?

I suppose it’s the same landscape you have to navigate in both instances. Ireland is way more manageable relatively speaking because it’s such a short run. It’s the blatantly obvious issue of size I suppose. In Ireland there are really only four or five towns to play all within four hours of each other. With America or the UK, you’re looking at stupid ferry routes, 13 hour drives etc. It only takes one day or one hour to break you when you’re crammed into a car with three people fermenting at a rapid pace with little food or sleep. I love touring though. For all the brutality you get to play every night which is the ultimate reward as well as meet every manner of sweetheart and weirdo the particular town has to offer. That makes the bodily aromas and marathon roadtrips easier to swallow for sure.

You’ve shared the bill with a number of legendary bands such as the Sonics and The Undertones, did they offer any sage advice or words of wisdom? What was it like to be that close to the origins of punk?

We’ve been really lucky over the last few years to be able to play with a lot of groups that have influenced us a lot over the years. Though none of the groups we’ve played with really spoke to us that much watching them play at such close quarters was more than enough. Standing barely off the stage watching Gerry Roslie scream is something I never thought I’d ever see.

In my humble opinion, Split Milk is one of the finest records of recent years. Tell us a wee but about making the album and were you happy with how it was received?

Thanks man. Glad you like it. At this point Spilt Milk is actually quite an old record in terms of the recordings themselves. We did the whole thing over Halloween weekend 2014 amazingly. The record was made with our long standing saviour Mark Chester of Ginnels, No Monster Club and Lie Ins fame. Everything since Delphi we’ve done with him and he’s always been really easy to work with. He listens to the same stuff as us and knows how we want to sound and how to get there. As for our approach to recording we like to do it pretty quick. This is mainly due to money and time, between getting time off work and not being able to fork out heavy currency for a studio. It also has a lot to do with the sound and performances too, to be able to just bash them out really quick with little time to be precious and second guess what you’re doing. I think though there is obviously a difference between onstage and recording the heart of a recording has to maintain a similar energy to the performances onstage. The heart of everything is cut live. The three of us in a room trying to wobble through the tune as best we can. I’ll add some extra guitars and that’s it. We do most of our recording as of late out in a cottage in Carraroe out in the wilderness. So that was it, two days out there running through the ten tunes and out the door again, sadly nothing worthy of a BBC4 documentary.

As for the reactions to the LP, yeah I’m fairly pleased. We are all really happy with how the record sounds and the experience making it and though I can’t really get my head around it people have been into it and that’s been really nice.

For me anyway, the brilliance of the Oh Boland sound is it simultaneously traverses a space between brash and beautifully catchy – is this a conscious thing or did it just sort of happen?

I suppose it’s somewhat conscious, a reflection of the weird extremes in our record collections. There was never a conscious decision to cross this with that. We were just bashing out what felt good in Simon’s garage. We all love 60’s music and 70’s power pop music. So you definitely have that element, but on the other hand we also love really loud abrasive sounds and it needs to be said that we’re also pretty sloppy musicians, particularly when we were starting out. So I suppose we started unwittingly trying to resolve the two extremes in the music and being so loose as musicians it just sort of came out the way it came out. As we’ve become tighter together musically it’s become more of a conscious thing.

What are you listening to at the moment?

I am listening to The World, Flesh World, Day Creeper, The Cowboys, the new Protomartyr LP, Rays, Arthur Russell, The Necessaries, Game Theory and Terry Allen in that order.

What are your plans for the rest of 2017 and 2018? Can we expect a new record soon?

We’ve a lot planned for next year. We are planning some trips over to the UK and a European tour in late spring as well as a return to the US late in the summer. We’ve also got a new LP almost finished which is going to be called Cheap Things and you can expect that sometime in the summer too.

And lastly, in all the interviews you’ve done is there anything you’re eager to address but no one ever asks you?

I can’t really think of anything right now. Leave that one with me.

Eyal Pik – ‘Day by Day’

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‘Day by Day’ is debut single from Eyal Pik, a London based singer/songwriter, who is priming the public for his fleeting forary into the world of music with forthcoming EP, Nothing but Sound.

As an opening introduction, one couldn’t ask for finer. ‘Day by Day’ is a three-and-a-half minute divine, colourful confection of jangly, melodic and infectious psych-pop perfection. It danders along at a cantering carefree pace, imbued with a shimmering, sunny disposition and heartfelt vocals – which when they shift through the gears and soar, well, oh my. A delectable slice of heart-strung and buoyant indie/alternative indebted greatest to Blur perhaps, conjuring up similar feelings to ‘Coffee and TV’ (and Seazoo’s ‘Dig’). A joy, no question about it.

You can check out ‘Day by Day’ below, along with its visual companion, crafted by Ron Davny and starring Pik and award winning actress/director Lana MacIver.

Los Espinas – ‘Feels Like a Punch In The Face…’

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Although their handle may might suggest a likeness to a seven piece mariachi band from Latin America, Los Espinas are a fearsome foursome based in Sydney, Australia.

With influences including artists like Elliott Smith, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Something for Kate, Los Espinas could be described as indie with a thirst for alternative garage rock. Los Espinas’ latest single ‘Feels Like a Punch In The Face…’ is straight-up rock and roll goodness that rides on a soaring vitality of a gripping grunge-tinged vocal delivery, meaty riffs and crunchy guitars; all charging toward a captivating climax of that is simultaneously muscular yet emotionally sincere. What Los Espinas do a steady trade in is suavely served alt-rock, tinged with garage, psychedelics and a knack for a catchy tune. And you know what? What more can you ask for?

You can listen to ‘Feels Like a Punch In The Face…’ below – it’s a beaut! And if that is to your liking, why not give their new EP a blast – it’s here, in all it’s glory.

Incoming: A Quick Chat With Silverbacks

 

Ireland's best 5-aside football team

Ireland’s best 5-aside football team

Silverbacks will be bringing their show to BRÚ House, Newbridge on Friday, December 1 – coinciding with the release of their latest single ‘Just for a Better View’.

This is the second in a series of collaborative shows between Broken Home & I, as we aim to bring some of our favourite musicians and artist to Newbridge – of which Silverbacks fits the bill for both of us.

Silverbacks have already eked out a solid rep for themselves when it comes to whipping up lashings of ’90s inspired lo-fi fuzz, a string of top class releases has ensured that.

Their slanted ’90s Pavement inspired sounds mix it up with the post-punk tones of Television and a touch of Talking Heads. Much like a Spring day, tunes like ‘Techno Dogs’, ‘Dirty Money’ and latest single ‘Just for a Better View’ are simultaneously gloomy and sun-kissed – in  LCD-meets-The Strokes kind of a way. I digress. The long and the short of it is that Silverbacks are one of the finest bands operating on these shores and in my humble opinion, one of Ireland’s best kept secrets.

Silverbacks join Oh Boland and Luke Redmond in BRÚ House, Newbridge this Friday, December 1, for what is a rather formidable lineup – Doors @ 9pm | Tickets €5/€7.

Ahead of the weekend’s show I caught up with Dan from Silverbacks, to shoot the shit.

Tell us a little bit about Silverbacks. How did it come about? And what is the essence/inspiration behind it?

Silverbacks started off as just Kilian and myself. We’ve been writing and recording demos for years and the end goal was always to eventually form a band and play them live.

Emma is on bass and has been playing with us for about four years now.

Last year Gary joined us on drums and Peadar on a guitar. This is the best live band we’ve had and as a result we’ve recently decided to take things a little more seriously.

In your opinion, what are the greatest challenges as an upcoming band in Ireland?

One obstacle is definitely that Ireland is an island. It makes playing gigs abroad trickier and more expensive, especially when you’re doing things yourself. It’d be nice if there were residencies for bands too.

Has growing up in Belgium had much influence on your musical output?

I don’t think so, well not yet anyway. Most of our influences are mainly American bands for the moment. But that could always change. In terms of the influence on my taste, I do have a soft spot for Jacques Brel and Kilian learned a good few Django Reinhardt chords and solos growing up.

One of my favourite songs is actually by a Belgian band called Deus, they were at their prime in the 90s. The song is called ‘Instant Street’ and my dad put it on a compilation tape for the car years ago . There’s a moment where Tom Barman (the singer) says the word ‘motherfucking’ and anytime my mother heard it she’d give out about the unnecessary rude language. My Dad would agree. Silverbacks have yet to use language that is deemed explicit in our songs so maybe there’s one obscure Belgian influence from my childhood.

What can we expect from a Silverbacks show?

Four friendly faces and Peadar.

Can you you tell us a bit about the Silverbacks artwork, and the artist involved?

It’s done by a good friend of ours who was in the same class as Kilian growing up and lived just down the road. He’s done all the artwork for Silverbacks over the last few years. We’re big fans of his work and we all feel the artwork he does for the band is a big part of Silverbacks.

You can check out his stuff here.

What are you listening to at the moment?

At this very moment I’m listening to the ‘Worst Case Scenario’ album by Deus.

One of my favourite bands currently is Happyness. I saw them play Whelans earlier this year and they were excellent. I’ve been revisiting some of the Sparklehorse albums too.

What are your plans for the rest of 2017 and 2018? Can we expect a new record soon?

We recently digitally released ‘Just for A Better View’. That’s the first song we didn’t record or mix ourselves. Stephen from Lamplight Studios had us around and we’re really happy with the results. We plan to record one more song at Lamplight before the end of the year.

For 2018 we’re hoping to start playing shows on a more regular basis. An album would be nice too but who knows, we’re currently sitting on a lot of demos.

And lastly, in all the interviews you’ve done is there anything you’re eager to chat about but no one ever asks you?

Not really Barry, we probably haven’t done enough interviews.

Wild & Free – ‘Ferns And Stuff’

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Los Angeles duo Wild & Free – comprised of producers, vocalists, and multi-instrumentalists Drew Kramer and George Cochrane – are readying the release of their much anticipated debut album, entitled Shapes On Shapes and penned in for November 17th.

The LP promises to deliver, across 11 tracks, lackadaisical deep house vibes, infused disco, tropical pop and Balearic. Ahead the forthcoming record comes ‘Ferns and Stuff’ – proof of their credentials for crafting addictive sounds. ‘Ferns and Stuff’ is a colourful confection, layered with an an enchanting groove, chugging bassline, beautiful synthesizers, airy vocals – matched by a chilled, atmospheric vibe. As chilled-out as it is, this is electronic music that makes you want to dance; through the combined power of a seductive groove, live percussion and organic instrumentation. A finely tuned and exquisitely crafted track, ‘Ferns and Stuff’ is a sensation.

‘Ferns and Stuff’ is below and complete satisfaction awaits; and remember, Shapes On Shapes is out on November 17 via Discotexas.

Silver Liz – ‘Hazy Daisy’

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Silver Liz are Chicago-based husband-wife duo of Carrie and Matt Wagner who delight, excite and enthral with their shoegaze-meets-dream-pop sound.

We were introduced to their dreamy allure with single ‘Him’ a few months back. The pair are back with another gem ‘Hazy Daisy’, the latest single lifted from their recently released, tantalising debut LP. The single is a sonic symphony of blissed-out – yet simultaneously piercing – all enveloping spacey and shoegazey atmospherics and dreamy soundscapes. Amid the squall of noise, Carrie Wagner’s honeyed cooing is majestic and blissful, striding beautifully upon an undulating sea of fuzz, distortion and whirring guitars, off-kilter twang, and crashing percussion; percussion that comes at you like waves smashing on coastal rocks. Silver Liz have an innate ability, it would seem, to eek out a sweet spot between beauty and unrelenting noise – with style, swish and sheer volume.

For now you can check out ‘Hazy Daisy’ below & if that is to your liking, why not check out their debut LP, I Can Feel The Weight? – listen to it here.

Paracutá – ‘We Are’

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Paracutá are New York City trio Caroline Feldmeier (Vocals, Guitar), Ernesto Lúcar (Vocals, Guitar) & Sean Vinci (Vocals, Drums), whose sound comes from a fusion of Americana, Indie, Power Pop and Post-Punk.

Bring these influences together in one unified sound, the trio’s enviable aim is to distill a sound and a feeling comparable to the adolescent experience of finding that new album you completely wore out listening in your bedroom. Their latest single ‘We Are’ certainly evokes similar emotions and embodies their mission. It is a melodic and swooning cut of americana-tinged indie buoyed with heart swelling melodies. Aided and abetted by a warm organ hum, everything is coated in a mild, warm layer of fuzz and interspersed with buzzing riffs and burrowing basslines which creates the most natural (and finest) environment for tender, open and intimate vocals to win what’s left of your heart over.

You can sample the delights of Paracutá below, with their sublime new single ‘We Are’.

 

The Magic Es – ‘How Do You Sleep?’

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Norwich-based trio The Magic Es have set themselves an enviable quest, to create “original rock ‘n’ roll reminiscent of a time when guitar pop dominated the charts and the terraces”.

It may be too early to evaluate their progress and likelihood for successfully turning musical tides and winning over the masses to there cause, they have quite a knack for upbeat bursts of melodic, infectious indie that sticks like glue.The trio’s latest single ‘How Do You Sleep’ sets out their raison d’etre over a scintillating four-minutes. ‘How Do You Sleep’ is a guitar heavy, riff-filled indie rocker bursting with melody and vitality; with nods to ’60s pop, britpop and classic rock. Catchy, melodic and bursting with an obvious love of playing music; ‘How Do You Sleep’ just great and you know what, sometimes that is quite enough.

You can listen to ‘How Do You Sleep’ below:

Pale Honey – ‘The Heaviest of Storms (Devotion Pt.1)’

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Swedish indie-rock outfit Pale Honey – aka Tuva Lodmark, Nelly Daltrey & newly joined by Anders Lagerfors – recently released new album Devotion, the follow-up to their great 2015 self-titled debut.

Hot on the heels of the trio’s new LP comes lead single, ‘The Heaviest of Storms (Devotion Pt.1)’. It continues to embrace a formula that has served Pale Honey so well thus far; gritty, grimey alt-rock which can simultaneously seem soothing, blissful even. Sparse but meaty riffs, crunchy guitars intertwine as drums thump and thud to create a forbidding atmosphere. This scuzzy, sparse guitar-and-drums combo and impending sense of doom is is tempered by Lodmark’s alluring vocals and cascading melodies – accidental beauty. This is all kinds of ace!

You can check out ‘The Heaviest of Storms (Devotion Pt.1) below – and if that’s too your liking, why not try their new album out for size, here.

Something for the Weekend: New Music Playlist #30

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After a couple of weeks absence, ‘Something for the Weekend’ returns with a relatively short Spotify playlist featuring some of the finest new music to prick my ears over the course of past while.

Clocking in at just over an hour, it’s an easily digestible slice of new music, just in time for the weekend. There’s a nice mix of genres and styles too, allowing me to share even more crackin’ tunes. Well, without further ado, here’s #30 – Something for the Weekend: New Music Playlist. Get stuck into the tunes & enjoy the weekend!

You can follow me on Spotify here.