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MAP: 22 tracks of ‘Ireland’

February, sadly, was the very last edition of long-standing global music project Music Alliance Pact, for which I’m really proud to have represented Ireland for the last three years or so. Scottish-based blogger The Pop Cop has decided to fold his blog after a decade, and as the project coordinator, taken MAP – which was undoubtedly a heavy monthly workload – with him.

It’s been an absolute pleasure listening to some of the stuff that’s come up over the last few years: few things liven up a weeknight like a carefully curated dose of Indonesian pop punk, Mexican trance or South Korean indie. There are well over two dozen entries from MAP to be found elsewhere on this blog, featuring all the international content (hundreds of tracks a year). Before I took it on, Ireland was also represented by Nialler9 and Harmless Noise.

These things can’t go on forever, but it’s been a huge pleasure putting together this stuff over the last few years, so in a little nod to that, here are most of the songs – the ones I’m free to post – that have represented Ireland under my watch. Thanks to every one of the acts for taking part…

Music Alliance Pact: February 2016

music alliance pact

We’re coming up to the 25th track I’ll have posted as ‘Ireland’ on Music Alliance Pact, and I must admit I’m still really quite besotted with this as a concept. Naturally, many music-lovers are hooked on a combination of big acts, hype bands and the best of our local scene, and what I find so great about MAP is that it’s like having those eyes on a local scene that isn’t yours (and for me, the local scene – the acts I watch develop before my eyes – are the ones I care about most). MAP is rammed full of small-time gems that probably don’t operate on a big marketing budget (by their very nature, they probably wouldn’t be posted here if they did), and with many of the selectors running music blogs that operate with way more dedication and regularity than my own, there’s some serious quality to be found (so if you haven’t downloaded one yet, do – there’s nothing in it for me apart from getting pleasure in other people hearing how great some of these tracks are).

My choice this time around is a rare case of a band contacting me (I hear from a lot of bands and PR, but most emails – for obvious practical reasons – go unanswered), and my loving what I heard – in the past I’ve almost exclusively chased down bands myself to feature here. I don’t know a whole lot about Tuath, and I don’t speak the language (Irish) that a lot of their music is in. As it happens, the track they’ve offered up for MAP doesn’t contain any Irish anyway, but go and check out some of their other material here, too, as it’s exceptionally listenable even to someone who doesn’t understand a word.

Of course, there’s the usual hour-plus listening from around the globe, too. Download away…

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 16-track compilation through Dropbox here.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
TuathCasting Shadows Over Sun (Shammen Delly remix)
Typically an Irish language post-punk act, what makes this locally-leaning remix from Tuath interesting is in part that it’s so atypical of them. A remix of fellow Donegal act Shammen Delly, this is an atmospheric bit of slow-building, fuzzy electronica that is decidedly not post-punk. Fortunately, it offers great evidence that Robert Mulhern is not a man to be pigeonholed, once again exploring rhythm and texture, simply through an entirely different medium.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
RosalJohn
Rosal are one of our all-time favorite bands from Buenos Aires. Led by singer Maria Ezquiaga, they have been around since 2002 delivering indie-pop gems with fine arrangements and catchy lyrics, such as John, a track from their first album. Rosal just released La Musica Es Mi Eje, which features live versions from their five albums and some great covers.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
The DelicatesChimera
Exactly the type of song you’d expect to hear come out of Australia in the middle of our long, hot southern summer. The Delicates are five wallflowers from the Gold Coast who play soothing, understated jangle surf-pop with a hint of the type of melancholy that you only get from bands born outside the hustle and bustle of a major metropolis. Chimera will drift in and out of your headphones without much of a fuss but not without leaving you feeling a little lighter in the process.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Rodrigo OgiAventureiro
Aventureiro is the opening track from RÁ!, one of the most acclaimed Brazilian albums of 2015. Rodrigo Ogi raps about life in São Paulo, its challenges and experiences. For those who do not speak Portuguese this track speaks for itself with its strong beats and flow.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
P’ARISFocus
The identity of P’ARIS is currently unknown but one thing is for sure, they know how to write a pop jam. This totally channels the essence of fellow Canadians Tegan and Sara.

Music Alliance Pact: January 2016

music alliance pact

I’ll ‘fess up: this month, for the first time in almost exactly two years running MAP for Ireland, I was too disorganised (post-Christmas mayhem combined with a new job!) to get a track together. Of course, that’s no reason not to post the glorious selection of tracks put together by my colleagues around the world for your listening pleasure – download away.

Next month’s entry, you’ll might be pleased to hear, is already all set. Until then, dig in…

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 15-track compilation through Dropbox here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Sebastián KramerAbsolutos Principiantes
2016 started with sad news about the passing of rock legend David Bowie, so we thought it would be a good time to share this cover of Absolute Beginners. It was recorded 10 years ago by Sebastián Kramer, former member of Jaime Sin Tierra, for a Bowie tribute album by independent netlabel Licor de Mono. Long live the Thin White Duke!

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
White LodgeBleach Coma
Brisbane four-piece White Lodge have been busy the last few years, touring Taiwan with acclaimed Taipei-based band Forests, and supporting the likes of The Growlers and Thee Oh Sees on tour. Their latest single, Bleach Coma, serves up equal parts Brylcreem, surf scuzz and a dose of relentless psych-garage peddling. When artful balladry or an experimental noise opus just doesn’t cut it, White Lodge proves you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to have a good time.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Elza SoaresMaria Da Vila Matilde
Maria Da Vila Matilde is one of the strongest tracks on A Mulher Do Fim Do Mundo, the acclaimed album released by Elza Soares in 2015. At 78 years old, this is her 34th album. This song has an experimental approach of samba, rock and jazz, and lyrics about a woman rising against domestic violence.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
MerivalA Better Deal
First Rate People’s Anna Horvath is releasing solo music under the moniker Merival. You may recognize her voice from Swim Good’s song Since U Asked, which was featured in Ryan Hemsworth’s label Secret Songs and remixed by Star Slinger a while back. Now swing back with the gorgeous folk tune A Better Deal.

CHILE: Super 45
Oso El RotoOrdenacion
To define Oso El Roto in a musical genre may be problematic. At the same time, it’s one of the best indications that we have something interesting on our hands. In Ekeko, his most recent record, Oso El Roto aka David Loayza is loyal to his own lo-fi style, developed during the 90s, which is characterized by absurdity, madness and childishness, and all amplified in his bizarre live shows. Ordenacion (featuring Dadalú) is brand new for 2016.

Music Alliance Pact: October 2015

music alliance pact

This month’s Music Alliance Pact is a welcome back for me, to one of Ireland’s most underrated artists. Owensie has been seriously quiet over the last couple of years, so much so that it took new track ‘Dramamine’ to remind me of just how slurringly beautiful and emotionally evocative his music can be.

Download the track below, alongside 17 more that you’ll almost certainly not have heard before. Why wouldn’t you!

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 18-track compilation through Dropbox here.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
OwensieDramamine
After more than three years tucked away from the eyes of the Irish music scene, dream-pop artist Owensie returns with Dramamine, a trippy ode to a motion sickness drug. The track features Conor O’Brien of Villagers and comes ahead of a third album of the same title that’s seemed an extremely long time in the making. One for watching the world drift by outside your window.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Fabiana Cantilo y Fer IsellaViernes 3 AM
In 2009 the Argentine goverment published several declassified official documents produced during the dictatorships that ruled the country from 1962-1982. One of these documents is titled “Songs whose lyrics are considered not fit to be played by broadcast services” and it includes compositions by all kinds of Argentine and foreign artists. Canciones Prohibidas is a compilation with 16 versions of these censured songs. For MAP we selected Viernes 3 AM, originally by Argentine rock living legend Charly Garcia, here recorded by (also legendary singer) Fabiana Cantilo on vocals and producer Fer Isella on piano.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Fresh KillsThe People
At The Drive-In is the first association any rock connoisseur will make with this 90-second post-punk melodrama. It’s all energy and emotion without the slightest hint of pretension. The song is chaotic and at times confusing without a single comprehensible lyric (go on, try to figure out what the hell they’re saying) but that’s exactly the charm of this south Australian band.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Rodrigo CamposKatsumi
Rodrigo Campos, a prolific name in São Paulo’s contemporary music scene, has just released his third solo album, Conversas Com Toshiro, which is influenced by Japanese culture. Katsumi is a good opening gate to his work.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
HarrisonSorry
Toronto producer Harrison beeps and blips his way into a sweet apology with his latest track, Sorry.

Music Alliance Pact: September 2015

music alliance pact

I’m constantly amazed at the calibre of acts that agree to feature on MAP for me, and this year has been a particularly spectacular one. I never feature a track I don’t love, of course, but Bitch Falcon (last month) and this month’s pick, Overhead, The Albatross would rank as my top two rising acts in Ireland right now, and I’m incredibly proud to be able to host their songs. 

I think even the band would happily accept they’ve kept us waiting (and titillated – the live shows are phenomenal), for the first single from their album for a long, long time. In fact, recording got underway in the Czech Republic way back before I had contemplated being a dad. My little lad now walks, talks and demands with the best of them.

There’s a nice cliche around here that fits this band, though: “good things come to those who wait”. It was worth it. Now any chance of an album I can send everyone I know for Christmas, lads? Dig in, below…

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 18-track compilation through Dropbox here.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
Overhead, The AlbatrossBig River Man
Having forged a reputation as a truly stunning live band, Overhead, The Albatross have finally unveiled the first single from their long-awaited debut album, out shortly. Big River Man is about Slovenian distance swimmer Martin Strel and contains the band’s usual swirling guitars and complex, beguiling layering. It’s loud yet nuanced, jagged yet melodic, and entirely instrumental. You need to hear it.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
ArgonautasPerfecto
With a career that spans more than 20 years, this independent prog-rock band from Ramos Mejia, a Buenos Aires suburb, performed a couple of shows last month after being inactive for quite some time. So we thought it was a great opportunity to share this fine track from Argonautas’ third album, also called Perfecto.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Jack ColwellDon’t Cry Those Tears
On his latest EP, Only When Flooded Could I Let Go, classically trained musician Jack Colwell blends the popular and the arcane to stunning effect. He has a grand vision and the chops to pull it off, creating compositions that dabble in everything from chamber-pop to doo-wop. Don’t Cry Those Tears, a tribute to 60s pop, brings together strings, organ and a small choir with the seamlessness of a jigsaw puzzle. As a vocalist Colwell is often compared to Nick Cave and Patrick Wolf, and his performance on Don’t Cry Those Tears is an expert balance of melodrama and levity. He is undoubtedly an artist to keep your eye on.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
EmicidaMandume
Brazil’s most famous rapper, Emicida, has just released a new album in which he explores themes about urban life in his homeland, mixing it with African rhythms. In Mandume, he’s surrounded by a group of new Brazilian MCs: Drik Barbosa, Amiri, Rico Dalasam, Muzzike and Raphao Alaafin.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
MiekeSleeping Alone
You may recognize Elissa Mielke (aka Mieke) as the model in The Weeknd and Drake’s video for The Zone, but she has her own thing going on. Her goosebump-inducing single Sleeping Alone reminds us all that there are worse things in the world than being alone.

Music Alliance Pact: August 2015

music alliance pact

This month, I took the chance to accompany the recent released GoldenPlec Magazine with the cover artists (who, perhaps inevitably, I really love), Bitch Falcon. I’d actually asked to use this grungy three-piece for MAP over a year ago, back before the actually had a track sorted for me to use. They’ve kindly granted permission now as our new cover stories, offering new single TMJ, which is a melodic banger of a rock track. There’s a whole lot more to check out below, of course. Dig in…

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 17-track compilation through Dropbox here.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
Bitch FalconTMJ
TMJ is the third single from highly-rated, grungy Dublin trio Bitch Falcon, who are taking the Irish capital’s sticky-floored corners by storm. Named after the temporomandibular joint (which joins the jaw to the rest of the skull), it’s poppy and melodic by this particular act’s standards, but nevertheless appropriately face-melting. One to pump up the bass on and let their rhythms pummel the base of your soles. Bitch Falcon are one of the most promising rock acts that Ireland has produced this decade.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Julieta y Los EspíritusEl Látigo (Modex remix)
This is a song from the new project of Julieta Brotsky (aka July Sky). It’s not the original version from the album, but a great remix released a couple of weeks ago by post-punk band Modex. Julieta’s beautiful voice can also be heard on several tracks by indie-pop band Entre Ríos, and in Varias Artistas, the female ensemble put together by singer-songwriter Lucas Marti.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
These GuyComing Around
Brisbane trio These Guy was originally the solo project of singer and multi-instrumentalist Joe Saxby. Latest track Coming Around combines the lofty vocals and downer lyrics of Saxby’s earlier work. Along with buoyant pop production, the result is a track that’s interesting at every turn. The absence of any kind of rhythm guitar leaves Saxby’s vocals and synth-fiddling to carry the melodic weight of the track. Coming Around is a testament to Saxby’s ear for off-kilter production and hopefully points to a more experimental/avant-pop future for These Guy.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Pequeno CéuQuatro
Post-rock six-piece Pequeno Céu started as a solo project some years ago before releasing their first album as a band in 2014. Pequeno Céu differs from other math/post-rock ensembles because of the Brazilian influences and simplicity of their short instrumental songs, such as Quatro. For fans of BADBADNOTGOOD, Hurtmold and Tortoise.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
MaunoReeling
Experimental shapeshifters Mauno (pronounced mao-no) reel you in with their off-kilter pop tunes. The Halifax group is unafraid to test you with their strange sounds.

Music Alliance Pact: July 2015

music alliance pact

Every so often someone sends me a track that I simply can’t get out of my head. I end up interviewing the artist, playing them on the radio and generally extolling their virtues in a way that’s possibly a little bit over the top, but hey, that’s part of loving music, right?

This month’s MAP offering is just such a track, by Aine Duffy. You’ll have to scroll down all of one post to find an interview I did with Aine a few weeks back; she has a fantastic voice, a great eye for videos and one of the most interesting song writing styles I’ve come across in pop (or at least a vaguely pop-like bent) in a very long time. I think she’s going to go big, so why not introduce her to the world a little?

Get a free download of Aine’s biggest single to date, ‘Won’t Go’ and fifteen other tracks from around the world, below.

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 16-track compilation through Dropbox here.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
Áine DuffyWon’t Go
Won’t Go is the lead single from With Bells On, the debut album by sublime Cork indie/power-pop singer Áine Duffy. Duffy’s just starting out, but has already picked up passionate fans in the United States and Switzerland. She’s all set to take Ireland by storm, starting with the stomping emotional melodies of this hook-laden piece of pop brilliance.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Blito y Los IntermitentesA Donde Vas
Blito y Los Intermitentes released their debut album, Nada, independently this year. Led by singer-songwriter Blito Dojtman, the band’s sound usually starts in acoustic form and then takes different paths through rock, pop and even tango. If you like A Donde Vas, you can download the whole album from Bandcamp.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
AustraliaWho R U?
Contrary to popular belief, winter exists in Australia. Escaping from the cold is easy – we turn to home brewing and gregarious electro-pop. Australia (the band) are striding in the same disco patriotism line of outfits like Total Giovanni and Client Liaison. Cue the energetic side-strut – it’s all anthemic beats and Roxy Music guitar frills in view here. Unless you’re allergic to having a good time, it’s hard not to like this track. The Sydney trio’s debut album, Portraits Of People, Places And Movies, is out in August.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
Men I TrustAgain (feat. Ghostly Kisses)
Montreal electronic collective Men I Trust collaborated with Ghostly Kisses in a beautiful electronic-infused ballad called Again. Local collaborations are huge here in Canada and this one is just so perfect.

CHILE: Super 45
Alejandro ZahlerWaltz Número 7
Instrumental, dreamlike and atmospheric music is what Alejando Zahler does. His first album has a charming, homey, kind sound. The musician and producer played all the instruments (guitars, synths, bass, among others) and recorded the tracks at AZT Estudios. Not wanting to play the album live has made this project even more personal.

Music Alliance Pact: June 2015

music alliance pact

Here’s June’s splurge of free-to-download bounty, another heap of international releases certain to give you a new gem or two from some unheralded corner of the globe. Of course, I’m only responsible for my own little niche: Ireland. If you want to know about this month’s choice, Niwel Tsumbu and his new act RiZA, you only need to skip down to the next post, which is a full interview with the Congolese native on just what makes him and African music in Ireland in general tick. Grab the taster first, though, as the man’s pure class…

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 20-track compilation through Dropbox here.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
RiZA feat. Niwel TsumbuKabembe
As an Irish-based guitarist with Congolese roots, Niwel Tsumbu is a superbly original artist drawing on a stunning array of influences. Kabembe blends central African rhythms and lingala language lyrics with an emotive tale of the day Tsumbu found out his daughter is not his biological relation. RiZA, Tsumbu’s newest outlet, feature the best Irish-African music has to offer and already look set to make waves.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Ciudadano TotoEsta Canción
Last month Argentina’s independent music scene mourned the sudden death of Adrián Nievas, aka Ciudadano Toto, lead singer of electro-pop group Adicta. An all-time favorite of Zonaindie, Adicta was perhaps one of the most underrated bands of the last decade, so if you never listened to them you deserve to (all their albums are one click away). This month’s MAP song is a home-recorded cover version of Cuban legend Silvio Rodríguez that he used to open his recent solo concerts. Sophomore album Flores, Brillos y Arcoiris was released just a couple of months ago). RIP.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
BicentennialSleeper Train
Hailing from Marrickville, a suburb in Sydney’s warehouse district, Bicentennial (Jess Cooper) writes and produces dark but delicate soundscapes layered underneath reverberated chant-like vocals. She cites backpacking around the globe as a major inspiration to her music, which is easy to see in this track’s title with any remaining inspiration coming from her white pet parrot Jai-Chai, whom she claims is never far from her shoulder.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
CíceroIsabel (Carta De Um Pai Aflito)
This song is from Cícero’s third album, A Praia, released a few months ago. Its lyrics are about a father regretting the loss of his daughter, who left home to experience life. The album has elements of traditional indie-rock and Brazilian popular music, usually referred to as MPB.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
Mallory ScottLevitate
Mallory Scott’s electro-pop creeps into the deep crevices of the night, but in his latest track Levitate the beats also seep deep into your soul and the melodies into your consciousness.