The National are blessed with a dedicated Irish fanbase, who were out in force to greet the Brooklyn-based outfit on this, the second of their three nights at The Olympia.
With easily the most intriguing single title of the fortnight (did the shoes misbehave or did they just not fit properly?), Irish band Stagger Lee make a promising debut with ‘Bad Shoes’. Dark, sultry and slightly frightening, both the song and lead singer Donna McCabe’s voice impress.
And This Voice Became is made up of just two people, Mark on guitar and Paul on drums. They name-check Damien Rice and Fionn Regan as influences. Although ‘Devil’s Hand’ takes a while to get into the swing of things, it is ultimately an impressive composition.
Following their recent set at Oxegen, Pigeon Detectives latest single is ‘Take Her Back’. The track comes from the Yorkshire group’s already critically acclaimed debut Wait For Me. Engaging and fast-paced it may be but, alas, the track does not stand the test of repeated listening.
The optimistic title of this track almost sets itself up for failure, but in this case ‘Something Beautiful’ is a fitting tribute. This is vintage Sinéad, her distinctive voice still soaring although it sounds more world-weary than before. ‘Something Beautiful’ has a sacred air and the lyrics are laced with religious imagery (befitting of an album named Theology) but it is not so overtly religious that it suffocates the magic.
YouTube is probably not a favourite of Akon’s these days considering that some of his more controversial acts in concert have been captured for posterity (or notoriety) on the website. When he’s not throwing fans into crowds, Akon can usually be relied upon to throw down some competent tunes. But the tired ‘Mama Africa,’ a tribute to his birthplace Senegal, just isn’t one of them. Taken from his album Konvicted, it fails to make any lasting impression.
Despite the thematic similarities, Mika’s ‘Big Girl You Are Beautiful’ is no ‘Fat-Bottomed Girls’ but I’m sure that won’t halt the ill-deserved Freddie Mercury comparisons. In saying that, lyrics like “You take your girl, and you multiply by four/now a whole lotta woman needs a whole lotta more” would make any stone-faced critic laugh and this record is great fun. But it’s not likely to set the world on fire.
Irish electronica group Electric Penguin’s promise has been lauded by Hot Press reviewers in the past, and I can only reinforce their high praise. ‘Goodbye Supergirl’ is a sublime piece of electro-pop from the band who are allegedly named after the password to one of Paul McCartney’s ‘60s houses. ‘Goodbye Supergirl’ narrowly loses out to O’Rourke’s ‘Big Bad Beautiful World’ as single of the fortnight.
Currently holding the British and Irish charts hostage with the irrepressible ‘Umbrella’, the Bahamian’s ‘Shut Up And Drive’, while less appealing, is unlikely to halt her chart domination. The song is rockier than previous offerings, and although her voice starts to grate, you have to give the girl credit for the sheer range of car-themed sexual innuendoes she manages to pack in.
Singer Stephen M’s past in Rollerskate Skinny is nearly always referred to in articles about The Radio. And now the band have something else to add to their biog: the inclusion of ‘Whatever Gets You Through Today’ on the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack. The Radio’s second single ‘Manmade’ from their second album Charm Offensive is a fantastic upbeat song, and should repeat the commercial success of ‘Whatever...’.
Although you shouldn’t judge a single by the design of the record cover, The Flaw’s decision to go with a yellow Lego man in a little Lego set was well-advised, as it will doubtlessly appeal to people’s sense of nostalgia. All style and no substance? Not at all. The Monaghan group have hit the target with ‘1981’. A very strong pop-punk record that only improves on repeat listens. In other words: an anthem in the making.
Beating off strong competition from the Electric Penguins and The Flaws, Single Of The Fortnight goes to O’Rourke’s haunting ‘Big Bad Beautiful World’. O’Rourke’s effortlessly deep voice is captivating, and if this track is any measure of his forthcoming album, then we are in for a treat come August.
As Harry Potter devotees around the world descended on bookstores to devour the final novel in the saga, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Hot Press joined fans in Dublin for the tome’s midnight launch.
This June Bank Holiday weekend saw the second annual incarnation of the Europavox Festival, which aspires to “materialize European identity through music”.
