ZOMBIES ATTACK The undead arrive in Kilkenny
DUE NORTH Crossing the border to Derry & Belfast
WHAT THE BUCK A visit to the famous Buckfast Abbey
REVIEWS Le Galaxie, Bell X1, Foreign Slippers & more
Climb 4 4 highest mountains in the 4 Provinces of Ireland over 4 different weekends Your challenge Due to the success of our first Climb 4 Concern challenge we are back to summit the highest mountain in each province in Ireland over 4 different weekends.
What we are doing From March through to September you will be able to climb the highest mountains in Leinster, Munster, Connacht & Ulster. Have you ever climbed: Leinster’s highest mountain Lugnaquillia? Munster’s highest mountain Carrauntoohil? Connacht’s highest mountain Mweelrea? or Ulster’s highest mountain Sliabh Donard? Or have you ever considered climbing all four?
Are you ready? Our 4 summits are: Mweelrea Co Mayo 31 March 2012 Height 814m - CLOSED Sliabh Donard Co Down 12 May 2012 Height 850m Lugnaquillia Co Wicklow 23 June 2012 Height 925m Carrauntoohil Co Kerry 15 September 2012 Height 1040m
Fundraising To secure your place on the challenge you must pay the non refundable deposit of €25 per climb or €80 for all 4 climbs. We are asking for a fundraising target of €50 to be raised for Mweelrea, Lugnaquilla and Sliabh Donard and a target of €100 to be raised for Carauntoohil (€250 for all 4 events). Money is to be given on the day of the event. For more information please click on our fact sheet here
Make a difference Last year we raised a staggering €45,000 for our work in the developing world. Can you help us to exceed that target? Register for one or all 4 climbs and join in the fun. To find out more about our work please visit www.concern.net
To find out more about this, or any of the Concern events that take place throughout the year, visit www.concernchallenge.org
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IRELAND’S FREE ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE www.wewilldecode.com ISSUE 1.04
ZOMBIES ATTACK The undead arrive in Kilkenny
NORTHERN EXPOSURE Crossing the border on holiday this summer
OUR COMIC HEROES Exploring the silver screen & graphic novels
REVIEWS Le Galaxie, Bell X1, Foreign Slipper
“I always thought of the zombies as being about revolution, one generation consuming the next.” - George A. Romero, writer and director, Night Of The Living Dead, 1968
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Editor’s Letter We’ve heard a lot about shades of grey recently; it’s a shame so much of it’s in reference to badly written Twilight fan fiction. Areas of ambiguity – topics of debate open to unique personal perspective – are something certain groups seem determined to decide for us. Later in the ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ trilogy, the lead character becomes pregnant. She’s terrified, but abortion is never mentioned as an option. That, of course, is her personal choice to make, but pro-life group Youth Defence want to push that view on all women, regardless of circumstance. In cases of rape, in cases where childbirth would kill mother and/ or baby, and in any other scenario you care to mention, their absolute stance remains the same. Through their extensive billboard series, they’re being allowed to push a toxic, “one size fits all” abortion agenda publically, on all age groups. Some things are black and white: we can probably all agree that gender, race and sexuality-based discrimination are wrong. Many others are not so clear. The sooner extreme interest groups realize that society at large is made up of far more than just those fifty shades – that circumstances can and should overwhelm simplistic moral absolutes, regardless of general perspective – the more accepting our society will become. James Hendicott three
Grant Nicholas of Welsh altrockers Feeder who play the Indiependence Music & Arts Festival in Mitchelstown, Cork, this August bank holiday weekend. Feeder line out alongside Jape, Japanese Popstars, The Frank and Walters and Delorentos, to name but some of the acts.
Photo: Kieran Frost
To get the full festival lineup check out indiependencefestival.com
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The De\Code Team: Steven O’Rourke: Managing Director/Editor James Hendicott: Managing Director/Editor Claire Dalton: Music Editor Elaine Kirwan: Arts Editor Eoghan O’Sullivan: Subeditor Ken McGuire: Production and Design Kevin Donnellan: Featured Columnist Kieran Frost: Photography Editor
Contents 6 Eleveight
Our top events for the coming month
8 50 Shades Of Shite
Contributors: Stephen Byrne
Buying books is great, but why this one?
Advertising Enquiries: Steven O’Rourke (086) 3653118 wewilldecode@gmail.com
A look at some of Ireland’s top cheese makers
De\Code magazine is trademarked worldwide. All work is copyrighted to the author or artists. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reporduced without permission from the publisher. Published by Steven O’Rourke and James Hendicott trading as Hendicott O’Rourke Publishing. De\Code Magazine c\o Flat 6 20 Lower Dorset Street Dublin 1 wewilldecode@gmail.com www.wewilldecode.com Distributed by Hendicott O’Rourke Publishing. Information correct at time going to print.
9 Say Cheese
10 Have A Nice Day
Elaine Kirwan talks all things art and craft with Ruth Crean
12 They Won’t Stay Dead
Ken McGuire explores the making of Night Of The Living Dead, debuting this month
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18 Dark Matter
Claire Dalton talks to Laura Sheeran to find out what makes her tick
20 Holding Out For A Hero
Elaine Kirwan explores superheroes on the silver screen
22 The Buckfast Pilgrimage James Hendicott travels to the homeland of one of Ireland’s favourite tipples
26 Reviews
The latest Irish and International music given the once-over by the De\Code team
15 Northern Exposure
Steven O’Rourke packs his bags and heads north to explore the far side of the border five
Eleveight Our pick of June’s arts and culture events 3
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PhotoIreland Festival Dublin city & environs 1 - 31 July 2012.photoireland.org Now in its third year, the PhotoIreland Festival celebrates unique and innovative Irish photography. Through Migrations: Diaspora and Cultural Identity, this year’s theme explores issues of losing, rebuilding, defending and examining one’s own cultural identity.
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Tujacques album launch Workman’s Club, Dublin 12 July tujaques.bandcamp.com Drawing musical inspiration from the rhythm and blues of the Bayou, Tujacques (pronounced ‘two jacks’) premiere their debut album full of country, gospel and soul this month. The band, fronted by Matthew Causey, features members of well known Irish bands.
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Exit Festival Novi Sad, Serbia 12 - 15 July exitfest.org Building a reputation as one of Europe’s finest festivals, Exit returns this year with a star-studded lineup including Gun N’Roses, Wolfmother, New Order and, bizarrely, Duran Duran. The smaller stages feature the likes of Suicidal Tendencies and Plan B.
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ISAF World Youth Sailing Championships Dun Laoghaire/Dublin Bay 12 - 21 July dublinbay2012.com Sailors between the ages of 16 and 19 descend on Dublin Bay for the first ever Irishbased World Youth Sailing Championships, accompanied by an onshore festival that’ll hit its heights during the first weekend. You’ll even be able to try a sail yourself off Dun Laoghaire harbour’s Carlisle Pier.
Photo 1: Maurice Gunning, Encuentroâ A Gathering. Photographs of the Argentine Irish Diaspora, 2008-2010
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Galway Arts Festival Galway 16 - 29 July galwayartsfestival.com From music to theatre, comedy to street performance, Galway has it all. This year’s music strand features performances from the likes of James Vincent McMorrow and Lisa Hannigan while Police Academy’s Michael Winslow headlines the comedy strand.
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Vodafone Comedy Festival Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 26 - 29 July vodafonecomedy.com Tommy Tiernan, Reginald Hunter, Jason Byrne and Ardal O’Hanlon all feature alongside street performers and gourmet food at Vodafone’s annual chuckle-themed shindig. With the right weather, this is the stuff sublime, memorable summer nights are made of. Around €28 per gig.
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Indiependence Festival Michelstown, Co.
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The Beast Of Ballyhoura Cork and Cork surroundings 3 - 5 August 3 - 6 August indiependencefestival.com beastofballyhoura.com of racing Cork’s annual festival 280km offering has become through Cork, Tipperary known for its intimate and Limerick as part and fun-loving of teams of four. ‘The atmosphere as well as Beast’ is in its fifth year an array of top-notch and centres around Irish and international a 36-hour, non-stop acts. This year 2 Many charge on foot, bike and DJs, Feeder, Scroobius by kayak, also taking in Pip and British Sea abseiling, orienteering Power join Ireland’s and shooting. You’ll finest. Weekend tickets need a mixed team of a bargain €99. four, at €600 for the team.
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Fifty shades of shite While Steven O’Rourke is delighted to hear people are buying books again, there are so many things to hate about Fifty Shades of Grey, it’s difficult to know where to begin When I first heard my friend talking about how great Fifty Shades of Grey was last month, I felt conflicted. Firstly, I was delighted she’d finally taken my recommendation to read Jasper Fforde’s vision of a future Britain ruled not by democracy but by a colourtocracy full of pantone politics. However, even after reading it, she’d gotten the name wrong. Then she explained how Fifty Shades of Grey was an entirely different book. For those of you who don’t know, Fifty Shades of Grey is the first of a trilogy of books by EL James and has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Originally based on (and I NEVER thought I’d write these words in De\Code) Bella and Edward from the Twilight trilogy, the book centres on the ‘relationship’ between multimillionaire entrepreneur Christian Grey and journalist Anastasia Steele. I say relationship when actually I mean Miss Steele (as Grey annoyingly calls her throughout the novel) is approached to sign a contract agreeing to be his submissive sex slave. The way all great romances start. Now, when the least offensive thing about an ‘erotic’ novel is that it’s based on a children’s book (and don’t tell me Twilight is for adults), you know you’re in trouble. For a start, James’s writing is as dull and repetitive as a Travel Advisor review written by the hotel staff. I lost count of the number of times Anastasia bit her bottom lip and, for a character described as quick witted, well read, beautiful and intelligent, she is interminably dull. Maybe that’s the point? Maybe she’s supposed to be so devoid of personality that any woman can easily slot themselves into her character. Maybe I’m giving eight
James too much credit. Then we get to the sex. Now, I don’t claim to be any expert when it comes to writing sex scenes but, honestly, I’ve been more aroused reading the instruction manual on a piece of IKEA flatpack furniture. The biggest problem with Fifty Shades of Grey, however, is that, despite the fact it’s written for women, it appears to hate women. The main character is afraid to call her vagina by its anatomically correct name (referring to it as ‘down there’) and then there’s the whole domination/ submission element that permeates the entire book, not just the sex scenes. James seems to be telling us that, secretly, all women want to be hurt. That’s a myth the porn industry has been trying to peddle for years. The Fifty Shades of Grey readers were the ones who correctly called them out on this. The only difference I can see is that, in this book, the domineering, borderline abusive male character is slowly reformed into a caring, loving person. This is just as false a premise as claiming all women crave sexual pain. That said, unlike actual pornography, nobody had to fuck a stranger to pay the rent. That, however, is the only difference between Fifty Shades of Grey and traditional pornography. Wrap it up in the ‘mommy-porn’ genre if you like, it’s still porn. Of course, you should never discover all these problematic elements. The opening paragraphs should tell you the million monkeys with the million typewriters are getting no closer to Shakespeare. It’s great that you’re buying books, world. Just buy better ones. Trust me, they are out there.
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Say cheese Blessed are the cheesemakers, says Ken McGuire, who takes a look at some of Ireland’s award-winning independent cheese producers Last month I had a wicked sweet tooth, this month I’ve got a fridge full of cheese. Go figure. When it comes to the world of artisan foods, Ireland very much holds its own. I would hazard that you wouldn’t have to travel more than a half hour in any direction from where you’re reading De\Code now to find a cheese producer and when it comes to producing cheese, we produce some of the best around. Take for example Knockdrinna Farmhouse Cheese in my native Kilkenny. Helen Finnegan has been making cheese in Stoneyford since 2004 utilising cows’ milk, sheep milk and goats’ milk, with the hard work paying off in spades in 2011 as the Knockdrinna team won the Supreme Champion award at the annual British Cheese Awards for their Kilree Goats Cheese. My pick of the range is definitely the Knockdrinna Snow. Take a spin down to Waterford and you’ll find Knockanore Farmhouse Cheese, who offer a plain red or white, oakwood smoked, or black pepper and chive cheese among their range. A familyrun business that started over two decades ago, Knockanore produce the bulk of their cheese with full cream cows milk from the Lonergan Pedigree Fresian herd. Most recently they’ve added the 2011 Irish Cheese Award for smoked cheese (any milk) to their long list of accolades. Head west to Coolea, Co. Cork, and you’ll find the mountain farm of Dick and Sinead Willems who again use 100% cows’ milk in their production of Coolea Cheese. Their best known cheese, the Coolea Matured (Gouda) took the Best Matured Gouda at the World Cheese Awards in 2008. Journey back along the M8 towards Tipperary and you’ll find Cooleney Farm, whose Darú cheese I’m
quite fond of. Cooleney’s Farmhouse Cheese is the base of the line, available in both a raw milk and pasteurised milk version. While the Darú goes down a treat at Chéz McGuire, Cooleney’s Gortnamona is a mild, creamy goats cheese that as it happens - can be preserved quite well in the freezer. As an alternative, seek out their hard goats cheese, Gleann Óir. Their website at Cooleney.com also comes with suggested wine pairings to match each of their cheese line. So why all the talk about cheese? As it goes, the Irish Cheese Awards are currently open for nominations, Marion Roelveld (pictured above) of Killeen Farmhouse Cheese the winner of last year’s Supreme Cheese award. The awards, run by SHOP in association with Sheridan’s Cheesemongers give the opportunity to Ireland’s local, artisan, independent cheese producers to go toe-to-toe with their neighbours and counterparts and take place this September 25-27. The deadline for submissions is 31 August and you can get yours (or prompt your local maker) in online at easyfairs.com/SHOP. nine
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Have a nice day Elaine Kirwan returns to her native Limerick to talk all things art and craft with Nice Day Designs’ Ruth Crean
This month, I brought the Art of Craft back to my hometown of Limerick for a chat with the designer Ruth Crean. Owner of the Nice Day Designs, Ruth has dabbled in many different disciplines such as paper crafts, graphic design, digital art, theatre design, painting, photography and most recently fashion, making her one of the city’s finest and most creative crafters. I spoke to Ruth about her beautiful designs, her craft popup shop project and why she has her feet firmly rooted in Limerick’s soil. Ruth, you were a student in Limerick School of Art and Design. When did it come apparent to you that the next step from studying was to open your own business? It was actually as early as third year in school that I realised that I would probably start my own business at some point; that’s why I chose business as a Leaving Cert topic. It was a mixture of realising how bad I was at taking orders from other people and also being very head strong and wanting to pursue my own goals. But it wasn’t till I was out of college about three years that I realised that having exhibitions was not really going to pay the bills, and to get out of doing low-paid, boring, part-time jobs something had to change. Have you always been a creative person? Yes, from a very young age I was always trying to keep up with my older siblings, even my ten
brother who is 12 years my senior; I was always painting or drawing. My mum made a lot of our clothes and furnishings for the house, so that’s where the craft side came from. I never really saw a distinction between the two; an issue that became difficult when studying fine art. I really threw myself into it in my teens, and used art to
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keep myself sane. My parents always knew I was going to art college. Where do you get the inspiration and ideas for your pieces? Usually I am inspired by the material itself, by its possibilities and limitations. Whether it’s shrink plastic, buttons, or felt I try to look at how far that material can be pushed. I tend to stumble upon new material online or in my local craft shop, I spend a while prototyping, and if I’m excited by the results then I decide to start a new line. At heart I’m an illustrator so a lot of my work has a colourful playful quality, so the types of material that allow me to express that are the ones I’m drawn to. You are also a fashion designer, and transform second-hand pieces into designer wear that you sell both in boutiques and online. Have you always had an interest in fashion? What designers do you admire? I have a strange relationship with fashion. I started upcycling clothes out of frustration with the fashion world and its seeming bias against women of all sizes. At the time I was bored with what was available in the high street, and when I looked to high-end brands they seemed to only cater to for willowy figures. I wanted to make clothes that were fun, exciting, affordable, and for people of all shapes and sizes. I love clothes, I see it as a day-to-day way of being playful and inventive; the spectacle of costume really appeals to me, and I try to bring this into my work. This is probably why designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Jean Paul Gautier tickle my fancy. I also like treating myself to Desigual and All Saints on the very rare occasion that I splash out. Is it important for you to represent your city in your work? I’m not actually from Limerick (I’m a Dublin/ Kildare hybrid that flew the coop at 18), so I have the zeal of the newly converted. I’m a great believer in being proactive; instead of sitting around moaning about what is missing from the city, I’m trying to do something about it. I’ve settled down here, so I want to put my energy into being part of the solution not the problem. For the past several months I’ve been heading a craft pop-up shop project, we just got the keys and we should be opening the doors on Sarsfield Street in a few weeks. I’m so happy to be working
with such a talented and enthusiastic group, and this shop is exactly what Limerick needs right now. Nice Day Designs was nominated in 2009 and 2010 for Best Irish Business Blog and was also featured on RTÉ’s Nationwide in 2009. How does it feel to have your designs and your work recognised in that way? To be honest, I was quite amazed. That was really early on in my business when I was just finding my feet. Since I started I’ve just kept the ball rolling, seeing where these opportunities have led me. I try to be as open and positive as I can about my own work, and to really engage in the craft community in Limerick and Ireland. Most of my good fortune has stemmed from these connections; it’s all about getting your name out there. It’s not something they teach you in college, but it’s been central to the success of my business. I jokingly call myself a media whore to my friends, but it’s kinda true! Read more about Ruth’s work and crafty life on www.nicedaydesigns.org, and find her on Etsy, Facebook and Twitter at the links listed below. Also, for further info on Ruth’s exciting upcoming Limerick pop up shop, visit www. limerickcraftanddesign.com. Useful Links http://www.etsy.com/shop/nicedaysupplies http://www.etsy.com/shop/nicedaydesigns http://www.facebook.com/nicedaydesigns http://twitter.com/nicedaydesigns eleven
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They won’t stay dead Night Of The Living Dead makes its Irish stage premiere in Kilkenny this month and Ken McGuire goes behind the scenes with Devious Theatre to discover why, and how It’s a typical June day. The sun is splitting the stones, people are flocking to the park and we’re seeing some absolutely glorious weather. Of course, given the kind of month we had for the European Championships, this is obviously June 2012 we’re talking about as it’s back then the planning for the Irish stage premiere of George A Romero’s cult classic Night Of The Living Dead began. Kilkenny’s Devious Theatre Company has been making “theatre with a twist” since 2006 so having teased audiences with nostalgic musical romance, cannibals, drug addicts, Scouse stag parties, whitefaced cops and robbers, dole queue jumpers, house parties, Shakespeare, Greek tragedies and everything in between, it seems only fitting that zombies fall into this year’s programme of theatre for the group. “The idea behind Night Of The Living Dead, was initially to do something with a really strong name value,” says director and co-writer John Morton. “It was really appealing to us that we could set it in Ireland and do a contemporary version of it. In the same way that Romero used his movies to do a certain amount of socio-political commentary, we could do the same thing with our version of it, in Ireland in 2012, while also at the same time have zombies eating people.” Fellow co-writer Connie Walsh reckons it’s down to human nature. “It’s us, as humans, having a twelve
fascination with the macabre and horrific things. There’s nothing more horrific than your loved ones dying and coming back to life to eat you,” she says. Work began on Night Of The Living Dead, which features a cast of 20 and a production crew of half
that again, during a theatrical residency offered by Kilkenny County Council’s Arts Office, dubbed In The Future When All’s Well. One of the strong points of development around the script was what would stay relevant to the story when transported to present day Ireland, all while relevant to Romero himself; what would change and what would stay the same? As it happens, the differences between Romero’s 1968 rural America and present day Ireland are quite similar. “The show looks at how in society it’s easy for people to absolutely rupture, and when something bad is happening, people find it very hard to turn themselves into any kind of cohesive force for change,” Morton offers. “In Ireland, that makes it very interesting given people drawing parallels between the country now and the country a hundred years ago when we were somewhat more revolutionary. Now, everyone is that bit more passive, apathetic and afraid of change. While it’s there in the original, you look at the Irish idea of something really bad has happened to us and we sit back and say, yes, it’s bad, there’s nothing we can do and so it gets worse, and worse, and worse to the point where you think it can’t get any worse, but it does. “The same goes for zombie scenarios in movies. There is likely a point where you could have stopped it, but then it just keeps getting worse and you know there’s no end.” It’s not to say that the company is politically motivated or charged, but it’s far from the first time that Devious Theatre has held a mirror up to society. It staged a season of Dario Fo works between 2010 and 2011 including Accidental Death Of An Anarchist and Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! with both productions harshly spotlighting the flaws in the Irish justice system and our broken economy. When asked about the key differences between Romero’s 1968 classic and this new stage adaptation, Morton says that “It’s not in black and white, and we don’t have a black protagonist which might piss some people off”. “Romero’s original movie was an allegory for the civil rights movement in the US, looking at how black people were treated in America and it was hugely progressive in dealing with those kind of issues, but in Ireland in 2012, it’s not an issue. What we’re going for is emigration, looking at its impact on the younger generations in Ireland, knowing that the government claim a certain
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Photos: Ross Costigan Photography / The Devious Theatre Company
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amount of it is going to happen anyway. Young people are having to get out of the country, leave their loved ones behind because they have no future prospects here. And that gets represented through the zombies - but we’re not calling them zombies. We’ve got plenty of ghouls.” While young people around the company and the country alike are losing faith in their future on Irish soil, there was no loss of faith in the future and development of the production, with a Fund It campaign having raised close on €5,000 after fees. All of this money, the company says, goes right into the production - from makeup to special effects, set design and construction, costumes, props and all the other vital ingredients a show of this scale needs. “Don’t sit in the front row. Maybe the first four rows,” I’m warned, as the group has been known to not hold on finer details when it comes to blood and gore, or fishing through pub toilets (on stage of course) for lost wares. “It’s an intense process, both for the actors and the production crew on this one. When you tell people that there are going to be zombies on stage - and there will be - then you have to thirteen
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deliver. We’ve got a team of makeup artists and model makers who are giving up their own time to add the impact to that delivery and we’ve been delighted with the results so far.” The YouTube trailer for the production borrows a line from one political party leader’s state of the nation addresses - “You are not responsible for this crisis.” “That’s what the play represents,” Morton claims. “Dress it up any way you like, Ireland is a country in crisis. Even up to last week there’s still trouble with
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the banks, people continually struggling to find work, unemployment on the rise, airports busier than ever with people leaving the country. It’s about a crisis that’s become bigger than any of us could have imagined, and how we look at dealing with that crisis.” “One thing I’m looking forward to,” he continues, “is the chance to direct a play where the core dynamic is a bunch of people in a room who hate each other.” “We’re pretty sure that this is the first time zombies - or ghouls - have been represented on Irish stage in such a manner. While it won’t be the last, we’re sure people won’t be disappointed come the first outing in July.” Tickets for the show, which runs from July 24 to 28 at the Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny can be had by calling 056 7761674 or by booking online at WatergateTheatre.com. For more information on the show, visit nightofthelivingdead.ie. While also being De\Code’s production designer, Ken McGuire has been making theatre with Devious Theatre since 2006 and is producer for Night Of The Living Dead in Kilkenny. He swears no zombies were harmed in the making of the production.
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Northern exposure
Photos: Amy Smyth
Despite living just an hour from the border, Steven O’Rourke had never ventured North on holidays. In 2012, he set that right
It started out as an innocuous conversation. The middle-aged Irish couple had happily agreed to share a table with the middle aged Australian couple. They had a lot in common. Both couples, it transpired, had travelled the world and visited many of the same places, though not at the same time. They spoke of the differences between Australia and Ireland, how it was the former’s bleakness and the latter’s lushness that made the countries two of the most beautiful places on earth. Wine and tongues were flowing freely. Then the Australian woman said how strange she found it that Ireland was split in two the way it was. It made no sense to her as a tourist to have two currencies, two heads of state, two different names when, to her, it was all the same place. Why, she asked, couldn’t all the people of Ireland just accept Queen Elizabeth as a head of state, the way Australians do. (It should be noted here there is actually a long-running dispute as to whether or not the head of the British empire is also the Australian head of state). She was, after all, just “a harmless figurehead”. The Irishman did not react well. It took about six seconds for him to mention ‘800 years of fifteen
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oppression’ and his riposte name checked everyone from Wolfe Tone to Margaret Thatcher. Luckily for my wife and I, we were just finishing our desserts so we could, as undercover reporters are wont to say, make our excuses and leave, but it was an interesting introduction to our first night in Northern Ireland. Legenderry What’s in a name? A lot when you visit the city of Derry. Depending on who you speak to, the city is called Doire, Derry, Londonderry or the cumbersome though arch-politically correct Derry/Londonderry. The city’s name is the opening topic of discussion on the Martin McCrossan walking tour (£4 per person) which delves into Derry’s troubled past, both recent and distant, and leaves it to the participant to decide where the burden of blame lies. However, despite the necessity for a tour such as this to talk at length about the atrocities committed by both sides, it does end on a positive note, showing the many improvements made to the city’s infrastructure and, perhaps more importantly, the relationship between communities in recent years. On the tour, you also get a glimpse of what is, perhaps, Derry’s most important cultural work. The People’s Gallery (free) in the Bogside is the work of brothers Tom and William Kelly and their friend Kevin Hasson. The exhibition, consisting of 12 murals painted on various houses around the Bogside, is designed to acknowledge key events in Derry’s history including the Battle of the Bogside sixteen
and Bloody Sunday. In telling this story the Bogside Artists (as they are known) claim to have served a pressing need for their community, and the people of Derry in general, to acknowledge the price paid by those who became victims of the struggle for democratic rights. It’s difficult not to be moved by the work. Hotels Comfort Option – City Hotel (From €90 per night) Queens Quay, Derry, BT48 7AS cityhotelderry.com Cheap as chips – Travel Lodge Derry (From €50 per night) 22-24 Strand Road, Derry, BT48 7AB travelodge.ie/derry-hotel The Giant Rip Off Causeway Everyone we spoke to before setting off for Northern Ireland said we had to visit the Giant’s Causeway. It is, after all, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it was close to the town of Bushmills which boasts the old Bushmills Distillery. Only an hour from Derry, we decided why not. Parking around the site can be tricky we were told, not to mention expensive (£7) so, upon arriving in the town of Bushmills, it was great to see a ‘free’ park and ride facility. However, after waiting nearly an hour on a bus that claimed to run every 15 minutes, we were also told it would cost £1.75 each for return journey on the bus. That in itself wasn’t a problem, it’s not a lot of money and I understand it goes towards the upkeep of facilities at the site.
wewilldecode.com strangest ‘funfair ride’ you’ve ever been on. The exhibition rightly focuses on Belfast’s role in building the Titanic but it does so at the expense of dealing with the science behind her sinking and rather skirts over the huge loss of life suffered by focusing on just half a dozen or so of the passengers and crew, some of whom survive, rather than the 1,500 who lost their lives that night. It was always going to be difficult trying to balance celebrating Belfast’s role in the building of the most famous ship of all time with the tragedy that plays such a large part in that fame. For me, they don’t achieve it but it’s still well worth a visit if just to see one of the world’s most high-tech exhibitions. Belfast itself is a quintessentially European city and as you walk through the Victoria Square Shopping Centre or sit in the Apartment Bar overlooking Donegall Square you could just as easily be in Paris, London or Berlin. It’s smaller than all of the above, of course, but there’s a sense of confidence and comfort about the city that you feel Derry is some way away from achieving. Hotels Comfort Option – Malmaison Hotel (From €90 per night) 34-38 Victoria Street, Belfast, BT1 3GH malmaison.com/locations/belfast Cheap as chips – Hotel Ibis Belfast Queens Quarter (From €48 per night) 75 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HL ibisbelfast.com
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However, only after the bus set off for the causeway, did the driver inform us he would only be driving to the car park at the Causeway Hotel and it would be another £1 each for the trip down to the site itself. “You can walk down in about 20 minutes though,” he said. “We will,” I said. Now, again, I’ve no problem being charged for access to heritage sites but it’s the hidden nature of the charges around the Giant’s Causeway that really annoyed me. While the new visitors’ centre wasn’t open when we arrived, it doesn’t surprise me that it has since emerged the National Trust have allowed creationists peddle their lies about the age of the Earth alongside respected scientific opinion. For all the great work they do in the UK, I’ve lost count of the number of National Trust houses and castles where ghost stories are treated as fact. As for the Causeway itself, it’s spectacular and underwhelming at the same time. Undoubtedly an area of scientific and geological interest, it just doesn’t have the same visual impact as places like the Cliffs of Moher or Inis Mor neither of which have an hour’s wait for a bus back to the car park. Titanic struggle with itself From Bushmills, it was on to Belfast and a visit to the much vaunted Titanic Exhibition. Costing over €100 million to build and fit out, the Titanic Experience (£13.50 per person – advanced booking is advised) is a fully interactive trip through time, featuring touch screens, replica bedrooms and a trip deep into the bowls of the great ship. There was clearly no expense spared here with touchscreens, moving posters and the
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vol 1. issue 4.
Dark matter Claire Dalton sat down with the ‘one-woman art machine’ that is Laura Sheeran to find out what makes her tick
Laura Sheeran is an artistic work horse. Described as “a one-woman art machine; always busy” by Martin Burns of Flaming June Records, she possesses a seemingly natural creative work ethic that many would envy and appears to thrive in juggling collaborative projects like Nanu Nanu, an ‘alien pop’ duo with her partner Marc Aubele of Bell X1. This, alongside a wealth of other ventures including solo work, make her one busy lady. A year on from her impressive double album and solo debut Lust of Pig and The Fresh Blood, she is in the midst of promoting her second full length, What The World Knows. “During the year between albums, I released a couple of EPs and a soundtrack album for Paperdolls. That work opened up more new techniques with sound and recording. I am always learning and the in-between projects improved my use of digital software. I also found a microphone that really suits my voice. In comparison to the debut, What The World Knows has a tighter and more developed sound, one that I am really happy with.” This self-induced workload means Sheeran is constantly living and breathing creativity. Comfortably immersed in an environment which eighteen
she says left little time for other peripheral influences. “You find there isn’t a lot of room to listen to other music,” she admits. “Recently, I had a break and was really excited about listening to some albums. I realised there are albums that are out two years that I still haven’t listened to. You do tend to become out of touch. I don’t know how that affects my writing in inspiring or not inspiring. But, I often write by myself in a quite solitary environment anyway. I am still inspired by music I listened to as a child. That is the sound I keep going back to and probably the biggest influence on my work.” Sheeran notes that she was wholly encouraged by her family to explore her more artistic side and encased in music from a young age. “I was exposed to a lot of music as a kid despite my family not being musicians as such. They were music lovers and music was something they always encouraged in me. A lot of parents may steer their children along a more conventional route, but mine, luckily, always encouraged me to express myself and be creative.” Sheeran is unconventionally strikingly, beautiful and completely endearing. This natural charm is heightened through her elaborate and theatrical
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image. Creating alter egos such as the ‘Glitterface’ in Nanu Nanu, these stage characters act as a pull for the spectator rather than isolating the crowd and serve as a mechanism; a tool for Laura and her many musical projects. “With Nanu Nanu it has been an amazing opportunity for me to explore a more theatrical side. I have worked in the past on music for theatre and this really armed me with a sense of how to create atmosphere with music. Glitterface is really a way to create an atmosphere with the person alongside the sound. Solo gigs for me are often laden with things to remember; what loops go where, pedals and manic multi-tasking on stage and I don’t really get the chance to be loose and explore the image side of things. Nanu Nanu is a more slimline project in that sense, with time to dance and I felt that it was important to have a different personality as such compared to my solo work. The music is different and co-written with Marc. It is very much our music.” Her own personal re-creations run hand in hand with the overall visual elements interlinked with Sheeran’s music. “The visual has always become crucial. Before I was doing music I always painted. My mum was an artist and pushed the experimental side of the visual arts. I was taught by her to have an eye. I remember when I would listen to music at home, I would tend to imagine that I was in a music video. Creating a world
around music is very attractive to me and always has been.” Like many of her contemporary peers, Laura embraces imagery, visual art as well as sound. Learning new skills online, celebrating the kids teaching the ins and outs of software through YouTube, she is positively energetic about the future and the next creative generation. “It is so exciting now to think what the possibilities are for young people who have access to editing software. Thinking of today’s generation and what they may create and invent in 30 years’ time is amazing.” Laura comes across as a surprising contradiction to her dark sound, which is at times unnerving in a peculiar addictive way. “I’ve learned recently that I like it when people describe my music as dark. It gives people a realistic idea of what to expect from the albums. Now, I don’t feel as drawn to writing music that is dark like I did before. At the moment, sketches of music I have been working on are a lot more upbeat and light hearted. I think the darker side of my work was a reflection of how I was internally over the past few years. When you come out the other end, you realise that you were actually in just a really dark phase. To me it sounds like the most normal type of music ever, and you tend to forget that people aren’t used to listening to sounds like that and sometimes it shocks people and in that way it is good to be upfront about it.” nineteen
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vol 1. issue 4.
Holding out for a hero Another summer means another host of superheroes battling nemeses to win over filmgoers’ affections. Elaine Kirwan dons her dayglo lycra to investigate
If this year’s string of summer blockbuster releases is intended to examine how much loot can be hauled in at the box office on an opening weekend, then you couldn’t really make safer bets than good ‘ol Spidey, Batman and a powerhouse superhero team. While comic book adaptations have been on the rise for a few years now, there may never be a bigger year for fans of the genre than 2012. This summer will see our favourite superheroes from some of the biggest comic book titles of all time hit the silver screen. It all kicked off on 4 May with the release of The Avengers, the film Marvel have been building up to for the last four years, tying all of its movies (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America) together in the superhero equivalent of a musical supergroup. Geek culture auteur Joss Whedon raised the bar for Marvel at the movies, seamlessly combining a witty and flawless script with the perfect amount of superhero action. While The Avengers appears to be the superhero movie to stand up to this year, The Amazing Spider-Man is not expected to disappoint. Even fans of Sam Raimi’s 2002 version are promised twenty
an exciting reboot of the classic comic book tale, with an adaptation that not only pays tribute to the origin story we have already seen – Parker’s powers evolving in high school – but also a more in-depth look at our protagonist’s biological father, something seen in the comics but not discussed in the earlier franchise. With a new director (Marc Webb, (500) Days of Summer) and an entirely new cast featuring The Social Network’s Andrew Garfield as the new Peter Parker and Rhys Ifans as this film’s bad guy, The Lizard, The Amazing Spider-Man is expecting to impress, to justify the series reboot so soon after the previous trio of Spidey films. One thing that might work in its favour is that the film is the first Hollywood production to be filmed with the Red Digital Cinema Camera Company’s RED Epic camera, and is being shot in 3-D at 5K resolution, so fans are promised a stunning visual experience regardless of which leading man they think does Spider-Man the most justice. Arguably the most anticipated comic book adaptation of 2012, The Dark Knight Rises is also shaping up to be this summer’s biggest film. While the plot of Christopher Nolan’s epic conclusion is still largely unknown, the film will feature Bruce
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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Frank Miller’s richly imagined vision of the darkly brooding Batman we know today is utterly genius. Released in 1986, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a tale of a tortured man’s efforts to save a city that has spiralled into chaos. It stays true to the original story, with core elements such as the characters of Robin, Commissioner Gordan, Alfred the Butler and old foes such as the Joker and Two-Face, but also manages to rid Batman of his cartoon character image and transform him into the true hero of our time. The artwork is daring, verging on psychotic, helping to paint a picture of the Batman we know and love today. V for Vendetta Totalitarian England sets the scene for this gripping tale about the difference between ideological and evil. V for Vendetta features a mysterious porcelain masked freedom fighter known only as “V” and his young protégé, who battle political oppressors through terrorism. Renowned for helping to re-invent modern graphic novels for a more mature audience, Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s powerful epic is fiercely gripping and essential reading material for any fan of the graphic novel.
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Wayne facing a formidable foe in the form of the virtually unstoppable juggernaut Bane, a character who first appeared in DC Comics’ Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1, first published in January 1993. After eight years, Batman, having assumed responsibility for District Attorney Harvey Dent’s crimes following Dent’s death at the end of The Dark Knight, must once again instil hope in the people of Gotham. Given the early (and escalating) hype around the film, The Dark Knight Rises should live up to expectations, largely thanks to Nolan’s sheer genius, but the question on every fan’s lips is can Bane trump the Joker’s frightening and enthralling role as the main villain in the last Dark Knight film? Oh, and will Nolan be bold enough to kill off our favourite superhero? The Amazing Spider-Man is out now, with The Dark Knight Rises arriving on 20 July. No wonder the new Superman movie is being held off until next year. To honour this summer’s exciting comic book adaptations, here’s just a few of DeCode’s favourite graphic novels:
Watchmen Watchmen is another pivotal graphic novel that helped to transform the medium for an adult audience. With exceptionally detailed artwork and an enthralling script, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s complex murder mystery introduces fans of the genre to unforgettable costumed superheroes who are battling to avoid a global apocalypse in 1980s America. A brilliant graphic novel, and a must-have item in any fan’s collection. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (Batman: Arkham Asylum) A great introduction to Gotham’s many psychotic criminals, this beautifully painted graphic novel tells the tale of what happens when the inmates of Arkham Asylum take over Gotham’s detention centre for the criminally insane, demanding Batman in exchange for their hostages. Batman must face enemies such as the Joker, Scarecrow and Two-Face, jeopardising his own sanity in doing so, in order to try and retake the prison and save the hostages. I recommend the 15th Anniversary edition, which reproduces the original script with annotations by Grant Morrison. twenty one
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The Buckfast pilgrimage James Hendicott visits the home of a drink Ireland’s made its own and finds a spot far removed from hyperactive binge drinking “It’s a tonic wine, like red wine only with loads of herbs and a syrupy feel. There’s a lot of caffeine, a lot of sugar and it’s entirely, fiercely uncivilized.” This, or words to a similar effect, is how I first heard of Buckfast, and it’s a description that doesn’t quite do the wacky cult and toxic effects of the stuff justice. Until the age of 22, I rarely lived more than three hours from where monks blend the drink the Scots call “commotion lotion”, yet for all my ‘pre-gig cider in the park’ days, it never made an appearance. I finally tried the stuff within weeks of moving to Ireland, at the age of 25. It was - and occasionally continues to be - an experience, and I’m not entirely sure I mean that well. In one of life’s great contradictions, a drink infamous for messy drunken shenanigans is also associated with religious dedication, which makes a trip to its home at Buckfast Abbey particularly surreal. I’m not a big drinker - at least not anymore - but since that late introduction Buckfast seems to pop up regularly in my life. I quickly realized that early descriptions played down the drink somewhat: its caffeine content is higher by volume than Red Bull (one bottle is approximately the same as eight cans of coke), and the calorie count in a single bottle is quoted at 1,200, about half the calories most people should be consuming in an entire day. Sure, you might dance enough to burn all that off anyway (if you’re particularly enthusiastic), and that distinctive bottle does occasionally turn up as a genuine ‘tonic’ in mammy’s cupboards, but twenty two
more often it’s the fuel for hyperactive mayhem. I couldn’t resist finding out where it all stems from. Buckfast Abbey is located in Buckfast (it is indeed a place, a pretty rural town in the rolling hills of Devon, southwest England), and home to a self-sufficient group of Benedictine monks. As well as selling vast quantities of Buckfast, the abbey makes its money through bee-keeping, as well as an extensive selection of conference facilities. There’s also a tea room and a coffee shop, and even quaint pencil-sketch postcards of the abbey on sale for 15c a time. Use as an abbey dates back to at least the 11th century, under the rule of King Cnut The Great (you’ll be pleased to hear that isn’t a typo). It still has a little bit of that mellow disposition. Outside the traditional British tea room, the sizeable Gothic structure of the main abbey
wewilldecode.com is played down in the gift shops, and with good reason: in 2010, a freedom of information request from the BBC showed that the drink was mentioned in 5,638 crime reports in Strathclyde, Scotland, over the course of the previous four years. That’s very nearly four links with crime per day. At the height of coverage, the monks refused to pass comment on the issue, while a police superintendent suggested that the statistics showed “a clear association with crime”. As if to prove the violent connections, even the Buckfast bottle appeared as a weapon in crime reports around three times per month. It’s not for monks to determine how people consume their product, of course: a few decades ago, when Buckfast was perceived as a tonic and a tonic alone, this would have been a non-issue. A visit to Buckfast itself, its manicured gardens and sizeable, imposing abbey reveal an odd paradox. The seemingly unstoppable cult of Buckfast’s caffeine and sugar high is all propelled by this quaint, comfortable community. My first experience of the monks’ product ended with a friend leaping from the Liffey quays, not stopping to think of the contents of his pockets. Fortunately, he lost nothing more important than electronics, but place this next to the Buckfast Abbey experience and you wonder how the two worlds ever crossed.
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is undergoing restoration, and when we drop by there’s the faint hum of songs of worship to be detected through the bulky main doors. Clearly, your Saturday night ‘party investment cash’ is being spent well: the latest changes are amongst numerous impressive adaptions over the years. During pre-Second World War renovations, one monk even fell 50ft from the substantial church and survived to tell the tale. Elsewhere across the ground we drift around herb gardens, where statues sit among labelled flowers and small areas of ‘useful poisons’ or ‘natural remedies’. The gardens sit well alongside Buckfast’s more traditional ideals: the drinks recipe was originally French and imported by the Devonbased monks in the late 19th century. Tiny early bottles of the tonic wine were served up with the slogan “three small glasses a day, for good health and lively blood”. Not unlike Guinness’s early health-themed advertising, it was based on somewhat anecdotal evidence, but almost certainly relatively harmless in such quantities. Locally, the drink still hasn’t caught on. Buckfast remains better known for the town, the serene pastures that surround the abbey and the sedate and happy existence of its inhabitants than for the product that’s become notorious across Ireland and Scotland, in particular. The tonic wine
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features Photo: Le Galaxie by Kieran Frost
‘strange passion’ the cassanova wave bell x1 pearse mcloughlin le galaxie smashing pumpkins dan le sac the separate foreign slippers milk maid
twenty seven
Various Artists STRANGE PASSION [CACHE CACHE]
Early 80s Ireland was just about as deep in the recessionary dumps as we find ourselves now, and the strength and attitude of the powerful, Manchester-inspired post-punk scene that emerged at that time was no coincidence. Strange Passion glances back with sometimes too much accuracy, recalling fuzzy and cluttered production as well as musical aesthetic. Fortunately, that doesn’t entirely negate the quality of dingy undergrounds group powerfully echoing society’s woes. The early parts of the compilation take their most obvious cues from the Joy Division stable, with desolate lyrics and dingy, repetitive minor-key chords dominating the soundscape. The Peridots ‘No Water’, for example, sounds like a piece lifted straight from a suicide soundtrack, and it’s directly followed by the bleak beat-pop of girl-fronted ‘Choice’. Most of these bands are new to us, and for all the negatives their music seems to espouse, there’s a brilliantly creative sense to the underlying tone twenty six
As well as the early focus on post punk, led by the ever-listenable Virgin Prunes, Strange Passion takes a glance at 80s disco, too, with SM Corporation lifting the mood considerably once the journey down a barren highway comes to an end. They have plenty in common with modern-day synth stars Le Galaxie, replacing their digital vocals with weak, willowy tones espousing escapism: ‘don’t let reality get to you, just turn and run’. Tripper Humane’s ‘Discoland’ also has 80s-era stamped all over it, but such unexpected nostalgia has a charming element of intrigue by contrast, too. Certainly not a Friday night pick-me-up, then, but in Strange Passion, Cache Cache have found an invigorating glance at a scene that’s impact has long waned, as well as the perfect, relatable time to launch it. Perhaps we’re being unfair on the production but the dubious vocal recording and often muffled soundscapes make a full-on love affair with Strange Passion tough. Still it does a memorable job of uncovering a largely forgotten era in Irish music. JH
EO’S: Eoghan O’Sullivan; SB: Stephen Byrne; SO’R: Steven O’Rourke; EK: Elaine Kirwan; CD: Claire Dalton; JH: James Hendicott
irish reviews
vol 1. issue 4.
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Bell X1 Field Recordings Bellyup Records
The Casanova Wave has one release under his belt already, the glorious five-track self-titled EP. But that’s almost two years old at this stage, and after some initial hype, will fans have stayed on board for Brian McCartan’s debut album? Previously all instrumental, vocals have since been added and appear on most tracks, including the single ‘The Light’, a pop ditty which after initial scepticism – it’s a little weedy – will win you over. ‘The Victoria Principal’ would slot straight into a new Tieranniesaur album. It’s the central tracks, ‘Play, For The Night Is Coming’ and ’11:13’, that see Joy Of Being take off. The latter in particular has harnessed the album’s title to great effect. A summery album that’ll make the rain go away. Or at least seem like less of a problem.
The second live album from Irish stalwarts Bell X1 entitled Field Recordings is a collection of 21 songs recorded ‘on the road’ throughout the bands 2010 acoustic tour of America and Europe. Twelve years on from their debut Neither Am I, this album is much what you would expect. Showcasing the bands reliable and consistent sound, Field Recordings is sprinkled with oldies like ‘Pinball Machine’ and crowd pleasers in ‘The Great Defector’ and ‘Flame’. Bell X1 excel in their live performance helped along by their loyal followers making Field Recordings have real atmosphere woven in to its overall sound. The record is available as a double CD or a limited edition 40page hardback photobook with CDs for longstanding, hardcore fans. Also available in digital download formats. CD
EO’S
Pearse McLoughlin In Movement Urchin Music
Le Galaxie Fade 2 Forever EP Delphi
Ireland has more than its fair share of singer-songwriters but, since his 2009 debut Busy Whisper, Pearse McGloughlin has stood head and shoulders above most of them. An album for late nights, red wine and selfreflection, In Movement once again showcases McGloughlin’s ability to plough the same emotional furrows as his contemporaries but with a craftsmanship that eludes all but the most talented. The short but sweet ‘Caught in Craft’ with its delicate finger-picking style and clever lyrics and ‘Bright Star’, with its Elliott Smith-eque waltz tempo, are the album’s two standout tracks but, in truth, In Movement is a record that deserves to be listened to as a whole. With McGloughlin, the west is certainly awake.
Fade 2 Forever is the five track follow up to the 2011 debut Laserdisc Nights 2 from the boys of Le Galaxie. Much akin to their freshman full length, this EP is jam-packed with synthy, pumping electro floor fillers poised to continue the bands history of turning out somewhat nostalgic banging dance and energetic live performances. Featuring Elaine Mai, the opener ‘Love System’ doesn’t disappoint dragging you up and making you want do weird shit with your feet and arms simultaneously. Fade 2 Forever is released on Friday 13th July with the launch party at The Button Factory, Dublin on Saturday 14th July with guests Ships, Nanu Nanu, Sleep Thieves & Adultrock + DJs.
SO’R
CD twenty seven
irish reviews
The Casanova Wave Joy Of Being Bluestack Records
international reviews
vol 1. issue 4.
The Smashing Pumpkins OCEANIA (EMI) Billy Corgan’s latest offering under The Smashing Pumpkins mantel, Oceania plays likes a recap of the band’s career output to date. At times it’s joyfully bleak, with white knuckle grunge guitar riffs creating the optimal surroundings for Corgan’s whispering vocal fury that originally drew listeners to the band in the 90s. In fact, opening track ‘Quasar’ would fit comfortably on either Gish or Siamese Dream such is its ravenous gusto. Oceania also continues to explore Corgan’s love of electronica, which alienated so many listeners at the turn of the century. However, this time around experimental electronica has matured into composed and competent keystrokes on songs such as ‘One Diamond’, ‘One Heart’ and ‘Pinwheels’. It would appear the dark clouds that hung over the original lineup have dissipated and Corgan has been rejuvenated by his new colleagues. Following several less than impressive albums, Corgan’s lust for noise has been reacquainted with melody and pacey uplifting choruses. In the process his voice, which had been languid twenty eight
in recent years, has regained the bite and believability of early Pumpkins. Mike Byrne proves a worthy successor to Jimmy Chamberlain on drums while former Veruca Salt bassist Nicole Fiorentino delivers perhaps the most complete and wide-ranging performance in the band’s catalogue. The title track is a mammoth nine minutes and feels like several slivers of songs weaved together rather than one composition. You could be forgiven for thinking it was a Killers cover thanks to its opening strains, but it quickly morphs into a Disintegration-era Cure soundscape with soaring guitars and suitably bleak lyrics. The track then takes an unexpected wander through acoustic boogie Stones territory before returning to its original trajectory and finishing with an accomplished prog guitar whig-out. Oceania is the best album Corgan has been involved with since 2000’s Machina and is sure to win back the allegiance of many a disillusioned soul who once wore a Zero T-shirt with pride. SB
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The Separate Orchestral Variations V0.1 Setanta Records
After two albums together, Dan le Sac and Scroobius Pip have decided solo albums are next. Having captured the hype with ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’, their collective star has never surpassed that height. Space Between The Words is a mixed bag, but one that showcases le Sac’s varied range. ‘Tuning’ is as close as we get to his previous guise, a rapturous dance number featuring Joshua Idehen. ‘Play Along’ juxtaposes bouncing female vocals with dark undercurrents. The gentle ‘Zepher’ and ‘Breathing Underwater’ will be the tracks that listeners return to, but the yawnsome ‘Good Time Gang War’ sees le Sac channelling his inner Skrillex. And from there the album peters out, like a DJ doing a guest slot at a house party as a favour to a mate.
The Separate’s blend of classical and classic-pop is an innovative concept: the tired familiarity of many of the tracks is rejuvenated with string flourishes and deep full-band crescendos. There are struggles: there’s no denying that ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ would take more than an orchestra to find rejuvenation, but Paul Noonan’s ‘Once In A Lifetime’ and Patrick Wolf’s ‘Old Town’ in particular are exploratory and emotive pieces of music lifted from their pop-staple status. Brian Molko’s album closer ‘West End Town’ even sees the Placebo man try spoken word to impressive effect. It’s hardly a game-changer, but these are largely genuinely innovative takes on singalong songs, muddled together by the kind of names worth listening to. That makes for a top chill-out record. JH
EO’S
Foreign Slippers Farewell to the Old Ghosts Izumi Records
Milk Maid Mostly No Fat Cat
More than three years in the making, Farewell to the Old Ghosts, is the debut album from Swedish singer-songwriter Gabi Frödén, trading as Foreign Slippers. While much of the album’s lyrical content is concerned with exorcising the demons of the past, Frödén is a musician with a bright future ahead of her and though folk pop is a genre with a bad reputation – think Mumford & Sons – Frödén doesn’t let any of its perceived limitations hinder her here. Indeed, her full potential can be heard on a track like ‘It All Starts Now’ which grows from a single from a single acoustic guitar to a heartswelling finish complete with layers of organs, back vocals and handclaps. One of my favourite records of 2012 so far.
Taking obvious cues from Garbage and a plethora of other 90s stars, Milk Maid plunder the noisy depths of slightly psychedelic noise pop in this, their second album. Fronted by the former bassist of cult stars Nine Black Alps, Martin Cohen, Milk Maid’s lo-fi production and playfully strummed riffs are laden with tired familiarity throughout. The fuzzy riffs and mellow, sometimes hollow vocals still have a certain draw, especially in the plod-along, effortlessly enticing summer-pop of mid-album highs ‘Bad luck’ and ‘New Plans’. Nine Black Alps fans won’t be falling over themselves about this one, but with time, Milk Maid can expect to grab plenty of lingering love from those 90s indie-rock heydays. If only it didn’t so often sound like a cliché.
SO’R
JH twenty nine
international reviews
Dan Le Sac Space Between The Words Sunday Best
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