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Shookrah Shookrah [self-released] Beck Hyperspace
[Capitol Records] Over the years, your writer has made a habit of referring to the work of Cork neo-soul outfit Shookrah as music both for the bombast and celebration of the dancefloor as well as for the pensiveness and introspection of the walk home. Their debut fulllength album marks a culmination of their journey into the future of funk, soul and R&B that began in their semi-regular residency at the venue formerly known as the Pavilion, under the act’s previous moniker Moustache Latte. From humble beginnings has emerged a multiheaded beast of forward-looking funk, set equally in laying down bulletproof, synth-powered groove and relating inarguable, thought-provoking, home truths about the nature of love, feminism, and the wider discourse surrounding relationships and courtship in the post-#MeToo era, most starkly laid out in the new-normal manifesto Don’t Wanna Doubt You. Notions is a neat little mover tempered by the internal monologue that follows a mis-spent youth, while the shuffling hip-hop groove of album closer Reformer is a natural home for contributions from Limerick rap don God Knows. If you’ve seen Shookrah in the flesh, you’ll know this is consistent with the band’s incredibly high standards of musicianship and ever-expanding curiosity. Senita Appiakorang is a talismanic frontwoman, with all the power in the world behind a distinct and commanding voice, and her presence is bound to lead Shookrah further into the sweeping, synthy retro-future of their collective imagining. MMGB Like this? Try these: Tyler the Creator - IGOR Funkadelic - Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow Thundercat - Drunk Initially planned as a one-track collaboration, Hyperspace is the eventual product of sessions pairing Beck alongside Pharrell Williams, a partnership that works as well in practice as on paper. Following the unabashed pop of 2017’s Colors, Beck retains his melodic charm on his 14th record while also exploring more psychedelic territory across a series of slickly produced, minimalist synthpop, compositions. One of the more intriguing releases of an impressive decade for the chameleonic artist. AL Mantua Mantua [Sunshine Cult Recordings] Originating as a solo project of Cork psych singer-songwriter Elaine Malone, Mantua’s self-titled debut was recorded in the surrounds of PLUGD Records, of all places, and features a long-form, improvised drone duet with Cork-based fiddler Niamh Dalton, split across two loosely-related pieces. Equal parts musical conversation and statement piece, Dalton’s strings act as a powerful counter and complement in call-and-response action to the guitars and heavy drones that have defined the project’s live outings thus far. MMGB Trá Phaidín Set a hAon [Sunshine Cult Recordings] Recorded live in one session at UCC’s O’Riada Hall in November of this year, Cork improvisation quintet Trá Phaidín have quietly gathered ideas and longform improvisations together into their first, single-track recording, having emerged with intermittent gigs in the city throughout the year. Alternating between folk and psychedelia over the course of 50 minutes, this is a document of a phenomenal sonic quantity, drawing a line between our country’s musical tradition, and the second city’s rich culture of experimentation and adventure. MMGB The Innocence Mission See You Tomorrow [Bella Union] Pennsylvanian indie folk trio The Innocence Mission return with this stunning collection of soothing, sonic beauties. It’s hard to fathom how they have managed to fly, somewhat, under the radar over 34 years! Fronted by Karen Peris and her husband Don, Karen’s vocal quirks call to mind Joni Mitchell and Joanna Newsom. See You Tomorrow has a soft, otherworldly magic, suffused across 11 tracks which ruminate on the essence of what makes us human. Every finger-picked string and hummed melody is charmingly dreamy. Fall in love. MMD Now Open 29 South Anne St, Dublin 2 Tel. 01 531 4491