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AUDIO Andrew Lambert Michael McDermott Mike McGra
th-Bryan Jack O’Higgins Killian Barry Zara Hedderman Andrew Lambert FLYING THE FLAG Earl Sweatshirt Some Rap Songs [Tan Cressida/ Columbia] Lily Allen No Shame [Parlophone] Incredibly, at the age of 24, Earl Sweatshirt is already a rap veteran. The man, born Thebe Neruda Kgositsile to a law professor and influential South African poet and activist Keorapetse Kgositsile, has been rapping since the 8th grade and has grown throughout the last decade – from early moniker Sly Tendencies turned Odd Future wunderkind into introverted conscious rap prodigy. It’s been a remarkable evolution that has resulted in some modern rap classics over the past five years with versatile 2013 studio debut Doris and the brooding I Don’t Like Shit… in 2015. Earl returns on Some Rap Songs, leaning deeper into the experimentation of IDLS on an album populated by raw chopped samples and avant-garde beats with a series of visceral rhymes to match. His father’s recent passing and their unresolved relationship set the tone for an album even darker than its predecessor as Sweatshirt’s frantic mental state is conveyed through his stream of consciousness flow, that pours out with a sense of cathartic release over the relentless, rapid production. All of this combines for an unprecedented ing atop calypso-ska and electropop broadens to embrace grime and tropical flourishes. Introspective ballads unexpectedly occupy a mellow midsection, while restrained dancehall numbers offer a link to the album’s predecessors. En route, the familiar stamp of producers including Mark Ronson and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig catches the ear. By flipping the script and rejecting the Lily Allen brand, the 33-year-old has not only outlasted her mid-aughts peers, but issued a retort to the sceptics who had written her off. Accessible without being punchy, No Shame is admittedly hampered by a lack of obvious singles and less immediate payoff. Nevertheless, one must admire Allen’s non-mercenary insistence on making the music she wants to make. Even in the absence of bangers or her brash persona, Lily Allen remains defiant and unapologetic as ever. KB Like this? Try these? Ms Dynamite - A Little Deeper Kate Nash - Yesterday Was Forever Mark Ronson - Record Collection departure from modern hip-hop and an intense attack on the senses that will leave a long lingering impression in listeners minds. It’s an uncomfortably vivid portrait of the artist, but a vital and unique work with a hypnotic power that will draw you back for progressively rewarding rewinds. AL Like this? Try these: Madvillain – Madvillainy Tyler, The Creator – Cherry Bomb Vince Staples – FM! In distancing herself from 2014’s poorly received Sheezus, Lily Allen’s follow-up is a disarming change of tack. The Londoner hasn’t entirely dispensed with her patented streetwise truculence, but true to its title, No Shame is a candid and sometimes jaded concoction that dials down the acerbic sideswipes to reflect on self-destructive behaviour, motherhood and the end of her marriage. Admirably steering clear of mawkishness, Allen even concludes No Shame in open-ended fashion, outlining the promise of a new relationship. Musically, Allen’s template of pithy shade-throwSince emerging from the University of Westminster in 2016, design degree in hand, Katie Ann McGuigan has kept audiences agog with her high-end, prêt-à-porter pieces. Having worked placements at McQ in London (where she currently resides) and Marc Jacobs in New York, she scored the Fashion Scout Merit Award for her debut collection, burstingat-the-seams with eye-popping prints, and showed with Fashion Scout for another two seasons before going independent last September. Much like Robyn Lynch’s channeling of football fans for her AW19 looks (a fellow London-based Irish designer, University of Westminster graduate and Hemlines alumna), McGuigan’s SS19 collection – presented to mass acclaim in the London Film Museum – celebrated the unity of sports culture, consulting black and white shots of spectators and garnering influence from their wardrobe choices. AW19 will showcase this London Fashion Week in the British Fashion Council’s DiscoveryLAB on Saturday 16th, serving up an abundance of colour, leather and print with both masculine and feminine elements coming to the fore. Just when you think her industry cred can’t climb any higher. @katieannmcguigan FOUR WE MISSED IN 2018: Ought Room in the World [Merge] Snail Mail Lush [Matador] FLYING THE FLAG II Aileen Carville is a fervent trailblazer of the fashion-tech revolution. Drawing from over two decades worth of immersion in fashion wholesales, supply chain management and public relations, she conceived SKMMP with a blueprint catered to her own needs; a digitally-charged streamlining of the showroom format. In three short years, the platform’s general growth (both domestic and international) has been exponential, taking on equally-innovative clients like Electronic Sheep and Natalie B Coleman for their showrooms across London and Paris (the latter accumulating around 70% of global wholesale orders during its fashion weeks). Having had a hectic 2018, the second half of which saw Carville participate in FashionTech Week, a key Parisian event for initiative-takers in this field, this AW19 season will prove to be one of SKMMP’s most prolific. On Sunday 17th, in the British Fashion Council’s DiscoveryLAB, Coleman will unveil a special collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund that celebrates 25 years of women’s sexual and reproductive rights – a new collection named SISTERS, characterised by mother-daughter heirlooms, handcraft techniques and Carrickmacross Lace, all tied together by Coleman’s signature contemporary rhetoric. With Carville automating it all behind the scenes – alongside the imminent signing of a multi-brand showroom agency – SKMMP is truly swinging from strength to strength. @skmmp While her peers prepared for end of year exams, eighteen-year-old Lindsay Jordan released her debut album Lush through the label that both Kim Gordon and Kurt Vile are signed to. A concise thirty-eight minutes sees Snail Mail power through punchy guitar driven indie-pop songs akin to contemporaries Soccer Mommy and Girlpool, but with better hooks. Highlights include the lo-fi lament of Intro and Heat Wave’s buoyant licks. Overall, a thrilling introduction that will surely garner a devout following. ZH Room in the World sees Ought abandoning the raw sound of their previous LP for something more deliberately paced. The rhythm section now consists of propulsive bass lines and jittery drums. Frontman Tim Darcy has transformed his punk drawl into a quivering melancholy timbre. A somber atmosphere hangs over the entire tracklist. And yet, the band still retain their ability to surprise and thrill; album highlight Desire starts as an indie ballad before becoming a gospel song by way of Joy Division. JOH Lykke Li so sad so sexy [RCA] Fans of Lykke Li’s prior releases may find her fourth, so sad so sexy, unsettling. Li has undergone a drastic rebranding, swapping sweet earworm pop-songs (2011’s I Follow Rivers still soundtracks every DJ set, globally) for grittier R’n’B beats. Enlisting Skrillex and Rostam on production, these songs have been developed with Frank Ocean, Drake, Kanye West and Lady Gaga’s hit-making tempos in mind. It may not please her pre-existing fanbase but it will certainly find an audience. ZH Jar Jar Jr. Fallen Angel (self-released) After racking up millions of views and listens for a strain of sample-heavy lo-fi that oozed musical knowledge and charm, Corkonian beatmaker Rob O’Halloran had a revelatory 2018. When not racking up production credits on Kojaque’s Deli Daydreams album and setting himself up for greatness alongside the other Soft Boys, Jar Jar Jr. tended to his own game with his debut tape. Released on wordsmith MF DOOM’s birthday, and available with or without some of the Villain’s finest acapellas, it’s a playful farewell (for now) to sampling and pop-cultural references. MMGB Pusha T DAYTONA. [Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc./Def Jam Recordings] On DAYTONA., Pusha T demonstrates again why he may be the most underrated rapper in the game during an exhilarating 21-minute exercise in minimalism, thanks in no small part to a major assist from long-time friend and mentor Kanye West. Ye tees up seven immaculate beats for Push to knock out of the park with an old school, no-nonsense mentality perfectly complimented by his signature intensity and ferocious delivery. AL Altered Hours On My Tongue [Art for Blind/Penske] After being together for the bones of a decade and whittling their Venn diagram of psychedelia, shoegazing and post-punk down to its essentials, The Altered Hours presented us with On My Tongue, a wiry and fast-paced piece of work. Over the Void could well be a crowd-pleaser over the coming years as the band’s presence and musical footprint grows, while Open Wide is cosmo-eyed, jangly and laden with atmosphere. A portent of what to expect from the band’s coming 2019 long-player, hopefully. MMGB Save the Date… Sunday 17th, when sewing cognoscente Sorcha O’Raghallaigh (beloved by the likes of Lady Gaga) extends her nimble fingers to teaching an embroidery workshop in Block T. €200 pp; @sorcha_or Tirzah Devotion [Domino Records] Kamasi Washington Heaven and Earth [Young Turks] There’s a languid woozy swagger to this debut which cannonballs it into one of the best releases of 2018. Its sonic offbeat edge is aided by Mica Levi, who has scored soundtracks for the likes of Under the Skin and Jackie, on production. Tirzah Mastin claims these are “straight-up love songs” but the lyrics are deep fried to giddying effect by loops and layers, regular instruments such as guitar, piano and drums all have a Daliesque sonic traits. Holding On is the ‘pop’ moment which would not be out of place on a [Chris]tine and the Queens release. MMD Revered saxophonist, Kamasi Washington promptly follows last year’s Harmony of Difference EP with this double release, Heaven and Earth. Both albums evolved from Washington’s desire to examine the world he is part of, and which is part of him. These sixteen sprawling compositions are fantastically frantic free expressions of jazz. There are a few surprise solos throughout, notably Connections’ 1970s classic rock guitar riffs which feels a little out of place. Even to non-jazz fans, Kamasi Washington’s refined improvisation is accessible to all. ZH endless mimosas with brunch 10 Terenure Road East • Rathgar • Dublin 6 • T: 01-406 4104 • www.therevolution.ie Open 7 Days 80