The Goo 1
FEB '25 To celebrate the release of The Murder Ca
pital’s third album ‘Blindness’, Dan Hegarty brings us on a journey through time to look at album number three from some other Irish acts. The Sultans - ‘Good Year For Trouble’ (1996) After a rollercoaster journey through the first half of the 1990s, The Sultans (minus the Of, Ping, & FC) unleashed an album that had a much harder sound than their previous material. Contrary to popular belief, there are a number of beautifully crafted pop tunes on it; the most noteworthy of which are ‘Hero Of Our Time’ and the single ‘Mescaline’. Lankum - ‘The Livelong Day’ (2019) Music from ‘The Livelong Day’ and the album that followed it ‘False Lankum’ have been woven into the fabric of modern day Irish culture. This 2019 album saw them win their first RTÉ Choice Music Prize. From the opening seconds of ‘The Wild Rover’ to the last moments of ‘Hunting The Wren’, this is an album to be treasured. Lethal Dialect x JackKnifeJ - ‘1988’ (2014) ‘1988’ is an enthralling project that saw Lethal Dialect collaborate with JackKnifeJ. If the tunes don’t hook you, then the stories told in them most likely will. With guest vocals from Jess Kav, Damien Dempsey and 4Real, this is a truly complete album. Blink - ‘Deep Inside The Sound Of Sadness’ (2004) Released in 2004, ‘Deep Inside The Sound Of Sadness’ is an album that doesn’t get enough love. It features some of the band’s best tracks like ‘Tiny Magic Indian’, ‘Walking Away’ and the impossibly good ‘Don’t You Rollerblade In Nashville Tennessee’. Shortlisted for Best Irish Album at the 2005 Meteor Awards, it lost out to Snow Patrol’s ‘Final Straw’. An Emotional Fish - ‘Sloper’ (1994) An Emotional Fish were one of the great Irish rock bands of the late 1980s and 1990s. Releasing three albums over a period of four years; ‘Sloper’ was their third and final opus. It’s an album that highlighted their songwriting talent and maturity as a creative group. It’s a shame that they didn’t release more music, but as a final release, ‘Sloper’ acts as quite a sign off. Pillow Queens - ‘Name Your Sorrow’ (2024) There’s a building intensity about the opening seconds of this album’s first track ‘February 8th’ which is in many ways like a statement of intent for what awaits you as you work your way through the album. From upbeat songs like ‘Like A Lesson’ to the slower pace of ‘This Bar’s Closed’, Pillow Queens made an album of incredible balance and energy. 31