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SOUNDS GOOD John Connolly Finghín Little Clare Ma
rtin Kean Kavanagh Wrestling Music [Soft Boy Records] Nyaah Records A Collection of Songs in the Traditional & Sean Nós Style [Nyaah Records] Singer, songwriter, and producer Kean Kavanagh’s new EP Wrestling Music is a shaggy, spirited end-ofsummer set of tunes with a story to tell. The project marks a return for the artist, who experienced a vocal injury in May 2022. Whether a workaround for his vocal chords or an artistic choice, Wrestling Music sees Kavanagh use distortion on his voice here much more than he did on his debut album Dog Person, and it’s a refreshing change. Kavanagh has such an adept grasp of hooks and melodies that these ragged edges keep him from coming off too slick. Opener Heat comes down from on high and then zags sideways into funky basslines and fuzzy guitars, overlaid with Kavanagh’s own distorted vocals. It’s a pump-up song perfect for sunny days drinking outside; a winking bravado comes through as he sings, “I’m in a fever of boastfulness / I can let it go but then I can’t let it be.” The thumping percussion on Feel It Coming gives it some rock n’ roll chutzpah à la The Black Keys, and Kavanagh cleverly uses this swaggering veneer to talk about being uncomfortable in social situations and sipping “soda water saying it’s vodka sprite.” The title track appropriately starts out with some “Let’s get ready to rumble!” hype before Kavanagh dives into the song with in-your-face energy made for the ring. He slows things down on the serene closing number, which is all about his injury and his journey to getting The Magic back. An EP like this confirms that Kavanagh’s still got it. CM RELEASE DATE: JULY 28th Nyahh Records has been busy. Since its first release in early 2022, Willie Stewart’s new experimental music label has delivered a ten-strong run of impressive obscura records. Recent releases have included a stellar album of organ and cello free improvisation and drone with a vibrancy that feels sister to spiritual jazz, alongside a captivating cassette of a throat-singing sewing machine that looms between mystical, mechanical clamour and noise. The imprint’s output is as firmly rooted in Ireland as its outpost, a cottage in County Leitrim, leaving this collection of sean-nós recordings old and new in safe hands. This compilation rings with a warm diversity of voices, proud and nervous, Irish and English, recorded in distinct spaces and with inconstant fidelity. Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin’s voice booms in the upstairs hall of a community centre in Spiddal; the next – an outstanding contribution from Michael Frank Ó Confhaola – echoes gently in the kitchen of the singer’s mother. Two more clatter with the ambience of a session at Smithfield’s Cobblestone pub. Yet whatever seeps into the recordings only adds presence to the bare keening that never fails to conjure a spiritual, rapt atmosphere: the final track, a studio recording by Sarah Ghriallais dating to 1987, stings arrestingly in its clarity and intemporality. The eternal, intergenerational spirit of sean-nós sings brightly through the varied age of both the performers and their recordings. It’s a worthily curated piece for a bold, adventurous label competently prepared to embrace delicate tradition. Furthermore, a portion of the sales will go to tenants’ union CATU. FL RELEASE DATE: JULY 7TH EMBRZ In Our Own Way [This Never Happened] EMBRZ, also known as Jack Casey, makes a triumphant return with his latest album, In Our Own Way, following the success of his highly praised 2021 album, Moments. In Our Own Way is released under the Colorado-based record label, This Never Happened, founded by talented deep house producer Lane 8, the album finds its perfect genre home among other artists known for their melodic and deep house tracks, such as Ocula and Attlas. The emotional core of In Our Own Way revolves around the themes of love and connection, a sentiment expressed eloquently by EMBRZ himself. What can be found throughout the record, is a profound blend of captivating beats and ethereal melodies that weave a sonic tapestry, immersing the listener in a beautifully produced and thoughtout soundscape, new, yet also familiar to anyone who has listened to EMBRZ work since his debut release in 2015. EMBRZ takes the audience on an auditory journey, delving into the realms of Love and Connection with tracks such as Over and Over, and my personal favourite; the simple piano based Grá, The end track on the album that perfectly shows off the instrumental talent EMBRZ possesses. EMBRZ hooks the listener from the opening track, drawing them into his world of sound and emotion as the album progresses, each track builds upon the previous one, creating an ever-growing sense of anticipation for what lies ahead. With masterful precision, EMBRZ crafts a seamless flow of beats and melodies, as if guiding the audience through an enchanting maze of musical wonder. JC RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 4TH totallydublin.ie 46 less inky, more linky