The Goo 1
Reviews FEB-MAR 24 of ‘King of Limbs’ or that ins
pired, harmonically rich Radiohead perfected on ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’. Greenwood’s sonic signatures are omnipresent, from the strange, unnatural rhythmic intricacies of “Under Our Pillows” to the orchestral throb of ‘I Quit’. These tracks benefit in no small way from this nostalgic sheen, the endlessly inventive and unusual routes the three take, off kilter accents, odd time signatures, strange delayed guitars presenting impossible rhythms. The entire album is an utter masterclass in texture and tone, the songs themselves, indisputably brilliant, but it is the percussion talents of Tom Skinner of Sons of Kemet that distinguish this project from the myriad works Yorke and Greenwood collaborated across over the course of their lives. His considered, unusual approach is exactly as idiosyncratic as his better known bandmates, and provides a twisted, warped and unexpectedly solid backbone for such strange abstractions to hang upon. As I have opined to my dear friend Jonathan, The Smile are a better band than Radiohead, but have not yet written anything as good as ‘Pyramid Song’. ‘Teleharmonic’ comes damn close though. AOC. A TINT OF 70’S KRAUTROCK PRODUCTION BRINGS TO MIND POPOL VUH AND CAN Nebularis - Exodus - Shattered Earth Saga, Part I The underground music scene in Ireland is literally buzzing with exciting new music just waiting to be discovered. Once such band is Dulbin’s very own Nebularis. With a slew of single releases over the last year, the band are now celebrating the release of their first full studio album (featuring said singles). What we have here is a fantastic aural journey into the deep cosmos of the bands imagination, as they set a scifi backdrop with the spinetingling album opener, ‘Tellurian’ before the colossal impact of ‘Cataclysm’ sets the tone for the rest of the album. ‘Exodus…’ is an impressive debut from a band that clearly thinks outside the box. If it’s galacticthemed riffage and sky-punching concepts, (similar to Devin Townsend) you’re looking for, then this one’s for you. OOB CABL - See You In A Year And A Half The long awaited debut EP from premier Dublin shoegaze outfit CABL has a great deal of expectation placed upon it. For over a year of sterling live shows, beguiling singles and a persistent and always interesting social media presence, they have primed their ever growing number of admirers for a truly special release. Something worth sending to the unenlightened to help with the conversion. Luckily, the band easily rose to the occasion, with crystal clear production capturing the shimmering and undulating. The effects drenched guitars surround a rock solid and relatively unadorned, but never unimaginative rhythm section, rock solid bass from Ava Durran helps to anchor the ethereal, obscured guitars of Luke White and Ben Mooney, while Eoghan Lynch drives the whole affair with creative and complementary drum work. While the sonic soundscapes the band are so fond of have certainly been plucking up some ears over their run, it is the delicate, poetic songwriting at the heart of the band that really stands out across this EP. Genuine, sincere, and very, very clever throughout, Cabl have done their impossibly engaging live show justice here, and crafted a cinematic, intoxicating batch of sounds for us all to enjoy at home. And to send to our friends. “This is what we were talking about.” AOC. Conchúr White - Swirling Violets It’d be lazy, stupid and naive to say that Americans have a monopoly on a dream pop vein that started in the 60’s with The Beach Boys, Van Dyke A NEW KID IN TOWN WHO HAS STEPPED INTO THE ETHER OF THIS HAZY COSMIC JIVE PAGE 15 Parks and The Byrds, went cosmic in the 90’s with The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev, slacker in the 2000’s with Grandaddy and continues presently with Sufjan Stevens, Father John Misty and Angelo De Augustine. They have, in fairness, been very very good at it but in recent years (courtesy of Villagers) so have we and now there’s a new kid in town who has stepped into the ether of this hazy cosmic jive. From Armagh emerges Conchúr White, who after a batch of very promising singles, has delivered a superb collection of tunes that transpose the listener to places far, wide and outer but where the terminus is always America. White has pulled off sounding a wee bit like all the acts mentioned above while forming his own schtick, a remarkable feat. From the acoustic swirl of album opener ‘The Holy Death’ to the dreamily morose ‘Deadwood’ there isn’t a dud track on an album that takes you on an enjoyable journey courtesy of top notch storytelling, superb performances and brilliant tunes. A superb record and an early contender for album of the year. PF