The Goo 1
OCT '25 basic equipment you can imagine. Rún - Rú
n - Adhamh O’Caoimh Stone and gravel underneath dancing acoustic guitars, weaving lines reminiscent of that original Wicker Man soundtrack. The ominous tones and weighty themes of ‘Paidir Poball (Pupil)’ set the tone for the coming forty five minutes. An interpretation of a common muse. Music that seems intuited as much as it is written. Brash and live and electric, Tara Mooney’s severe intonations are threaded between sludge leaning doom riffs unfurling into wails of feedback. Immediate parallels can be drawn with ‘The Film’, Moor Mothers staggering collaboration with Sumac, and Julie Christmas’ work with Cult of Luna, but that’s largely to do with commanding and intense women lending their singular visions to apocalyptic heft. Rian Trench’s Neolithic drums carry rhythms that Jason Roeder might hypnotically bob the head to, amid the volcanic tides Diarmuid Mac Diarmuda’s bass lends to the onslaught. Across the board, brutal poetry delivered by vocals that are both ecstatic and unhinged,walls of bristling tension, squalls of distortion like lightning striking. Far off electronic drones swell like a carnyx on the horizon. Savage and primitive hymns. Staggering production captures the tectonic heft with gristled quality. As the sprawling, meditative ‘Caioneadh’ brings the affair to a poignant close, Rún are charting courses mapped by luminaries like Swans, while drawing from the chasming well of inspiration that contemporaries (and relatives) like Lankum and ØXN have helped to shape. It’s been a good year in Irish music. The Diarmuida clan are usually involved. This is no exception. Gold. Opener ‘Brand New Star’ has all the hallmarks of a spiritualised banger. A slow builder of distant vocals with dense synths overlaying the guitar elements before exploding into a wall of noise. A fine beginning. ‘Shivers and Shakes’ has the crunchy jangly guitars of early ‘90s alternative blurring the takes of The UK vs The U.S., combining elements of both factions. ‘A Line in the Sand’ proposes what if Swervedriver released a singalong track. ‘Appalachia’ is beautiful and production-wise most capably betrays its humble origins with elements of The Polyphonic Spree with its patience and melody. This six-track mini album is made slightly less mini in having two bonus tracks on the Bandcamp release, though both are welcome additions to the suite. Barry says, “Making this music costs me nothing and I’m getting a huge amount of joy from it, so I’m happy for you to download it for free. If you choose to pay, I’ll donate either to Doctors Without Borders or Extinction Rebellion, Ireland.” Do that then. Barry Peak - Read Like Lisa; Skate Like Bart - David Carr Born in Belfast but based in Dublin, the album title appears autobiographical in that he works in a university and rides a skateboard. Barry admits all the songs were written, played at home, on the cheapest and most The New York Salsa Company - Our Landscape Is Now - David Carr Based on the Northside of Dublin, Adam Smyth ( of Tribal Dance) has delivered his sophomore album, but not without trial and tribulation, as his laptop was stolen and with it the entire album. While the one-take nature of his recordings meant some of the sounds and therefore tracks could never be repeated, those that did return to life had more energy…there was more bite to them. Showing impressive diversity, his previous electronic sound has largely been eschewed, replaced by a heavier guitar-based focus. The first single and opener sonically rages against the state of world politics. ‘Defloater’ shimmers in the guitar fuzz of ‘90s shoegaze. ‘H Block Blues’ sounds like a strung-out version of late ’90s Primal Scream on a swirling psychedelic bender. ‘Don’t Pull Your Head Off, Man’ with its sample-style vocal and grooving baseline again recalls Primal Scream, and could have found a welcome home on Vanishing Point. ‘Bug Zappa’ provides a more arresting moment. Its screeching guitars and uptempo bass bring some urgency. The second single ‘Carpet Burn’ with its subtle 4/4 and choice synths around what could be classed as a breakdown is perhaps a nod to his previous work. The driving closer ‘This is How I’m Gonna Live’ drifts into NIN territory as it progresses. It all makes for a compelling album, almost conceptual in its complementary sound and focus. 13