Éamon Sweeney

Contributor

Éamon Sweeney, a contributor to The Irish Times, writes about music and culture.

Zola Jesus — Arkhon: Glossy and gothic pop but lacking originality

Sixth album from American singer channels a broad range of influences including Kate Bush and Mariah Carey

Foals: Life Is Yours — A mixed bag

The seventh album from Oxford indie pioneers is fine but fails to reach previous highs

Chris Blackwell: ‘I was very impressed with U2 - Paul McGuinness dressed in a suit’

The impresario who signed U2 and Bob Marley finally tells his own extraordinary story

Good Pop, Bad Pop: Jarvis Cocker’s innovative inventory

Book review: This memoir is nothing short of an instant classic to savour and cherish

Liam Gallagher: C’mon You Know – No unexpected surprises

Another bog-standard but curiously comforting offering from Oasis man

John Lydon on The Sex Pistols, or ‘those unpleasant f**ks I used to work with’

The punk rock legend feels betrayed by his former bandmates and upcoming Disney+ series, Pistol

The Smile: A Light for Attracting Attention – Album of the year contender

Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and drummer Tom Skinner cast a wide net

David Long & Shane O’Neill: Age of Finding Stars – An absolute joy

Former Into Paradise and Blue in Heaven frontmen’s skills have matured like a fine wine

Spiritualized: Everything Was Beautiful – a defiant up yours to the pandemic

Spiritualized: ‘We play rock’n’roll, so it’s inherently inept’

Jason Pierce on how rock changed his life and Kurt Vonnegut inspired his latest album

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Unlimited Love: Formulaic, bland, appalling

Tenth album from the Californian giants is about as welcome as nuclear endgame

Badhands: Far Away – Touching songs of love, loss and emotional flux

Second album from Dublin composer and songwriter Daniel Fitzpatrick, aka Badhands

Fontaines DC: ‘Ireland could really benefit from a socialist government’

The Dubliners on identity, anti-Irish sentiment and ‘the gall of Fine Gael and the fail of Fianna Fáil’

Loop: Sonancy – Space rock pioneers back in orbit

First album in more than 30 years from Croydon cult band is a fine return to the fray

Telefís – A hAon: Theocratic electropop from the Irish diaspora

Cathal Coughlan and Jacknife Lee release a surreal concept album of sorts