Eoin Butler's guide to downloads, singles and free audiostreams
JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
I Think You Might Like It, Universal *****
Tis the season to be jolly. Or, failing that, less mean-spirited than I am the other 51 weeks of the year. With that in mind, I was delighted to stumble upon this accomplished music video, in which John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are reunited at a realistic-looking airport, perform a taxing honky-tonk dance routine with panache, and retire to bed in a handsome pair of his’n’ hers pyjamas. And there is nothing risible about any of it. Not a thing!
MR HENNESSY’S 4TH CLASS, SCOIL IOSAGAIN
The Santa Anthem ****
Recorded at a GMC rap workshop by the children of Scoíl Iosagain of Farranree, Co Cork this is festive hip-hop at it's most Corkonian. "I hope I better get a bike off my aunty/ Cos I'm a better rapper than Santy" is perhaps the most baffling non-sequitur here. Although "Everyone's eating pheasant, turkey and geese/ It's so good that you'll need a fleece" would come in a close second. gmcbeats.com
OWENSIE
The Old Breadline, Out On a Limb Records ***
That's the old breadline, where apple-cheeked children swept chimneys and called people guv'nor. (As opposed to the new breadline, where 95 per cent of us currently reside.) All proceeds from this €1 download go to St Gabriel's School and Centre in Limerick. owensie.bandcamp.com
THE CAST OF CHEERS
Trucks at Night, Rough Trade ***
The penultimate track from The Cast of Cheers’ Family album isn’t strictly a Christmas song, but with lines like “more clothes, more food, more wine”, it’s certainly a Christmas song in spirit.
ANDY BURROWS
Light the Night (The Snowman and the Snowdog), Play It Again Sam ***
The ex-Razorlight drummer has teamed up with composer Ilan Eskeri to soundtrack the flying sequence in Channel 4’s upcoming The Snowman and the Snowdog, a sequel to the seasonal The Snowman. Its no We’re Walking in the Air, but it has its moments.
