ON THE RECORD: JIM CARROLL on music

Last week saw the final hurrah for Dublin’s Road Records with a farewell party at the city’s Button Factory for the popular record shop, featuring a host of local bands.

As has already been well documented, Road closed for good in July after a turbulent 18 months of would-be closures and campaigns to keep it open.

In the end, the shop went under, with shop founders Dave Kennedy and Julie Collins concluding that “the days of the small indie store are numbered”.

But while customers and bands were paying their respects to the shop, London-based indie shop Rough Trade was carrying out a very interesting online poll.

Rough Trade have two London outlets at present, and are hoping to add to these. Retail director Stephen Godfroy asked customers to let them know where Rough Trade should open next, and gave a list of 16 locations. The city that topped the poll? Dublin.

While such online polls have to be taken with a pinch of salt (remember when A Nation Once Again by The Wolfe Tones was mischievously voted the world’s favourite song in a BBC poll?) it’s striking that Dublin even figures on Rough Trade’s plans. After all, the city’s music retail landscape has not been a happy hunting ground for indie shops, as the closure of Road demonstrates.

Yet perhaps what is needed is an outlet like Rough Trade’s branch in east London. Aside from new releases, there’s also a cafe, performance space and plenty of music-related products such as books and merchandise, in a space where browsing and hanging out is encouraged.

With Plugd having recently reopened in the Triskel Arts Centre in Cork, the future of Irish music retailing may be set for some interesting twists and turns.

NEW MUSIC

TEA-TRONIK

Newly formed Dublin-based duo Celsey and Monica Harkin are already producing intriguing electronic sounds with nods and winks to Amiina, Fever Ray and Portishead. Hear and download latest tracks on their Soundcloud page.

myspace.com/teatronik

KURRAN THE WOLFNOTES

Alt-folk with plenty of chutzpah from a London-based combo with French, Peruvian, Northern Irish and American backgrounds. Your Four Limbs is a tune and a half. Fans of Noah The Whale and Mumford Sons will love ’em.

myspace.com/kurranandthewolfnotes

BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD

We’re digging San Francisco’s Blackbird Blackbird – aka Mikey Sanders – and his brand of dreamy, dazzling, low-slung psychedelic synth-pop this weather. Find out more via the brace of EPs available for free download via Bandcamp.

myspace.com/byeblackbird

#NOWPlaying

Kanye West Monster(G.O.O.D.) A six-minute banger featuring the Twitter fan sharing the mic with Jay-Z, Rick Ross, a rampant Nicki Minaj and, weirdly, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon.

Various Total 11(Kompakt) Latest batch of modern dance-floor cuts from the Kompakt stable starring It's A Fine Line, Mugwump, Matías Aguayo, Superpitcher and many more.

Smoke Fairies Through Low Lights Trees(Co-Op) Dark, spooky, sexy blues from London lasses Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire.

Florrie Give Me Your Love(Self release) Dastardly, addictive and futuristic pop from Xenomania's house drummer, who has worked with Girls Aloud, Pet Shop Boys and The Saturdays.

Selda Selda(Finders Keepers) "She's a Turkish revolutionary singer from the '60s and '70s, and I'm blown away by her" – selected by Antony Hegarty of Antony The Johnsons