Nialler9's New Irish Music: Maria Kelly, Solar Bears, Rejjie Snow & more

 SONGS OF THE WEEK

The Altered Hours - Silver Leather

Cork alternative rock band have an undeniable shoegaze influence that is palpably felt on their new single from January's forthcoming album

In Heat Not Sorry

. The song is awash with psychedelic touches, a dirge rhythm and the DNA of Sonic Youth. They play the newly opened Connolly's Of Leap on Saturday December 19th in West Cork with more dates in February and March in Ireland and Europe.

Solar Bears – Man Plus

The Dublin/Wicklow duo of Rian Trench and John Kowalski are another band who are looking to 2016 with the release of their third album

Advancement

. Having previously released with Planet Mu and signed a publishing deal with Warp, the album has found a new home on Rob Da Bank's Sunday Best Recordings. Man Plus is a reminder of their detailed cinematic horror-soundtrack style.

The Natural History Museum – Dada Gagol

Singer-songwriter Carol Keogh (Alphastates, Tycho Brahe) and electronic producer Dunk Murphy (Ambulance, Sunken Foal) have collaborated as The Natural History Museum for a few years. In January, they'll issue a full-length LP prefaced by this track, underpinned by a finger-plucked fury and electronic beats below Keogh's vocals.

'Daga Gadol' - The Natural History Museum from Counterpoint Music on Vimeo.

No Monster Club - Lemonade

Bobby Aherne has nearly a dozen albums of self-released self-played indie pop music at this point. His next one,

I Feel Magic

, arrives in February and the lead single

Lemonade

is another focused slice of bright jovial guitar pop as is becoming increasingly his strong suit.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Rejjie Snow - Blakkst Skn

Director: Ian Pons Jewell

Dubliner Alex Anyaegbunam aka Rejjie Snow released the brilliant single

Blakkst Skin

earlier this year featuring production from the in-demand Kaytranada and vocals from Rae Morris. The video tackles the subject matter in an explicit manner with Snow's skin changing when, a lady, there's no easy way to put this, urinates a golden paint-like on him from above. Not Safe For Work, obviously.

REMIX OF THE WEEK

I Am The Cosmos feat. Girls Names - I Go (Jape cover)

The electronic synthesizer duo of I Am The Cosmos have reimagined

I Go

, a track from Jape’s recent album

This Chemical Sea

with the raspy tones of Cathal Cully of the Belfast-based band Girls Names on vocals.Their version is built on hard-edged arpeggiated synth notes while Cully gives the song some dark energy.

NEW ARTIST OF THE WEEK

Maria Kelly
As seen and heard on the music trail in Dingle at Other Voices 2015, the Mayo singer-songwriter Maria Kelly has been writing music since she was 10, yet she's just released her first single. Before It Has Begun is a mournful finger-picked acoustic song about the begining of the end of a relationship with Maria light vocal tones softening the blow somewhat. 2016 will see Kelly release an EP and play more gigs. Get the single from Soundcloud here as a free download.