Ginnels - Mountbatten Class (2011)

Long Lost

/Power pop, Electronic, Jangle pop, Alternative rock, Psychedelic rock, Shitgaze, Indie pop/

Comment: given that The Smiths and My Bloody Valentine are being the juggernauts within the modern/alternative pop/indie rock scene it can say the Irishmen can trash and are able to rock our socks off. Ginnels, a Dublin-based project is a nice exemplar of it – it oozes out much refreshing power and hortative energy to give the listener a galvanized feel. More profoundly, the collective used to shift in a modern rock landscape moving from power pop esque muscle presentation and exuberant indie walkabouts with uplifting harmonic solutions to more electronic drenched noisy templates (Kuwait) and gritty low-key shoegaze (or just shitgaze) beams (Cold Legs) and even some Celtic ethnic music chips (Same Same, Cold Legs). There are up 8 tracks, though, all of them are relatively short-running (the total time of 18.11). In a nutshell, the result is straightforward yet convincing. Top notch.                   

Desperadow – I Found God (2010)

Long Lost

8.8

/Experimental indie, Singer-songwriter, Lo-fi, DIY, Alt-folk, Nu grunge, Fuzz pop, Crossover, Indie pop, Alternative, Leftfield/

Comment: Behind the pseudonym Desperadow hides himself Chris Nolan, a hermit from Dublin who offers a 9-track set on the Long Lost label (the same label whose kick-off album was Hipster Youth`s second, superb album Teenage Elders). As provoking as the album`s coverprint used to be the main concept is made up by directing its spot on a corybantic blend of folk/singer-songwriter-ism and nu grunge, bristled psychedelia/even exotica pop, lo-fi/DIY and mellow indie pop songs/and ballads. However, you can detect herein for some similarities with Smashing Pumpkins, Beta Band, Andy`s Airport of Love, Blur, Nirvana, Beck and other similar kinds of artists.

Hipster Youth - Teenage Elders (2010)

Bandcamp
Long Lost

9.0

/Chiptune, Lo-fi, Primitive pop, Crossover, Experimental indie, Electro pop, Psychedelic, Electronic pop, Alternative, DIY/

Comment: Behind Hipster Youth is Aidan Wall, a 21-years-old Irish musician who previously was known as Porn On Vinyl, and porn.exe. His previous album Hearse Road Trip (2009, Rack And Ruin – issued on the same label which happened to be the starting platform for Dylan Ettinger either, a famous indie/lo-fi musician now) was a rare masterpiece of the indie/shoegaze/experimental folk scene by the aesthetical point of view – more concretely, mixing up shoegaze-ish tunes and jubilant free folk with chiptune-ish borderlines and swings. It might be Teenage Elders, a follow-up, used to have obtained slightly less glaring colours, seamless curves and serpent line-alike trajectories, yet, this is an enjoyable one (the more I listen to it the less convinced I will be). More concretely, besides his previous tricks he has added some new ones to have this time much in common with his previous label mate Testicular Manslaughter, and Ariel Pink (those slightly tortured yet sublime vocals and seemingly easy yet warped electronic pop tunes). And of course, Thursay nights rocks your dirty (or clean) socks off.