Music

Upcoming artists are often celebrated as unique to ramp up the hype, but it’s rarely merited. In both life and music, Alya has earned the accolade. Born in Russia, but now living in L.A., she spent a considerable amount of time travelling…

The idea of horror in music can be traced back to 1956. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins released his greatest commercial success in 'I Put a Spell on You'. Hitherto, Hawkins had been an average blues singer and the song was intended as a ballad, but…

Ethereal, pensive, and theatrical, Leon Seti has returned with another synth-pop gem in ‘Cobalt’. The Italian hit #1 in his nation’s charts with this release, another step towards consolidating his career. Conceptually, the album reflects…

In certain parts of their native Boston, Pile are held in the kind of esteem usually reserved for the Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox or Matt Damon. Peers in the independent music scene, as well as critics, hold the same respect for the group. Yet…

On Melodic Electronic, Jamie Adam constructs an addictive sound. A subtle, minimalist approach impacted by collages of synthwave, collected in psychedelic ambience. Often, adventures such as this are lacking in modern music. Thankfully, …

Morrissey is a divisive figure but, love him or loathe him, there’s no denying the creative blast of work he and Johnny Marr were responsible for with The Smiths. The importance of the group's workhorse effort can be outlined simply.…

On May 22 this year, another music biopic will hit the big screen. This is Rocketman, a movie chronicling the early life and rise of Elton John.  Directed by Dexter Fletcher (Sunshine on Leith) it stars Taron Egerton as Elton and Jamie Bell…

It’s 1968 and the beginning of the end for the Beatles. The recording of their new album A Doll’s House is plagued by personal grievances, mounting money troubles and the pressure to create a worthy follow-up to their superlative Sgt.…

I was introduced to Dundalk native, Jim O'Donoghue Martin in Limerick many moons ago while he was playing with his band Blind Pilots. Since going solo he has taken on the moniker of Video Blue for his musical outpourings and I've been…

Much has already been written about the evolution of music in film and its psychological and emotional impact on audiences. Academy Award winning film composer Bernard Hermann is best known for his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock on…