ALBUM: Lisa Hannigan & s t a r g a z e – ‘Live In Dublin’

Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan is set to release her new live album recorded at Dublin’s National Concert Hall with contemporary-classical orchestra s t a r g a z e, founded by conductor André de Ridder. This collaboration sees Lisa’s folk/pop songs played with new orchestral ensemble arrangements and has taken her to the stages of London’s Barbican and Dublin’s National Concert Hall. Live in Dublin serves as a treat for old and new fans of Hannigan, capturing her mesmerising shows across a discography-spanning 14- tracks, including new track ‘Bookmark’.

Love is a key theme on the album, as is nature. The songs lend themselves perfectly to an orchestral setting, bringing out the emotional undertones at the heart of the tracks. The bird-like flutes of ‘Ora’ and the stirring violins which create an atmosphere of sad beauty on ‘Prayer for the Dying’ are particularly beautiful. There’s a lovely change in pace on tracks like ‘Anahorish’ which is sung acapella; ‘Nowhere to Go’ which showcases Hannigan’s slow, plaintive voice as comforting and emotional, before the urgency of following track ‘Lo’, which breaks through with its persistent heartbeat-like rhythms.

Other highlights are the haunting atmospherics on ‘We the Drowned’, which will move you to tears, before the fairytale chimes of ‘Lille’ enchant with their ethereal undertones. Overall, the orchestra swell out the songs, stirring the emotions, adding to the soundscape created by Hannigan’s poetic lyrics. The song is the conductor, her voice is the key instrument. The album closes with ‘Fall’, where the orchestra quiets down and we are sung out with just Hannigans’s vocal harmonies, and guitar.

If you are new to Lisa Hannigan’s songs, this is a wonderful album to discover her gems. Now you will hear them transformed, bringing their inherent dramas and colours to the fore, amidst a backdrop of sublime keys, affecting strings and perfect percussion.

Live In Dublin by Lisa Hannigan & s t a r g a z e is due for release May 31st on digital platforms, vinyl and CD via Play It Again Sam.

Photo Credit: Gerry Sugrue

Fi Ni Aicead
@gotnomoniker

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ALBUM: Pinky Pinky – ‘Turkey Dinner’

Giving up her music studies, Anastasia Sanchez replaced her violin with a drum kit, favouring the creative energy of DIY indie rock over the mentally-exhausting paragon of classical music virtue. Joining guitarist Isabelle Fields and bassist Eva Chambers, the Los Angeles trio pulled together their influences – from the Sex Pistols to Jeannie Piersol – and evolved into the monstrous Pinky Pinky.

Taking their namesake from a South African urban legend that terrified an entire generation of schoolgirls, Pinky Pinky’s early iterations were punk, then psychedelia, then blues, before the band realised that they needn’t focus on one genre. Following two extended plays – the self-titled Pinky Pinky EP and most recently Hot Tears, their debut album – Turkey Dinner is a an oddball mishmash of ’60s psych, surf-rock, and unpretentious observations.

Biting down gently on lips, opening track ‘My Friend Sean’ fantasises about the hottest boy is school: “Those pattern jeans, his ass busts through the seams!”. All the girls and boys want Sean. Next, Pinky Pinky take us through downtown LA in their ‘Mystery Sedan’ – ’60s garage pop blasting from the tapedeck – , whilst ‘Floorboards’ leads into ‘Lady Dancer’; two tracks that form two halves, with Anastasia displaying shades of Heart’s Ann Wilson and Kate Bush in her shrill vocal delivery during the first half, and Fiona Apple in the second. Both tracks have an infectious raw energy, and Isabelle’s closing guitar solo will leave you with a crick in your neck!

Four tracks into Turkey Dinner and the fresh-out-of-high-school Pinky Pinky have wasted no time in establishing their own style; foot-tapping rock and roll rooted in classic psychedelia, but bolstered by authentic perspectives on everything from passion to distress. The slower paced harmonies of ‘Applecheeks’ is followed by the surfy SoCal acoustic guitar and tropical drum patterns of ‘Do Me Dirty (Charlie)’.

This album provokes so many emotions, but it is the combination of Eva’s solid rock and roll basslines, paired with Anastasia’s vocal honesty in ‘Mr. Sunday’ that left me melancholic – “Can’t seem to feel what he’s done to me. I’m numb from pain ‘cause he don’t love me.”

The acoustic summer sounds of ‘All The Birds’ are contrasted by the echoing guitar tones, spirited drum beats, and themes of unrequited love in ‘If It Didn’t Hurt’, whilst ‘Sticking Around’ also tackles a similar theme of a doomed relationship, and finally, closing track, ‘Loose Change’, closes the band’s first full-length effort with a combination of keys, horns, and Eva’s irresistible bass guitar.

With every single one of the thirteen tracks on Turkey Dinner, Pinky Pinky have crafted a live-sounding album that is not only this year’s head-bobbing soundtrack to the summer, but an honest example of compelling songwriting and storytelling.

Turkey Dinner is out 14th June via Innovative Leisure. Pre-order here.

 

Ken Wynne
@Ken_Wynne

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Track Of The Day: Skating Polly – ‘Flyer’

Following the release of their fifth album The Make It All Show last year, and having blown us away with the sublime force of their live show on more than one occasion, our favourite sibling punk-rock trio Skating Polly have now announced details of an upcoming European tour, alongside a brand new single.

Addressing feelings of anxiety, ‘Flyer’ sees siblings Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse share vocals, whilst Kurt Mayo thrashes out the beats on the drums. Propelled by deep, penetrating bass-lines alongside swooning, sun-filled surf-rock vibes, Kelli and Peyton’s honey-sweet harmonies soon build to a frenzied cacophony, filled with a seething, angst-driven power. An immediately infectious offering, ‘Flyer’ oozes the trio’s trademark juxtaposition of riotous grunge-fuelled punk, tinged with luscious heartfelt sensibilities.

Of the track, Kelli explains:

“’Flyer’ is about this overwhelming self consciousness and agoraphobia that’s been hitting me a lot lately. I was scared to leave the house, scared to see my friends, scared to make decisions of any kind. That led to writer’s block because I wouldn’t stick with any choices. So I made a deal with myself. ‘Play House’ was gonna be a straight forward song structure with playful and abstract lyrics and ‘Flyer’ would have a very abstract song structure and very personal sincere lyrics. Peyton wrote my favourite part of the whole song – “I’ve had more than enough time to learn what I felt was not a thought crime””. 

‘Flyer’ is out now via El Camino Media. Catch Skating Polly live (with co-headliner She Makes War) this Autumn:

14th October – Gulliver’s, Manchester
15th October – The Cluny, Newcastle
16th October – Broadcast, Glasgow
17th October – Beta, Nottingham
18th October – The Lexington, London
19th October – Swn Festival, Cardiff
20th October – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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LISTEN: Peaness – ‘Breakfast’

Chester band Peaness‘ first new music in two years isn’t a tribute to the humble hash brown, but a soundtrack to accompany Britain’s (potential?) exit from the EU. With its delayed release coinciding with the somewhat confused state of politics at the moment, the band have now shared their new single ‘Breakfast’. Of the track, the band explain: “We’ve released this… as Britain says goodbye to the European Union and faces the future alone.”

And ‘Breakfast’ really does feel like a break-up song. You can hear the sadness in the melancholic vocals and slow, rhythmic guitar. But it’s weirdly uplifting too; it’s so personal, honest and relatable that you feel like Peaness have got inside your head, stolen your thoughts and added them to a jaunty tune. By the time the chorus hits, you can’t help but join in.

“I’m not really sure exactly what they’re hoping for,” they sing, “I’m not sure they knew what they were in for.” Well, neither are we. But, if the world ends in a couple of weeks, at least we can show solidarity and have a bit of a shimmy to this.

 

‘Breakfast’ is out now, stream on Spotify. And catch Peaness live at Indietracks this summer:

26th – 28th July – Indietracks Festival, Midland Railway, Butterly

Vic Conway

Artwork: Akbar Ali
Photo Credit: Asupremeshot

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