Two very different acts join forces on this 7" for Popical Island. Surf-pop/slacker-rock trio Squarehead and the gothic-synth-pop-leaning Patrick Kelleher have both released acclaimed albums this year, the former with Yeah Nothing and the latter with Golden Syrup (along with a similarly excellent splitEP with School Tour). Here they've teamed up and carried out a very cool idea with aplomb: each writing a song in the style of the other and then collaborating on both. Roy Duffy pens the inspired 'Attention to Detail', which matches his band's breezy garage-pop sensibility with a reverbed 80's-referencing arrangement; Kelleher's contribution combines his distinctive vocal croon with doo-wop-type harmonies and jangly guitar flourishes.
The 7" can be streamed from Bandcamp and is available to buy from selected record stores including Tower, RAGE and HMV Grafton St. in Dublin, Plugd in Cork and Wing Nut in Galway.
Is there such a thing as a difficult second compilation? If so, the Popical Island collective had a lot to live up to after the roaring success of last year's release. A loose grouping of like-minded bands and musicians based in Dublin, their key characteristics were laid out on Popical Island #1: a commitment to DIY principles and largely lo-fi production, clever pop songcraft, devastatingly catchy hooks and C86-style energy.
While the sequel naturally doesn't have the same surprise element to it, in every other respect it's the match of its predecessor. It kicks off with Ginnels, who didn't appear on the first compilation - the project of Grand Pocket Orchestra's Mark Chester, Ginnels have already released one of the best domestic albums so far this year with a self-titled debut, and this continues in a similar vein: that is, charmingly shambolic and lo-fi indie. That's followed by Pantone247's 'Hello', a fantastic tune that recalls Honey's Dead-era Jesus and Mary Chain with its scuzzy guitars and vintage early-90's vibe.
As with its predecessor, what impresses about the compilation is that despite all the contributors sharing such common ground, they still manage to hold your attention throughout with a wide and diverse range of sounds. Standouts include the warmly classical jangle-pop sound of Goodly Thousands' 'Kiss Me Upside-Down', the garage-pop earworm of Squarehead's 'Candle', the chiming, hypnotically off-kilter sound of Hello Moon's 'Barefoot' and the exuberant rush of Grand Pocket Orchestra's 'Mr. Imaginative'. The curveball award goes to Tieranniesaur's 'Here Be Monsters', a simmering funk workout with an air of menace: sounding a bit like Remain In Light-era Talking Heads as refracted through the Popical lens, it gives way to a thrilling climax/coda that should be a highlight of their live shows.
Considering the way words like 'twee-pop' get bandied around in reference to Popical Island, you'd expect that 18 tracks would get a bit wearying, so it's no mean feat to create a compilation that keeps you guessing and (more than) satisfied throughout: the fact is there is no one reliable way to describe the Popical Island collective - other than, well, excellent.
"The seamless blend of sample-based shoegaze atmospherics and stirring noise-rock that first marked No Age out has returned, and the duo sound more vibrant than ever."
The album is released September 28th. No Age headline the pretty excellent bill for Foggy Jam .01 at Whelan's, Dublin on October 10th, along with Male Bonding, Mice Parade, Silje Nes, Hipster Youth and Squarehead. That's an all-day affair (starting at 4pm), here's the blurb from Foggy Notions:
"We are delighted to announce the first of our new all-day series, Foggy Jam: an opportunity to catch seven wonderful live artists in one day for a budget ticket price. Heading the bill is L.A.’s NO AGE, one of the most exciting modern noise-pop bands in the world right now who release their new Sub Pop album Everything in Between in late September (more info below).
MICE PARADE is the work of New York’s Adam Pierce and a rotating ensemble of musicians. Their incredible back catalogue tackles all sorts of musical crossover with folk styles, electronics, Krautrock, Eno inspired minimalism and Loveless-era MBV. The new album What It Means to be Left-Handed soaks up West African Highlife, Flamenco, Brazillian Jazz, and even 80’s indie-rock (More info below).
Also joining the line-up is new Sub Pop signings MALE BONDING, a London trio whose debut album Nothing Hurts is jam-packed with messy vintage 90s noise-pop. And SILJE NES, a Norwegian singer-songwriter and Mice Parade’s Fatcat labelmate whose beautiful layered recordings full of strings and woodwind are joys to behold.
For Foggy Jam’s Irish representation we’ve picked two of current favourites. Fake Blood is the debut seven inch release by SQUAREHEAD the single of the year so far for us – Kurt Cobain meets the Everly Brothers, slacker-rock meets doo-wop, just pure pop all the way really. And HIPSTER YOUTH is revelatory stuff. A Dublin teenager whose Teenage Elders album makes 8-bit electronic music that is beautiful and poignant."
(Via On the Record) The all-dayer Foggy Notions'Foggy Jam' will take place on October 10th, and features an enticing line-up: LA-based, fuzzy noise-pop duo No Age are the main attraction (their new album, Everything In Between, will be released in September), and they're joined by kindred spirits Male Bonding (this year's Nothing Hurts is a seriously impressive album, short sharp and sweet), Mice Parade, Silje Nes, much-touted Popical Island signees Squarehead, and Hipster Youth, whose Teenage Elders album is available to download for free from Bandcamp. Also with 'very special guests' to be announced.
Whelan's is the venue, doors will open at 4pm on the day, with tickets at 20 euro going on sale Friday.
Popical Island is a record label/collective of Irish acts who share a certain lo-fi/ramshackle charm. A 15-track compilation is now available for download and free streaming on http://popicalisland.bandcamp.com/, and is well worth checking out. It features the much-touted likes of Feed The Bears (who have just sadly split), Yeh Deadlies, Squarehead and So Cow.
Road Records have called the compilation "Irelands very own 2010 version of the legendary C86 cassette." Yikes, high praise!
