Niclas Kjellström Matseke

Folie à Deux (with Sarah)

Folie à Deux (with Sarah)

Folie à deux : (English pronunciation: /fɒˈli ə ˈduː/) French'
“a madness shared by two / a shared psychosis"
DJ / Music Obsessive / Fashion Designer / Accidental Hipster Cliché.....

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Sleep Thieves remix The Cast of Cheers new single ‘Animals’ 

The Cast of Cheers debut album ‘Family’ is coming out soon (June 23rd on School Boy Error / Cooperative music), and so far two songs ‘Family’ and ‘Animals’ have been released to much anticipation from their fans.

Today sees the release of a low down, bass driven version of their second release ‘Animals’ by Dublins’ own Sleep Thieves.

Have a listen here, its awesome! 

Also, to keep up to date with what the boys are up to, keep an eye here on their sparkley new website!

Also, heres the video to the original ‘Animals’ by The Cast of Cheers!

Posted in sleep thieves the cast of cheers animals family remix
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Today i Realized I Could Go Home, Backwards.


( I was recently asked to write an article on Irish music by the newly launched, Dublin based magazine Tabitha (Art, Fashion & Music) …

so i did, here it is…)

Today i Realized I Could Go Home, Backwards.

By Sarah O’Neill (Folie à Deux)

Moving. One of the most ridiculously stressful, heartbreaking and utterly infuritating things you can do. A destruction and reinvention of your own making. Insanity.

Well, last month, that was me. The girl packing her entire, rather haphazard, life into neat little boxes to move across the country. I would, rather over-dramatically (as would be my custom), describe it as a total nightmare, and the few months that preceded it were equally as tumultuous. Moving is all things at once. Making decisions by virtue of doing nothing, and then throwing everything into rapid motion, almost by accident. I didn’t expect it to be as easy, or as difficult. And the whole damn time, it was like there was an inescapable soundtrack playing, a musical accompaniment to each erratic emotion, unexpected complication, and difficult decision. Life and music, inextricably linked, as ever, is perhaps more poignant at times like this. For me, it’s Irish music, local music, fucking amazing music. This is just a small snapshot of a relative “moment” in time of my life; this is what it sounded like:

Analysis Paralysis : We Cut Corners - “Go Easy” (Today i Realized i Could Go Home Backwards)

We Cut Corners sing the words I wished I could find. Especially when ensconced in a world of eternal options. This song’s stunningly honed lyrics are sung and harmonized in heartbreaking, cracked voices, backed up by building guitar and drum arrangements. A lament to the world to cut you a break, give you a moment and just “Go Easy”; to let you breathe.

Infuriating Frustration : Kid Karate “Heart” (Heart E.P.)

Angst ridden vocals, rough distorted guitars, pervasive thudding drumming and light touch synth melody. For when I need to scream and kick and get it all out. It happened a lot; this song was often its complement. Perfection.

Eternally Erratic : We Arrive Alive “Walls” (Walls)

Creating elaborate instrumental soundscapes , these guys capture a million emotions within their songs and run you down the gauntlet of them all… without a single word. They were the proverbial mirror to the series of capricious moods that seemed never ending when my life was in such flux.

Stress Induced Insomnia : Funeral Suits - “Florida” (Now We’re Moving, Now We’re Free)

Poignant lyrics sit in harmony with strings, guitars and synth sounds that sway and grow into rolling soundscapes that seem to reflect the utter inescapability of insomnia; I’ve found myself reaching for The Funeral Suits when seeing in far too many 5 a.m.’s : “Fly there, i know, I only see you when you’re no where to be found”.

Delirium : Le Galaxie “Midnight, Midnight” (Laserdisc Nights II)

When shit needs to happen, this is your band. They belt out 80’s inspired, synth laden tunes like this one with a ferocity that leaves you no choice but to get up, and go hard. Without songs like this one, I’m not sure if I would have gotten out the door at times.

Emotional Contagion : Sleep Thieves : “Do it the Hard Way” (Heart Waves)

For me, this beautifully electro-feulled, synth-riddled melody is the perfect backdrop to, or maybe catalyst for, a bit of peace of mind. Company for, or possibly an escape from, a messy head : “Its O.K. Do it the hard way. We’ll never learn. We’ll follow our own path”.

Getting the Hell Outta Dodge : The Cast of Cheers : “Tip the Can” (Chariot)

Heart thumping, unstoppable getaway music. I’d drive too fast and ignore the ache of leaving what was my life behind, and somehow, when I arrived at what was to be my new life, it was O.K. I don’t think i expected that.

Heartbreaking? Sometimes, but NO REGRETS.

Sarah O’Neill

(Links to all the tracks i mention above can be heard by clicking song titles and Tabitha magazine can be read online here )
Posted in tabitha magazine irish music music fashion funeral suits we cut corners we arrive alive sleep thieves kid karate le galaxie the cast of cheers
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Review: Whelan’s “Ones To Watch” 2012 – Friday

Review: Whelan’s “Ones To Watch” 2012 – Friday

Now I know the “Ones to Watch” festival at Whelan’s over the weekend was sponsored by Heineken and Music Maker, but hot damn, with all the Apple paraphernalia scattered around the place on Friday night, Steve Jobs sure would have been proud. The over-riding theme of the night was all things electronica, and that suited me just fine, given that this was the third night on the trot – I needed the boost. “What an absolute trooper”, I can hear you whisper… I know, right?

 

White Collar Boy

So the name got me to the room (despite an unfortunate  timetable clash with Bantum, dammit), but the impressive electronica out of this Dublin based two-piece ensured I stayed put in Whelan’s upper room. Hunched over (inexplicably) low tables, the two lads, Gavin White and Mark Cummins, laid a variety of electronic beats over each other with growing levels of intensity, both in energy and frantic layered synth and vocal melodies.  About halfway through the set, a young  girl by the name of Jemma Dunlovely took to the stage with the two-some to perform a song called ‘Capslock’, and for me, this is when the show came into its own. Her voice is soft and has an understated, gravelly quality that melds well with her male counterparts and sets off the layered electronic mayhem beautifully. The song is available for free download from the White Collar Boy Soundcloud, and by all accounts there will be a video being released at the end of the week to accompany it . Nice.

Tenaka

Tenaka’s music is deep, bassy and all enveloping electro, that wraps around you whilst traversing a myriad of influences. At times I could hear strains of The Prodigy or old school funk, but always with a very modern electronic edge. The show on the night was a bit of a variety show of sorts and saw Tenaka encompass guest spots from a few of the other performers, including Bantum, Sorcha Brennan (Sleep Thieves) and Sacred Animals’ Darragh Nolan, amongst his electronic set. This made the overall gig really eclectic and varied in sound and tone, but unfortunately also added an extra headache (and delay) dealing with sound issues between each song, which you could see was irritating the hell out of Ronan Carroll. Nevertheless, the combination of the live vocals and intricate beat patterns were really great to hear live; it’s enchanting stuff.

Last Days of 1984

Again, the three stage overlap issue came into force here and, much to my dismay, I only got a chance to catch a short snippet of the Last Days set, which, by all accounts, was awesome in its entirety. They belted out two songs before I had to make a sharpish exit to catch Sleep Thieves over in the Village, but they were great. For some reason (despite having seen the boys before) I didn’t actually realize (here you can read REMEMBER if you are inclined to be more cynical about my drinking habits) that the band was made up of only two lads – Darren Moloney and Brian Rice. Point being, that if you listen to a song, for example, such as ‘River’s Edge’, it sounds a hell of a lot fuller than you would expect just two people to be able to create. A great mix of melody and creative synth beats, mixed with a serious electro buzz, the lads have a truly symbiotic relationship on stage that makes me sort of jealous. You can see them visibly reading each other and buzzing off the process of recreating their music live. It’s a serious trip. Next time, I’m in for the whole show.

Sleep Thieves

My first gig of the weekend in the Village , and it must be said, its quite the venue. Great stage, a serious lighting set up and obligatory oversized glitter balls made it the perfect place to catch one of my favorite bands of the festival. The threesome belted out a number of songs off their recently released Heart Waves album, before (almost relievedly) launching into a new song, dubbed ‘Islands’.  I thought it was great that they took the opportunity to air some new material, and it was great to hear where the band are going with their music, which was a progression on their earlier releases, but with a more distorted rock edge, and sounds (even) more accomplished. They finished the night on ‘Magnetic Heart’, a cracking tune, that garnered a serious amount of praise from the appreciative audience. Another winner.

Ghost Estates

Ghost Estates were the last band to take to the stage on the Village on Friday night, and they played a blinder. The large stage suits them down to a tee and they were tighter than I have ever seen them before. The boys have been practicing, I reckon, for what was their first show of the year and their rocking, soundscape-y set got an amazing response from a crowd that gathered rapidly as they took over the stage. Consummate businessmen that they are, the band did not miss a trick in plugging their upcoming Grand Social single launch gig that is happening on the 17th of February, to see in their new song ‘Pop Song’ off their soon-to-be-launched album… the 17th, the 17th, the 17th, the 17th… (you all got that right? The 17th of February, The Grand Social, the 17th, ‘Pop Song’ single launch, ahem…) Based on their rendition of said song on the night (they closed with it), it’ll be one to catch. That’s, eh, the Grand Social, on the 17th, in case I forgot to mention.

Sarah O’Neill
@FolieadeuxS

Posted in whelans onestowatch review irish music whitecollar boy tenaka last days of 1984 sleep thieves ghost estates