Ones to watch: Nouveaunoise (with added Irish music rant)
You’ve probably read many predictions from others this year about ones to watch for 2008, but what about locally? I get irked when people, journalists or otherwise make it seem like there’s nothing in this country but unoriginal indie bands and acoustic singer-songwriters around every corner. Sure, there is some good examples of both of those genres (Fight like Apes, Adrian Crowley) but the typically more obscure genres such as electronica, hip-hop, alternative-rock, hell, even jazz gets left behind in the maelstrom of ordinary champions.
Similarly, naysayers who complains about the lack of diversity (and there have been many) clearly don’t have their ears to the ground. Last year was a great year for Irish music something I hope the Choice Prize will show this year with its nominations. We also must remember that a lot of the best music released was not in album format which is why I started the Irish EPs of the year poll. Even beyond that, there is lots of Irish music being uploaded to Myspace that may never be released physically. It’s one of the many reasons why this blog exists. Highlighting music that doesn’t have a record company or PR behind it, music blogs are one of the natural outlets for this kind of promotion.
Rant over. My reason for this post in the first place is down to some videos I watched earlier which got me excited. I have featured Nouveaunoise before and if you are looking for an Irish act doing things differently then look no further than these guys. Inspired by Four Tet’s penchant for wobbly electronics and jazzy samples, the duo played their third or fourth gig recently with a more effective streamlined setup of 2 samplers, 2 Kaos pads, and a keyboard. These videos coupled with their recent remix for Super Extra Bonus Party (out early Feb on vinyl 😉 ) means I’ll be keeping a close eye on the sound they’re making in 2008.
Videos down, have at this:
