The 25 best songs of November
19.
Angel Olsen – Special
It’s a testament to the songwriting talent of Angel Olsen that her B-sides and offcuts album Phases offered one of the best album listening experiences of November (it is a quite month of course), and ‘Special’ is my favourite song from the record.
Texas psychedelic trio Khruangbin provide us with this soulful track. This group have been making a name for themselves with their live performances mixing “60’s Thai funk, 70’s Persian rock music, and 80’s Algerian symphonia”. They have an extraordinary ability to mix old sounds into something that sounds fresh and new. They play Dublin in March.
Both tracks on the new EP from Wastefellow originated from the same two bar sample off the track ‘You Gave Me Oh Lord’ by Bitboul, Costa and Yared but Roche developed a life and sound for the tracks on their own over time. ‘Enfold You’ is an example of Wastefellow’s visual-lead experimental electronic pop. Wastefellow plays Bello Bar tomorrow night for the Nialler9/Homebeat Future Proof show.
Two years on from their last release, Sligo house duo Brame & Hamo are back with a new EP – Trants (say it out loud with an Irish accent and it sounds like ‘Trance’). The three tracks on the new EP feature a mix of bleeping techno, dusty drums, percussion, trance flavours and sax and vocal samples on the hard-hitting ‘Hurt You’ that deliver a deeper tone in comparison to their earlier work. The release is on Bandcamp.
23.
English siblingsRob and Katy Pearson or Ardyn’s last two singles ‘Together’ and ‘Throwing Stones’ had influences of the classic music of Fleetwood Mac and Kate Bush. They return to that sound on ‘Bloom’, with catchy synthesizer beats and elegant harmonies searching for a sanctuary.
Tipperary singer Molly Sterling, is a 19-year-old who has been trekking her own creative path for a number of years and it feels like it’s now finding a place of resonance.
Her latest single is a piano-lead ballad based wholly in reality and all its flaws, that has intimacy in its construction and one that Sterling sings of her body “is not just feast for eyes / it’s a home / a prison / a craft / all at the same time ” and explores how her mind and body are interlinked in reaction to external forces.
25.
Laurel Halo – Moontalk
From her third album Dust, comes this panglobal song of Japanese, English and African DNA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLcQ8zxyTTo
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Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.