Denise Chaila: Go Bravely review – A hip-hop star in the makingZambian-born, Irish-raised rapper has an eloquence, intelligence and ability to engage when it comes to the big issues troubling the world in 2020Fri Oct 02 2020 - 13:38
Idles: Ultra Mono review – A bolt of righteous anger and furious energyThere is plenty to return to in the Bristol punks’ third album – if you have the staminaFri Sept 25 2020 - 05:45
Róisín Murphy: If I want to be famous I can just go to a gay clubThe accidental pop star on lockdown, her aesthetic and ‘horrific’ modern popSat Sept 19 2020 - 05:00
Róisín Murphy: Róisín Machine review – Disco dynamiteThe Wicklow native’s fifth solo album is an especially relevant album for these timesFri Sept 18 2020 - 06:00
The best 50 Irish music acts right now – in orderIt’s a particularly thrilling time for Irish music – here’s our countdown of the finestSat Sept 12 2020 - 06:00
Doves: The Universal Want review – Post-Britpop survivors back in demandAfter an 11-year hiatus, the trio reconvene with nothing to prove and plenty to sayFri Sept 11 2020 - 06:20
Mary Coughlan: Life Stories review – Truthful and tenderhearted without sentimentalityCoughlan’s emotions dart between aggrieved injustice, acceptance and resilienceFri Sept 04 2020 - 17:47
Emperor of Ice Cream: No Sound Ever Dies review – enjoyable nostalgia tripThe Cork indie band’s album is easygoing, jangly 1990s with grungey basslinesFri Aug 28 2020 - 05:00
Bright Eyes: Down in the Weeds review – Worth getting to knowThere is gold to be mined with every listen of Conor Oberst and company’s 10th albumFri Aug 21 2020 - 05:00
The Killers: Imploding the Mirage review – Pomp, schmaltz and tunesThis is a somewhat predictable but very fine rock album from the altered line-upThu Aug 13 2020 - 18:40
Billy Nomates: Billy Nomates review – One of the quirkier albums of the yearTor Maries’ one-woman band offers a righteous and amusing critique of our timeFri Aug 07 2020 - 05:00
Alanis Morissette: Such Pretty Forks in the Road review – Nothing but the truthPerhaps galvanised by these truth-telling songs, her voice has never sounded betterFri Jul 31 2020 - 07:26
Song Sung: This Ascension Is Ours review – Winning twinsFamiliarity and foreboding permeate Georgina and Una McGeough’s debutFri Jul 31 2020 - 05:00
Cursed Murphy versus the Resistance review: Scholarly punkA rewarding marriage of Peter Murphy’s wordplay and Jinx Lennon-esque punk styleFri Jul 24 2020 - 05:15
The Chicks: Gaslighter review – Packs the most satisfying of punchesEighth album from country-pop trio mines personal material like never beforeFri Jul 17 2020 - 05:45
50 best Irish albums of all time – in orderA list that reflects contemporary Irish music as much as it pays its respects to the pastSat Jul 11 2020 - 06:00
Silverbacks: Fad review – Seriously exciting debut from Dublin bandExcellent first offering built on post-punk murky basslines and savage riffsFri Jul 10 2020 - 06:05
Mike Skinner: ‘You can go too far with honesty’Back with a new mixtape, the man behind The Streets reflects on his career and mental health strugglesSat Jul 04 2020 - 05:00
Paul Weller: On Sunset – Modfather delivers more rock ’n’ soul magicAt 62, Weller is clearly not interested in resting on his considerable laurelsFri Jul 03 2020 - 06:00
Haim: Women in Music Pt III review – A celebration of resilienceLos Angeles sisters document personal difficulties on their best album yetFri Jun 26 2020 - 06:00
John Legend: Bigger Love review – More sickly sweet than sexyToo often, Legend’s overbearing sentimentality scuppers his talent as a musicianFri Jun 19 2020 - 05:00
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever: Sideways to New Italy – Exquisite jangle popA trio of singers and songwriters with obvious influences – but they make it workFri Jun 05 2020 - 05:00
R.S.A.G.: Chroma review – One of the best Irish albums of 2020Jeremy Hickey finds a groove that shifts, shimmers, pops and clatters over the course of 10 songsFri May 29 2020 - 05:00
Tim Burgess: I Love the New Sky review – Another delightful curveballOn the Charlatans frontman’s fifth solo album there’s lots going on in every song, but it never feels overcookedFri May 22 2020 - 05:00
Sparks: A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip review – another hit for the cult heroesTheatrical, tongue-in-cheek art-pop which is melodically potentFri May 15 2020 - 05:00
The 1975: Notes on a Conditional Form review – passionate if indulgent work pushes boundariesTHE 1975Notes on a Conditional FormDirty Hit/Polydor, 3Fri May 15 2020 - 04:00
Swimmers Jackson: Murmuration review – authentic album strikes easy balance between laidback and spiritedDubliner’s short debut album is certainly not lacking in charm or dynamicsFri May 08 2020 - 05:00
Beach Comber: Parting Cuts review – A gift to the worldAnd So I Watch You from Afar man Rory Friers’s wedding gift to his sister is a lo-fi gemFri Apr 24 2020 - 05:00
Columbia Mills: CCTV – Dublin band is definitely one to watchSecond album again blends indie rock with electronica – and lots of chemistryFri Apr 17 2020 - 05:00
Ezra Furman: Sex Education review – Warm indie with killer linesA great introduction to a seriously under-rated musician’s back catalogueFri Apr 10 2020 - 05:00
Brian Deady: ‘My job is not to be famous, it’s to make stuff’The Cork native is continuing to plot world domination from his Spanish cave houseWed Apr 08 2020 - 05:00
Lewis Capaldi: ‘I’m not Justin Bieber or Ed Sheeran – I’m not getting chased down the street’Even if you don’t like his lovelorn ballads it’s impossible to dislike Lewis Capaldi the manSat Apr 04 2020 - 05:00
Lisa Lambe: Juniper – Easy listening, but in a very good wayThe Celtic Woman singer’s voice blends Natalie Merchant and Alison KraussFri Apr 03 2020 - 05:00
Margaret Glaspy on songwriting: ‘Rinse and repeat to find the gems’Her new album sees the Californian move from folkish indie-rock to quirky popTue Mar 31 2020 - 05:00
Sufjan Stevens & Lowell Brams: Aporia review – Skimpy side projectStevens and his stepdad have some good ideas but fail to flesh out all that noodlingFri Mar 27 2020 - 05:00
Baxter Dury: The Night Chancers review – sultry, sleazy, sneering vignettesUnencumbered by dad Ian’s legacy, Dury shows he’s very much his own manFri Mar 20 2020 - 05:00
Agnes Obel: Architect of eerie, otherworldy musicThe Danish musician has forged successful career in her own unconventional approachSat Mar 14 2020 - 05:00
Therapy? Greatest Hits (The Abbey Road Session) – Back on their old stomping groundRe-recorded versions of the Northern Irish band’s UK top 40 hits still bristle with energyFri Mar 13 2020 - 06:00
Hilary Woods: Birthmarks review – A disquieting but compelling albumDublin-born musician’s previous life as an indie icon is far removed from her solo workFri Mar 13 2020 - 05:30
Autre Monde: The Imaginary Museum review – slick and thrillingly weird popDebut from ex-Popical Islanders is a carefully cultivated musical experimentFri Feb 28 2020 - 07:00
Caribou’s Dan Snaith: ‘It’s really beautiful to have my music linked to gay marriage’The Canadian musician on soundtracking marriage equality and his ‘vulnerable’ new albumThu Feb 27 2020 - 05:00
The Line: Matter review – Challenging noise and cheesy melodiesMeltybrains? member Brian Dillon goes it alone with heavy, unsettling electronicaFri Feb 21 2020 - 05:00
Bedlam Suitcase: The Fourth Wall review – Too many half-baked ideasDebut album from unconventional Irish band embodies Bowie’s ambition, but lacks his focus and visionThu Feb 13 2020 - 05:00
Green Day: Father of All... review – Is this some sort of in-joke?This is one chapter of Green Day that’s best consigned to the ‘should never have happened’ pileFri Feb 07 2020 - 06:00
Polica: When We Stay Alive review – An unsettling sea of uncertainty and turmoilPolicia’s wrote these songs in the aftermath of an accident but the recovery journey is hard to connect toFri Jan 24 2020 - 05:45
Neneh Cherry: Raw Like Sushi 30th Anniversary review – still fresh, still funky as hellMabel’s mum deserves more credit for this visionary blueprint for female rappersFri Jan 17 2020 - 05:00
Bombay Bicycle Club: ‘We had no plans to do anything again’The indie-rock quartet are back with a new album after a six-year hiatusSat Jan 11 2020 - 05:00
Nicolas Godin: Concrete and Glass review – Immersive electronicaWoozy experimentation with gentle synth flurries provide warmth and heartFri Jan 10 2020 - 05:10
Mario Rosenstock: ‘I may be sentimental, but I’m not a complete sap’All I want for Christmas: Mario Rosenstock, actor, comedian and impressionist on the best best and worst of ChristmasTue Dec 17 2019 - 05:00
