Classic Irish indie from the 90s

I know I'm supposed to be finishing this chapter, but I was so excited about this discovery that I had to post. Around 1994 and 1995, I was studying for my Leaving Cert (shudder) and I would have Dave Fanning on between eight and ten every school night while I was doing my homework. Whenever I heard something I liked, I would scribble a note in my homework notebook. Then, next time I heard it, I would tape it. (Yes, it was a long time ago!) If I'd taped more than two songs off a particular album, it would go on my list of wanted albums. Unfortunately, the list always far outran my financial means, and one of the albums I never got round to buying was The Language of Everyday Life (Dead Elvis Records) by a Dublin band called In Motion. They were a bit shoegaze, a bit C86, a bit Cocteau Twins, and totally brilliant. (They had a video featured on No Disco in which their drummer wanders around Dublin in a nice frock.) Fast forward some years, and I would often find myself wondering what happened to them and where I could find that album. No myspace page, no videos on youtube, seemingly nothing. Did no-one else remember how good they were? Well, as I have just discovered, the folks over at Indiecater records do, and they have done a digital release of the album. You can hear one of the album's highlights, "Hollow Blow" here-- just scroll to the bottom. Apparently they would like to do a vinyl release, which I think would be terrific. Incidentally, if you take a look at the site, you'll also find classic albums by Sunbear and The Brilliant Trees. Enjoy!

Speaking of the Desperate Bicycles...

... I think it's time I posted something about my influences. Although I only heard about the Desperate Bicycles long after I had begun my own adventures in DIY music-making, their raw enthusiasm and true punk spirit helped renew my own commitment to, and joy in, making my own music regardless of circumstance. You can read a bit about them here. The point here is don't wait for x, y, or z to fall into place; create with whatever you have, right now. It's the same spirit that moved Toasted Heretic to record brilliant albums on a portastudio and self-release them on cassette. Toasted Heretic, in case you didn't know, were extant in Galway in the late 80s and early 90s. When I heard about them as a secondary school student, I was floored by their priceless name and inspired by their DIY approach. "Wait," I thought, "You can just go and make an album yourself for almost no money? I want to do that." And I did: Toasted Heretic's guitarist, Declan Collins, engineered and co-produced my first album, "Blank Melodies." (Recorded on portastudio, of course!) I'll post more about that some other time.