There’s been a debate going on recently, spawned by this article, about whether right now is some sort of golden age for Irish music, particularly with respect to the independent side of things. I’m not all that convinced by this. There has always been a pretty vibrant DIY scene – the difference is that in the last few years more and more bands have decided that putting out your own music is a viable way of doing things, and more and more media outlets have realised that this is something worth supporting. However, more music being produced and more people writing about it, does not mean all of it, or even any of it, is any good. I still hear a lot of generic sounding stuff that seems to be aping whatever is fashionable with the music publications and blogs at the moment. The real test will be whether there are bands and artists original and talented enough to create music that we will still be listening to in five years time, and that we won’t have simply forgotten about. (more…)
Traces Of The Real 