A Dream That I Was Told To Keep

Ireland has a pretty fantastic reputation for producing mopey indie bands and guitar-grinding rock groups, but our track record in the fields of pop and dance music has been considerably more patchy.

While a chart-conquering Irish EDM star may still be some way off, a number of homegrown acts teaming ambient electronica with pop sensibilities have recently been forging a new path that is proving to be music blog catnip.

Newbridge teenager MMOTHS's bedroom-brewed musical concoctions earned him a support slot for The xx on their recent tour, while Dublin duo Slow Skies have been riding high in the Hype Machine chart with their recent release 'On The Shore'.

Now comes 'Time', a collaboration between Cork electropop outfit Young Wonder and another Irish artist Sacred Animals that is destined to expedite the rise of Irish electronica. Likened by The 405 to a "Ben Gibbard and Björk duet produced by Balam Acab", this track is certainly one we can proudly export.



Check out Young Wonder's video for 'Orange' below:

Living Life Three Times As Fast

“What's your dick like, homie? What are you into?”  Azealia Banks barks at a bespectacled and bemused-looking Jacques Greene in the music video for her signature tune '212'. My guess is that Greene's genitals, like the rest of him, are perfectly formed. And sexual proclivities aside, what he's 'into' is slinky synths and killer, killer beats.

The Canadian producer/DJ has demonstrated a singular flair for extracting vocal samples from forgotten-but not-gone R'n'B stars like Mario, Brandy and Ashanti and using these as cornerstones in gauzy house and two-step constructions.

More recently, Greene has deviated from this blueprint, juggling more 'commercial' projects like a guest-spot on the recent Katy B EP with solo releases, such as this excellent collaboration with Tinashe, 'Painted Faces'.

When There Are No More Walls To Climb

Heathers' album 'Kingdom' was one of my favourite Irish releases of 2012. Expanding on the harmonies-and-acoustic-guitar formula that worked so well on their debut, the girls incorporated synths, strings and percussion into the mix for a fuller pop sound.

They may have risked alienating their folk fanbase but the strategy paid off in spades, with the album spawning the anthemic radio hit 'Forget Me Knots' and earning the Blackrock twins a Choice Prize nomination (Ireland's answer to the Mercury or Polaris).

Now, with a national headline tour under their belts, they return with the moody new single 'Lions, Tigers, Bears' and a windswept video to boot (in parts reminiscent of All Saints' 'Pure Shores'.)