Classic Irish albums turning 5 to 45 in 2023

From Fight Like Apes to Saint Sister, David Holmes to Aslan, Ann Scott to Sultans Of Ping FC, Ash to In Tua Nua, 2fm's Dan Hegarty looks at some of the Irish albums that are turning five to 45 years old in 2023...

Fight Like Apes - Fight Like Apes And The Mystery Of The Golden Medallion (Model Citizen, 2008)

Here’s an album that has had more genres categorisations thrown at it over the years than the band members could probably remember. A decade and a half on, the songs are still as stubbornly resistant to being pigeonholed. Fight Like Apes And The Mystery Of The Golden Medallion is an absolute riot of sound from start to finish.

While there’s no denying that the album is bursting with energy and personality, it also has that key ingredient; great songs. Lend Me Your Face, Something Global and Tie Me Up With Jackets are three of the obvious ones, but they’re not alone.

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The Divine Comedy - Fin De Siècle (Setanta Records, 1998)

Having been swept into pop culture’s stratosphere by the white heat of Britpop, Neil Hannon’s Divine Comedy were household names by 1998. With the success of 1996’s Casanova and the following year's A Short Album About Love, complacency could have set in, but instead they kicked it up a number of gears with Fin De Siècle.

It’s a masterful album that has playful pop tunes like Generation Sex, National Express, along with thought-provoking tracks like The Certainty of Chance and Sweden. Fin De Siècle is the kind of record that you wish you could listen to for the first time again; that joyful feeling of hearing these songs afresh is special.

The Stunning - Tightrope (Solid Records, 1993)

Time travel is something that's been talked about a great deal over the years, but seeing as it hasn’t been achieved just yet, The Stunning’s 1993 live album Tightrope is your best opportunity to hear what the band sounded like live back in the early 1990s.

Featuring live favourites like Tightrope, Town For Sale along with The Mountain with guest Michael D. Higgins, it captures a moment in time for one of Ireland’s most treasured bands. It should be noted that The Stunning’s live shows these days are always worth checking out too, so you should do so at the next available opportunity.

The Thrills - So Much For The City (Virgin Records, 2003)

You might have to brace yourself for this, but it’s true So Much For The City by The Thrills is 20 years old this year. Released in May of 2003, it soundtracked that summer for many. Featuring those big singles One Horse Town, Big Sur and Santa Cruz (You’re Not That Far), it propelled the band from being local favourites to international acclaim.It’s still an album that seems to emit a warm glow; this could be nostalgia, but it’s more likely that it’s from those pure pop gems throughout. Following its release, it spent over 60 weeks in the Irish Album Chart.

Cane 141 - Scene From 6am (Secret Records, 1998)

The end of the 1990s was a transitional time in music. There was lots of interesting music arriving from acts like Mercury Rev, Fiona Apple, and Grandaddy. Add to that list Galway band Cane 141, who gave us their debut album Scene From 6am in 1998.

The opening track Summerlong could connect with just about anyone, as it conjures up memories of those youthful Summers that seemed to last forever. Easter In West and When You Ride Away are those kind songs that (pardon the pun) take you away somewhere momentarily. The album received a due amount of acclaim at the time, and still gets referenced all these years later as both an influence and a favourite.

Mano Le Tough - Changing Days (Permanent Vacation, 2013)

There are certain albums that no matter how many times you hear them, you seem to discover new sounds and textures every time you listen. This is the case with Changing Days, and considering that it’s 10 years old this year, there have been many subsequent audio discoveries.

You may find yourself wonder how he (Niall Mannion) created certain sounds, particularly on the tracks Primitive People, the title track, and the closing number The Sea Inside. The Wicklow born, Berlin based producer/DJ/musician has released several other enthralling albums since, all of which come highly recommended; start with this and work your way towards the present day.

Marxman - 33 Revolutions Per Minute (Talkin Loud, 1993)

Marxman made two very fine albums over a career that lasted from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s. 33 Revolutions Per Minute was the first of these, and includes some incredible tracks like All About Eve, Sad Affair, Father Like Son, and Ship Ahoy that features vocals from Sinead O’Connor.

The Anglo-Irish group unleashed this socially and politically charged album in April of 1993. Following its release, they toured with U2 and Depeche Mode, which boosted their profile and helped them become a true live force. The album still has a noticeable energy and edge, which is quite something 30 years after its initial landing.

Ann Scott - Venus To The Sky (self released, 2013)

Released in October of 2013, Venus To The Sky was recorded between Electrical Audio in Chicago and Dublin’s Sun Studios. Ann Scott had made a couple of albums prior to this (her 2004 debut Poor Horse and We’re Smiling in 2006), but this album was where her jump forward creatively was most evident.

Some artists just have that gift in making songs sound like you’ve known them for years, even on your first listen. The tracks Joy, All About Love and the apply titled For The First Time are three examples. Quirky is a term that’s used out of context too often these days, but it does go some way to describing elements of Scott’s music. It certainly doesn’t mean that the songs on Venus To The Sky will alienate listeners, on the contrary it’s just another element of what makes them so engaging.

Microdisney - 39 Minutes (Virgin Records, 1988)

Over four years, Microdisney gave us four unforgettable albums. Starting with 1984’s Everybody Is Fantastic and ending with 39 Minutes in 1988. It’s the latter that often gets overlooked when discussing the music of this much-loved Cork band.

Opening with one of their finest songs Singer's Hampstead Home, it’s a four-minute pop tune that just isn’t long enough. The band would split soon after, which was a shame as this album suggests that they still had much to give. A song like Back To The Old Town could quite easily appear as a new release in 2023, and not sound out of place.

Clannad - Magical Ring (RCA, 1983)

If you were to say the name Clannad to many people, the songs that they’d most like think of are In A Lifetime or Theme From Harry's Game. The latter features on their seventh studio album Magical Ring, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

The milestone coincides with the band’s announcement that after more than 50 years, they will disband in 2023. Clannad have been hugely significant to the Irish language, Irish culture, and have been a source of inspiration to numerous generations. As their most successful album, Magical Ring is right at the centre of their historic career.

Little Green Cars - Absolute Zero (Glassnote, 2013)

Absolute Zero by Little Green Cars is 10 years old? It would seem so, but it really doesn’t feel like half that amount of time has passed since the band delighted us with The Kitchen Floor, Harper Lee, and the song that was in many ways their introduction, My Love Took Me Down To The River To Silence Me.

They had a folkie side to them that distinguished them from most of their contemporaries. This album helped them win fans of all ages, which is something that isn’t as straightforward as it would seem. They followed Absolute Zero three years later with Ephemera, which is another fine album, but it would be their last.

The Devlins - Drift (Capitol, 1993)

With the exception of acts like Sinead O’Connor, The Cranberries and U2, there weren’t many Irish acts scoring international success in the early 1990s. With their debut album Drift, The Devlins started winning over fans on both sides of the Atlantic - singles like Almost Made You Smile and Someone To Talk To proved quite a draw.

The album was a lot more than just the singles though. Recorded in Dublin and New Orleans, it has a sound that you’d expect to hear from a band much further on in their career. The atmospheric Every Time You Go is an outstanding track, as is Alone In The Dark and Turn You ‘Round. It’s an album to revisit or introduce yourself to as soon as you can.

HamsandwicH - Carry The Meek (The Route 109 Recording Company, 2008)

Although HamsandwicH would go on to make stronger albums than this, Carry The Meek remains a mightily impressive debut. It manages to capture what they were about as a live band almost perfectly.

If you find yourself seeing the band playing these days, you’d more than likely still hear a number of these tracks. Words and Click...Click...Boom! were two of the singles that remain favourites for many. Now a three-piece, they’ve gone on to release four albums, and Carry The Meek is an important part of the band’s foundations.

Aslan - Feel No Shame (EMI, 1988)

If you were to compare Feel No Shame to many of the popular rock albums released in 1988, you’d be justified in wondering why it didn’t bring Aslan greater commercial success than it did. Any album with tracks of the calibre of Loving Me Lately, Down On Me and This Is is worthy of a large audience.

Listening to This Is 30 years on, there’s no doubt that it remains one of the greatest Irish songs ever made. After splitting up for several years in the late 1980s/early 1990s, Aslan returned with Goodbye Charlie Moonhead, which delighted old and new fans of the band. Feel No Shame is the sound of a young band showcasing their talent, and achieving tremendous results.

God Is An Astronaut - God Is An Astronaut (Revive Records, 2008)

Wicklow-based God Is An Astronaut have released more beautifully crafted albums than most people are aware of. By 2008, they had also clocked up more touring miles than many artists would cover in their entire career.

Their fourth self-titled album contains some of their best work, and some of the tracks still make regular appearances in their live shows. Bands such as GIAA have an ability to exist off most people’s radars, and not just survive, but thrive. On this album they manage to blend what at times resembles an orchestral sound, along with their familiar guitar sound. Add some seamless, rhythmic drums and you have music made with precise measure.

Therapy? - Semi Detached (A&M, 1998)

You’d be correct in saying that Therapy have better-known albums than 1998’s Semi Detached, but do they have many albums that are better? In truth, this is one of the band’s cruelly overlooked albums.

Released in May of 1998, it would be their final album with their then label A&M. Black Eye, Purple Sky is like Twentieth Century Boy by T-Rex blended with Queens Of The Stone Age’s Feel Good Hit Of The Summer. Therapy have always been great at making pop tunes with a heavy exterior, and Stay Happy is a perfect example of this. Even compared with their most celebrated singles, Church Of Noise is without doubt one of their finest.

The Blue Angels - Coming Out Of Nowhere (Solid Records, 1993)

The Blue Angels are a band that have largely been forgotten over the years. Even searching for references to their music doesn’t yield much information. It’s a shame because over a relatively brief existence, they delivered some songs of real quality.

After spending much of the previous decade as Blue In Heaven, the members regrouped and took a different approach with The Blue Angels. 1993’s impressive Coming Out Of Nowhere would be their only album. Candy was the biggest single from it; a song that was justifiably on the radio a lot at the time. That song and others still sound well alongside material from today from acts like NewDad, Cloth and Sorcha Richardson.

David Holmes - The Holy Pictures (Mercury Records, 2008)

The Holy Pictures isn’t David Holmes’ best-known album, but there are many reasons why you could claim that it’s his best. That’s quite a statement when you consider 1997’s Let’s Get Killed and 2000's Bow Down To The Exit Sign.

Holmes had already become successful in the world of film soundtracks at this stage, and while this has aspects of a soundtrack, it’s very much a studio album. Opening with the endlessly good I Heard Wonders and closing with The Ballad Of Jack & Sarah, it’s a personal album about his life growing up in Belfast. It’s also the first David Holmes album that you’ll hear him singing on; the results are not bad at all!

The Plague Monkeys - Surface Tension (Crosstown Music, 1998)

There were many hugely talented acts active in Ireland during the second half of the 1990s. Names like Estel, The Marbles, and Cuckoo may come to mind. Add to that list The Plague Monkeys who released two exceptional albums, Surface Tension being the first.

In the pre-streaming age, film soundtracks, music TV, radio and the print media were essential for acts. With tracks like Bloomsday and White Feathers, it’s surprising that The Plague Monkeys didn’t feature a lot more through these various mediums. Between this debut, it’s follow-up The Sunburn Index (1999), and the albums that they released under the name The Tycho Brahe, it’s a rich and beautiful catalogue of music.

Turn - Forward (Nurture Records, 2003)

If you were to look back at 2002/2003 and search out which acts were gaining attention, Turn would be one of the first bands you’d be likely to encounter. The combination of electric live shows and their very well received 2002 In Position EP put them in a good place ahead of making this, their second studio album.

2003’s Forward album is a snapshot of what an incredibly talented band Turn were. Featuring Summer Song, Another Year Over, In Position and Even Though it still holds up 20 years on. Even thinking of it as being two decades old feels strange, but it’s just further proof that good songs stand up well to the tests that time places upon them.

The Cranberries - Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (Island Records, 1993)

After years of near misses and too much talk about what was referred to as the next big thing, an Irish band finally made a big international breakthrough. There were plenty of contenders at the time, but it was The Cranberries that emerged as an act that would be embraced by a generation as not just a big band, but one who’s music would soundtrack those formative years for millions.

Even the title of their debut summed up their optimism. Looking back now, it’s hard to imagine the early/mid 1990s without songs like Dreams and Linger. It’s not all about those two songs though, Not Sorry, Put Me Down and I Still Do would help this album to become one of the defining records of the time.

Rare - Peoplefreak (Pinnacle, 1998)

Trip Hop is a title that caused mild irritation to many of the artists described as such in the late 90s. Formed in Derry by Sean O’Neill (of The Undertones fame), the band also consisted of Mary Gallagher and Locky Morris.

Their only album Peoplefreak arrived in 1998. While comparisons with acts like Massive Attack and Tricky weren’t all that accurate, you can hear where they’re coming from when listening to the tracks Soda and the single Something Wild. If you’re looking for a good example of an under-exposed gem, this might just be it.

Saint Sister - Shape Of Silence (Self-released, 2018)

Enchanting, thought provoking, and in many places ethereal - there are many ways to describe Saint Sister’s debut album Shape Of Silence. The duo of Gemma Doherty and Morgan MacIntyre weave their vocals and harmonies in a way that almost have you transfixed.

If you have a few minutes, it’s worth having a look at the video to Twin Peaks. It’s like a mini documentary of a band on tour, all to the soundtrack of a stunning song. Madrid is another high point, as is Steady which is one of the most beautiful songs released that year.

U2 - Zooropa (Island Records, 1993)

The question remains, where did U2 find the time to make Zooropa? Somewhere between different legs of the Zoo TV tour in support of 1991’s Achtung Baby, a reinvented U2 managed to make one of their most unusual and interesting albums.

Produced by Flood, Brian Eno and The Edge, Zooropa’s playfulness and experimentation made for a perfect fit to the multi-media tour extravaganza that they were bringing around the world at the time. Achtung Baby mark two it was not, it’s very much another chapter in the band’s story. Songs from Zooropa like Numb, Stay (Faraway So Close!) and Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car remain to this day as some of U2’s best songs.

Simple Kid - SK 1 (2M Records - 2003)

Here’s a brilliant, brilliant album that far too few people got to hear at the time, and in the years since. Packed with what you could describe as wonky pop tunes, it’s nothing short of a piece of brilliance.

The Average Man, Truck On, Drugs and Staring At The Sun were the singles released from it, and there were many others that could have worked too. The opening number Hello is a joy to hear as is Supertramps & Superstars; pick your own superlative, it’s that and more.

Nanu Nanu - Unit 1 (Flaming June Records, 2013)

Made up of Glitterface (Laura Sheeran) and Mirrorman (Marc Aubele), the space pop duo Nanu Nanu landed with their one and so far only album Unit 1 ten years ago. Clocking in at just 34 minutes, it’s a galaxy of sounds and tempos. From the dreamy opening track Babybug to the electropop-charged Pocket Of Gold to the menacing sound of Patron, it doesn’t go off course.

The Drop featuring Steve Liriks was/is a favourite for many fans of the album. It’s a collaboration that worked so well that you would have hoped it would be reprised on many more occasions. 2023 is the 10th anniversary of the album, so who knows they could decide to mark the anniversary with some live dates, or better still gigs and new material.

Blink - The End Is High (Mutant Sound System, 1998)

What a band, and what an album The End Is High is. Four years after their much-loved debut album A Map Of The Universe by Blink, this album arrived. The opening three tracks are as strong as you could find on any album - A Planet Made Of Rain, Would You Kill For Love?, and a re-recorded version of the outstanding Cello.

The band spent a great deal of time in the US with this album, and things very nearly happened for them. There have been numerous descriptions about the style or genre this album falls into; electro pop, indie pop, dance pop… take your pick. It’s an album that has so much energy, and contains wonderfully crafted songs throughout.

Bantum - Legion (Eleven Eleven, 2013)

Having released numerous singles, EPs, remixes, along with two albums, it’s hard to recommend where to start if you’re new to Bantum’s music. However, 2013’s debut album might be an appropriate entry point.

With a cast of guests that included gifted vocalists like Eimear O'Donovan, Bennie Johnston and Margie Lewis; it’s an album that can sit alongside the best of what Caribou or Flume have delivered. Sometimes having a range of different vocal collaborators can disjoint the flow of an album, but Bantum has constructed this record so there are no distractions or detours.

Sultans Of Ping FC - Casual Sex In The Cineplex (Rhythm King, 1993)

Few bands will elicit a passionate reaction like the Sultans Of Ping FC do. The love that many have for the band started after hearing their debut album. There’s something about the individuality and bravery of being different on Casual Sex In The Cineplex that seems to draw you even closer to it.

Having songs like Where’s Me Jumper?, Veronica and Indeed You Are on any record is hugely beneficial, but there really isn’t a weak song on the album. 30 years on The Sultans continue to be discovered by new fans and cherished by their long-standing audience.

Ash - Nu-Clear Sounds (Infectious Records, 1998)

The passing of time can often give you a broader perspective on why certain things happened and sometimes why they may not have. Nu-Clear Sounds is the kind of album that so many artists try to record. It’s that tricky balance of capturing a live sound in the studio - it certainly worked here.

The fact that such a strong album didn’t bring the band to new heights must have been hugely disappointing. Listening to it 25 years on, it’s still difficult to figure out why. Charlotte Hatherley had joined, and really added another dimension to their sound. Jesus Says, Wildsurf and Numbskull were the three singles, but it also features the hugely underrated tracks Folk Song and Aphrodite.

Gemma Hayes - The Hollow of Morning (GH Music, 2008)

Some artists make their best work when the spotlight isn’t focussed on them. A good example of this is Gemma Hayes who deservedly gained the focus of many with her first two albums. By the time she reached her third album the focus from the media and public had become less intense.

Released on her own label, it’s an album that captures an artist that has matured both as a songwriter and musician. Out Of Our Hands is one of her finest songs, and At Constant Speed and Home aren’t far behind. Her 2011 album Let It Break is highly recommended too, as is 2014’s Bones + Longing.

An Emotional Fish - Junk Puppets (Atlantic Records, 1993)

If you were to read the headlines of the day about An Emotional Fish, the music nearly got lost amid people’s projections of where the band were due to go in terms of success. Removing that from the conversation highlights what you have with Junk Puppets; that being an album that finds the band moving forward stylistically, and doing it in a highly impressive way.

Junk Puppets is a huge sounding album, but that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t those subtleties that can help draw you in. The single Careless Child showed their tender side, while Yeh Yeh Yeh and Rain are giant rock monsters that should have filled stadiums all over the world. Produced by Alan Moulder and Dave Stewart, it differs significantly from what An Emotional Fish released before and after.

Woodstar - Life Sparks (Wet Clay Records, 2003)

Here’s a band and an album that gets referenced in conversation more than you’d imagine. While Life Sparks was Woodstar’s only album, the impression that it made on those that heard it at the time has lasted long beyond the band’s days of being active.

Released through indie label Wet Clay Records, it sounds like something that could have come from one of those hotly tipped acts that the American alternative music press would be raving about. Sorry Skin and Dumb Punk Song were two of the popular songs, but the album is filled with glorious off-piste pop tunes.

In Tua Nua - The Long Acre (Virgin, 1988)

In Tua Nua performed a live acoustic session for the Dave Fanning show on 2fm to coincide with the album’s release. If you can track it down, they play a beautiful acoustic version of Don’t Fear Me Now - the original version features on the album The Long Acre.

The opening song Woman On Fire has an edge to it that’s not too dissimilar to The Wonder Stuff on their first two albums. The Innocent And The Honest Ones is another track of note; it has a slower pace and more of a pop sensibility. Title tracks can sometimes get overlooked, but this one really sparkles with a singalong hook in its core.

Snow Patrol - Final Straw (Fiction Records, 2003)

Some albums aren’t successful straight away. Moby’s Play is a perfect example of this, as is Snow Patrol’s third studio album Final Straw. Produced by Jacknife Lee, it was very much a case of third time lucky for the band.

When you listen to it, it’s evident that luck had very little to do with the success that it was awarded. It’s a masterful album balancing what some people call an indie signature with a richer sound that crosses over into the mainstream. Pick any song, it’s anthem followed by another anthem that you want to scream along with. There isn’t a dull moment from the opening number How To Be Dead to the closing notes of the final track, Same.

Messiah J & The Expert - What's Confusing You? (Volta Sounds, 2003)

For far too long some people used to ask could Irish people rap or make hip hop? Messiah J & The Expert were one of the acts in the early 2000s that helped put this ridiculous question to sleep permanently.

What’s Confusing You is their debut album, which features some absolute beasts of tunes. Tracks like Flight From The Anthill and Bloodrush were two favourites at the time, and sound perfect alongside the best of what artists like Denise Chaila, Sello, and Monjola have released in recent times. MJEX as they were affectionately known as would go on to release three further albums; all of which are now thankfully part of the streaming age for your listening pleasure.

Dan Hegarty presents The Alternative on RTÉ 2FM, Mon - Thurs @ 11 pm - listen back here.

Irish Albums Turning 5 to 45 in 2023

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