Sacred Animals

Artist Information

Biography

hypem.com/artist/sacred+animals

Sacred Animals' native Wexford to Dublin along the coast is a straight road, but veer a few miles off it and you find yourself up in the mountains. From the Sally Gap you can look out across Lough Tay hundreds of metres below and see the wind carving its way through the hills. "The energy is incredible - so primal. You realise life is pretty fleeting. But that's kind of precious in a weird way."

And the music's precious too. It draws on the rich tapestry of styles and sounds that make this such a compelling time to make music but also draws from those hidden places - Darragh's is not a completely clear vision of what the music is and might become. "It's about everything that makes artists we love, people like Thom Yorke, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear) create and then go back and explore. I've written songs for years and have always loved doing it. But when the songs start coming out like this, from somewhere I couldn't always reach, that's something really exciting."

Sacred Animals is about just that. Letting the music speak and breath, respecting its nature.

It's an unusual light across the Wicklow mountains in the May dusk, purple and orange, and it's got Darragh thinking. "I'm not so sure we have things figured out at all. That's what happens when you stop and stare out across a place like this." Sacred Animals look ahead and the road winds off through the hills and into the distance.

Instrumentation

Darragh Nolan - Guitar, VOX
Mark Colbert - Drums, VOX
Declan Hynes - keys

Discography

October 31st 2010, 'Welcome Home' EP, containing:

1 'Wired, Islands'
2 'Chosen Seed'
3 'Welcome Home'
4 'Still Removed'

Plays on BBC Radio Ulster (Across The Line), 2FM, TodayFM, PhantomFM, 2XM, regional stations & streamed from a number of top blogs, Nialler9.com, Strangers In Stereo, No Fear Of Pop, Indie Music Filter, Pasta Primavera, Space Toasters, Sunset In The Rearview, Friends With Both Arms & more...

January 2011, 'Castles In The Snow' Twin Shadow cover, streamed on No Fear Of Pop, Unholy Rhythms, Quarter Inch Collective, The Cover Lovers, Lyfsytl, Pulp Juiced & Circumstanced, Blalocks Indie Rock Playlist, Nialler9 & more...

March 2011, 'Welcome Home Remix' EP download for free at sacredanimals.net

Official Website

http://sacredanimals.net

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Last.fm
• MySpace
• The Delphi Label
• Hype Machine

Audio

• Chosen Seed
  Listen  
• Wired, Islands
  Listen  
• Welcome Home
  Listen  

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Most blogged artists: Kanye West, Deerhoof, Sacred Animals [+ Show ]
  

  Rapper Kanye West is once again the most popular artist in the blogosphere according to The Hype Mac...Rapper Kanye West is once again the most popular artist in the blogosphere according to The Hype Machine on October 18. San Francisco art-pop outfit Deerhoof moves into second place, while Atlanta rockers Deerhunter take third. Among many new faces in the day's top ten is Irish act Sacred Animals.
  
  San Francisco rock quartet Deerhoof is a hot topic in the blogs with the release of a new track, "The Merry Barracks," from its upcoming 11th album, Deerhoof vs. Evil. The album expects to drop on January 24 in the UK and January 25 in the US. "They are solidifying their sound, then projecting it onto a larger sonic canvas," reviews blogger Sonic Masala (sonicmasala.blogspot.com). "It's sounding bigger, although it is still the same organic force driving forth."
  
  Sacred Animals, the solo project of musical artist Darragh Nolan, debuts in the top ten after being chosen to represent Ireland this month in the Music Alliance Pact, a collaboration between 35 bloggers from around the world who share tracks by up-and-coming acts in their home countries. "His debut release is the lush four-track EP Welcome Home and serves as a perfect introduction to his fanciful and feral, wild like nature ballads," writes I'm Waking Up To... (wakingupto.wordpress.com). "The music recalls Radiohead, Bon Iver, and Guillemots without ever really sounding too much like any of them."
  
  The 10 most blogged artists on The Hype Machine on October 18 at 11:30 am GMT:
  
  Kanye West (+5)
  Deerhoof (+9)
  Deerhunter (-1)
  Sacred Animals (new)
  Secret Knives (new)
  James Blake (-4)
  La Roux (new)
  Caribou (-3)
  Havah (new)
  Minus (new)
  
  Launched in 2005, The Hype Machine aggregates information from more than 1,000 music blogs worldwide. Known for identifying up-and-coming artists, the site enables music fans to easily find out what music is hot in the blogosphere and to instantly hear and buy mp3s.
  
  http://hypem.com

• Introducing: Sacred Animals [+ Show ]
  

  Young hopeful, don’t let your mind get twisted in the burn / Remember, it’s easier to explore than r...Young hopeful, don’t let your mind get twisted in the burn / Remember, it’s easier to explore than return.
  
  Sacred Animals is a solo project from a Wexford-born man who would prefer to remain anonymous for now but for his first name – Darragh (some of you will recognise him but keep it to yourselves). His debut release is the lush four-track EP Welcome Home and serves as a perfect introduction to his fanciful and feral, wild like nature ballads. The music recalls the likes of Radiohead, Bon Iver and Guillemots without every really sounding too much like any of these artists.
  
  Sacred Animals will reveal himself in live performance at Electric Picnic on Saturday at 5.30pm on The Slow Stage at Global Green.

• Sacred Animals - Welcome Home Album Review [+ Show ]
  

  It is a rare sound that is at once lush and primal but that is exactly what you’ll find on this debu...It is a rare sound that is at once lush and primal but that is exactly what you’ll find on this debut EP from mysterious Wexford native Sacred Animals. Nothing is really clear about this record; from the cautious, oblique lyrics to the personnel involved. With only a couple of gigs under the belt, their anonymity is a blessing and a curse. On one hand it gives you no option but to focus on the music, and there is certainly plenty to concentrate on here, but on the other it can be frustrating as you search for a face to put to words and sounds that seem so deeply personal.
  
  Opener ‘Wired, Islands’ sets the tone, with a deceptively chirpy Wurlitzer line quickly being swallowed the vocals and strings, twisted together inseparably, hinting at the likes of Thom Yorke and Justin Vernon without ever sounding too like them. It almost lifts off after the second chorus with the refrain of “You’re not in control” buried amidst the layers of percussion and synths. By the end the vocals are hanging naked and exposed, all that’s left after the attempt to soar.
  
  This is a stunningly accomplished debut, showcasing a sound that is hugely impressive despite the feeling it is in its natal stage. There will no doubt be much more to come as Sacred Animals continue to plow this beautiful furrow.

• You're Not In Control [+ Show ]
  

  Darragh from Wexford, Ireland makes some wonderfully lush and dreamy bedroom music as Sacred Animals...Darragh from Wexford, Ireland makes some wonderfully lush and dreamy bedroom music as Sacred Animals, easy to listen to yet challenging if you're willing to let the songs surround and capture you. Despite the intricacy of the tunes' structure and sequencing, Darragh has written and recorded everything all by himself. His debut four track EP Welcome Home will be released as a handmade CD package limited to 75 items by the new Irish label Delphi, due October 1st. You can already stream all tracks via Sacred Animals' bandcamp.
  
  NFOP is proud to present the EP's opening track Wired, Islands, a stunningly beautiful ballad that draws inspiration from huge artists such as Thom Yorke or Bright Eyes. This pal is for sure someone to keep an eye on. Young hopeful.

• The non-college knowledge, KNOW YOUR: BANDS [+ Show ]
  

  Sacred Animals If you spent enough time looking from the Sally Gap over the beauty of Lough Tay,...Sacred Animals
  
  If you spent enough time looking from the Sally Gap over the beauty of Lough Tay, you might imagine the kind of music made by this Wexford man known only as Darragh. His band is well-named – Sacred Animals’ songs are both primal and celestial, taking the high road while keeping an ear close to the ground. sacredanimals.net

• Band of Blogs: Sacred Animals [+ Show ]
  

  Sacred Animals Recalling the timbres of Bon Iver and Thom Yorke, Sacred Animals is a solo project f...Sacred Animals
  Recalling the timbres of Bon Iver and Thom Yorke, Sacred Animals is a solo project from a mysterious Wexford man whose debut EP Welcome Home deals in fanciful and feral piano-led ballads.
  http://sacredanimals.net

• Sacred Animals releases debut EP, Welcome Home [+ Show ]
  

  After Abby’s little love note to Radical Face (aka Ben Cooper) and his latest (brilliant) EP, Touch ...After Abby’s little love note to Radical Face (aka Ben Cooper) and his latest (brilliant) EP, Touch The Sky, I found it appropriate to post about Sacred Animals’ debut EP, Welcome Home, which was released October 1. Cooper had a special version of his own “Welcome Home” track on Touch The Sky, so I’m hitting you with another electroacoustic tugs-at-the-heartstrings act in Sacred Animals.
  
  Sacred Animals, from Ireland, is, well, a man by the name of Darragh. Darragh has a poignant falsetto that floats out of the speakers and into our inviting ears. If there’s such a thing as easy-listening experimental, Sacred Animals is it. Welcome Home has a distinctly fantastical nature. I’m swept off my feet by the sparkling sounds; whisked away to places of hope and heartbreak.

• Quick Hits: Sacred Animals [+ Show ]
  

  Sacred Animals is the bedroom recordings of Dublin artist Darragh. I found out about this project t...Sacred Animals is the bedroom recordings of Dublin artist Darragh. I found out about this project through the fabulous GhostWaves remix, but was equally impressed with the original tracks as well. Sacred Animals has just released a debut EP Welcome Home and its full of light, melodic, and well crafted pop songs in the same shadow of Grizzly Bear, but not so Grizzly Bearish, if you know what I mean. If you don’t, then just listen:

• Enjoy it while it's fresh - Sacred Animals [+ Show ]
  

  Sacred Animals is one of the more exciting projects that I have heard, that seems to be influenced b...Sacred Animals is one of the more exciting projects that I have heard, that seems to be influenced by the explosion of chillwave and other bed-room pop acts. Sacred Animals is an Irish native named Darragh, who produces hazy and soft electro-pop that mixes in acoustic instrumentation as well as ethereal sounding synths. His debut EP WELCOME HOME is filled with sparkling, and emotive songs that will appeal to fans of Grizzly Bear, Bon Iver and even Washed Out or Toro y Moi. I am confident that as Sacred Animals continues to produce great material he will begin to explode on the blogosphere. Stream his debut EP below and buy it if you dig it.

• There is a calm place that Sacred Animals takes you [+ Show ]
  

  There is a calm place that Sacred Animals takes you when you first begin the journey which is its pr...There is a calm place that Sacred Animals takes you when you first begin the journey which is its premier EP Welcome Home. A place shrouded in mystery yet filled with vivid imagery. A place band member Darragh says can connect you and cause you to feel safe as you stand amidst howling winds. Welcome Home is the elusive and rarely visited calm in the eye of the storm and even though howls may attempt to distort; things still seem to make sense.
  
  I came across Sacred Animals, hailing from Ireland, via Ghost Waves who informed me that he was producing a remix that promised to be a dream-pop/psych/folk outfit. When I heard this description I had no idea what to expect from Sacred Animals.
  
  What I discovered not only increased my anticipation for the Ghost Waves remix but struck me as serene and cathartic. With time and a careful ear Welcome Home became the faint cry of Sacred Animals’ thoughts and emotions. Faint not because of a lack of clarity but because it chose to be a refreshing whisper against the noise.
  
  “Lyrically each song is completely different. They represent a moment & place; a thought process or bunch of emotions that made sense at that particular time… As much as I’d like to explain what each lyric means so that you could get the references I also think that would take away the chance for listeners to find something in it that makes more sense to them. They’re just words after all & can take on another life if you don’t restrict them to being what it meant to the writer at one time.” - Sacred Animals

Setlist

As You Sleep
Wired, Islands
Castle In The Snow
Still Removed
Holy Ghost
Chosen Seed
Tides
Welcome Home

Basic Requirements

Calendar