Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
THE RADIO
KINDNESS
A band comprising members of a feisty riot grrrl combo ( The Chicks ) and a member of one of Ireland’s long forgotten ( though much loved ) indie outfits ( Rollerskate Skinny ) seemed an unlikely teaming at first. Not so. The blending of Steven Murray and Annie Tierney’s respective musical sensibilities have created pure magic. Having raised a few eyebrows at last year’s Hard Working Class Heroes ( under the name Empire ), The Radio’s music is in turns extraordinarily impressive and engaging.
The album opens with a majestic, epic crash, and the music remains wonderfully layered, held together with impressive hooks, and wrapped in pristine, savvy production. In all, Kindness displays heartfelt perfection and the sonic wizardry of the likes of The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. ‘Remember me, Remember You’ is a wonderfully hookish, radio-friendly track, while on ‘Empire’, Annie wraps her endearing vocals around the smouldering, lush, acoustic riffs.
‘Whatever Gets You Through The Day’ and ‘All Will Pass’ are vital, vibrant sounding tracks with a keen pop sensibility. The Radio have taken time to craft each album track to lavish perfection, polishing it with strings, guitar licks and production tricks, and that in itself signals an impressive attention to detail that too many other bands simply overlook.
Enveloping the listener in a perfect cocoon of warmth and noise, this is certainly the most accomplished, alchemic and forcibly original debut I’ve heard in years. Not only will this album put a smile on your face, it also evokes a wave of sheer excitement. Up to now it has all been rather hush hush in The Radio camp, but what a kick in the arse they’re about to deliver …..
9/10
Tanya Sweeney
- Hot Press
They used to call it dream pop and back in the early ‘90s this brand of sugar-coated art rock created an oft-ridiculed indie sub genre. The Radio are a new Dublin band comprising of ex-member of Rollerskate Skinny Stephen M, Annie Tierney of The Chicks, and Mark Dennehy, formerly of Johnny Pyro, and they’ve spurned the excesses of dream pop to create some truly great music. Tierney’s vocals float above a rich, dense sound that recalls My Bloody Valentine and the Skinny’s own gothic rumble. Remember Me Remember You is as great as it gets and it’s a song that deserves to be any playlist on the planet. Satellite Hearts froths with inventive songwriting and the vaporous, sighing Promenade Star and dreamy Tomorrow mark The Radio out as something very refreshing indeed. A wistful and beautifully crafted collection - RTE Guide
Discography
Album: Kindness (Reekus Records, 2004)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The Radio are guitarist Stephen M, formerly of one of Ireland’s much loved indie bands Rollerskate Skinny, whose album Horsedrawn Wishes was voted 14th in the Hotpress top 100 Irish albums of all time earlier this year, along with vocalist Caroline Lee-Baker, and guitarist/producer Liam Mulvaney, with Huey Byrne on drums, Dave Radio on bass, plus guest vocalists and musicians. Having eschewed the live circuit for recording, The Radio released their stunning debut album Kindness, on Reekus Records, in the autumn of 2004 to immense critical acclaim – it was described by Hotpress as ‘the most accomplished, alchemic, and original debut in years.’ A preview of two album tracks, the spine-tingling Remember Me, Remember You (“should be on every playlist everywhere in the world!” – RTE Guide) and Empire found their way on to influential radio shows via presenters Leagues O’Toole, Tom Dunne, and Jenny Huston in Ireland, and Poptones supremo Alan McGee on the BBC in the UK. They have since been invited to play at In The City in Manchester, and were one of only four bands from that event invited by the BBC to record a session for broadcast in the UK. Since then they have played a number of stunning live shows, including their debut at the Temple Bar Music Centre in October 2004, the Barfly in London the following month, and in January 2005 three nights in Cannes during the Midem music festival, created keen interest from companies from all corners of the globe. Now they have cemented their great start to the year with a Meteor nomination for the Hope of 2005, the category in which the best new band nominees are selected by RTE DJs, while their recent appearance on RTE’s OTHER VOICES has won them a myriad of new fans. And in May the band have had a track from Kindness “Whatever’ included on the soundtrack of the new US hit television series ‘Grey’s Anatomy’!
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