Tag Archives: Derry

AUTUMNS: A Product of 30 Years of Violence.

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All music should have an element of fear within in. It should scare you a little bit, it should mess with your head. Anything to escape routine and things that are familiar. Sure you can sleep it off, but sometimes you need to hear something to let it all out. I’ve been writing about Autumns (Christian Donaghey) for some time now, and everything he puts out is as mind blowing as the last, truly. He has this sound that captures the coldness and the lack of fulfillment from having a typical routine. You need something to kick in the walls of your mind and to give you something you’re not getting from whatever you’re putting yourself through. As someone who is dealing with panic attacks and migraines on an almost daily basis now, this is the kind of music I need to hear.

Christian’s new EP, A Product of 30 Years of Violence is out 15th November (3 days after my birthday, so you know) and will be released via the ever excellent Clan Destine Records. The mood is cold, the atmosphere is tense. Its part The Fall, part industrial town on a dark December day and it is every part brilliant. The tormenting sounds would fit perfectly in some film noir or a shocking horror film. These are not songs for those who only see sunshine and rainbows. They are for those who want, who need more- and they know it.

https://soundcloud.com/autumns/crime-of-passion

So far, I’m tipping World Hates as my favourite off the EP. Of course I am likely to change my mind because every track on this EP is nothing short of punch to the gut and a shake to the soul. You’ll feel the world in your head crumble and something else within you rebuild itself. Every song has a tense build up, and regardless of how many times you listen to the songs, you’re just never ready for it to happen. I go through stages of where I don’t know if I even want to write about music anymore, but then I’m sent things like this and it all makes sense.

I have the coldest room in my house. I think this is probably the best setting to listen to A Product of 30 Years of Violence. You won’t gain anything from listening to it on a warm beach somewhere. You need a cold setting. Go for a walk and play it. Play it as loud as you can handle. Take in every note, take in how dark, intense and grand the sound is. Let it boldly consume you and go into the unknown. Let the songs throttle and maim you. Let the songs take you where you daren’t go before. Let yourself escape but feel uncomfortable. Be constantly on edge as you let the sounds drip into your ears and swirl in your brain.

The EP closes on Crime of Passion. My idea of love and romance seeps through this song. There is nothing conventional or tame about this song. Crime of Passion sums up the feel of the EP, and when it ends you cannot help but return to the start. Over and over again. This EP feels like it is ahead of what is around now, maybe it could have fit in with what came before but it has something very special about it that has hold of you within the first listen. It is one of those records I’ll keep playing and finding something else to write about or it’ll evoke another feeling. It stirs something within the listener. I can’t define what exactly, maybe it is too personal. Or maybe words aren’t enough. My words and anyone else’s words about A Product of 30 Years of Violence aren’t enough.

Of course I’m a huge fan of what Christian does, and I’m confident enough to say that so far- this is the best thing he’s done. It steps away from all he has done prior to this, and the sound he has created here is something to truly love and to be proud of.

You can pre-order the tape here: https://clandestinerecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-product-of-30-years-of-violence

AUTUMNS-Das Nichts.

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A few years ago I wrote about Autumns. I wrote about how much I loved them and how Christian is the Northern Ireland equivalent of Alex Zhang Huntai (Dirty Beaches/Last Lizard.) I think I mentioned how brilliant it is to have one person make a load of noise with such urgency and passion. A few years have passed, and now I get to write about Christian’s new EP, Das Nichts.

Christian is currently in America where in the next few weeks, he will be playing his first set of live shows out there. I couldn’t be more proud of him. He makes the kind of music I wish I could, the TV static sound and the distorted vocals aren’t to everyone’s taste but for me it’s exactly what I look for in music. I sincerely hope the American audiences fall in love with him and hear what I hear. I’ll post the dates towards the end, but for now- Das Nichts.

https://soundcloud.com/autumns/the-fall

Das Nichts is the kind of record you play late at night when you should probably be asleep. My sleep pattern at the moment is semi-questionable but I can still function. I think life would be easier/better if we all took more naps. Anyway. With this EP Christian has definitely delved into the Electronic side of music more. For some they associate this with really bad 80s music, to an extent they could be right but what they don’t seem to acknowledge is the darker side. Das Nichts sounds like Suicide meets My Bloody Valentine with the fury of Rowland S Howard. The songs are going to torment your mind and you won’t want to sit down with a cup of tea whilst listening to this. With one listen, I loved it but I feel because it is the kind of record that puts you on edge, I feel that’s what makes it Christian’s best work to date. When I hear music like this I always seem to want to know what goes on in the head of the person making it. But recently I’ve started thinking what goes on in my brain and how it would sound if I translated it to music. It would sound a bit like this record. Maybe slightly more tame as I’m annoyingly shy. I try to get better at it, but what can you do. Das Nichts is a remarkable EP that is made for night time/very early morning listening when the world is asleep.

This EP is intensely dark and would sound perfect in some Danish Thriller that messed with your mind. If this is how Christian’s debut record is going to sound, then we are most definitely in for a treat. It’s the right kind of loud, the right level of noise and creepy. I can only imagine how brilliant this is going to sound live. The first track on the EP, Motel Lover is 19 minutes and 45 seconds long. It’s a solid way to start the EP and I think it straight away indicates to the listener where the EP is going. It’s going somewhere no one and nothing else can take you. You feel like you’re on a motorbike at 2am heading deep into the unknown. The night air sends chills over you and the dark mist keeps you on edge. It’s beautifully terrifying and is under 20 minutes of straight up noise. The static guitar sound mixed with the repetitive kick drum keeps your attention locked. There are swift changes in the song here and there but it’s the torment of the kick drum that remains your focus throughout. When it comes to an end, you find yourself looking around to check who was there and who took you to wherever this song may have taken you to.

I really can’t praise Christian enough for what he’s done with Das Nichts. It’s a captivating listen that will scare you a little but you won’t want to turn it off. Something about this EP will make you feel a little uneasy and unsure of what is around you- it will heighten all you feel as you listen to it, and that for me is what makes this the best thing he has done to date. The suspense in the EP makes you feel like it is the soundtrack to something. I’m 100% sure that Christian could easily create a soundtrack for some dark and unsettling Thriller film going by this EP. He would be perfect for it. Das Nichts isn’t a kick in the gut kind of listen, it is more like someone messing with your head in a way you didn’t know was possible. This kind of exposure of the mind is what makes this one of the best things I’ve heard this year. Sure there’s still many months to go, but this is truly something else.

Das Nichts is out on 15th March via Clan Destine Records and you can pre-order a tape here: http://clandestinerecords.bandcamp.com/album/das-nichts

As mentioned previously, here are his US dates for this month:

3/09 New York @ Nothing Changes + (with Nite Fields)
3/12 Lafayette @ The Spot + (with Nite Fields)
3/13 Indianapolis @ State Street Pub + (with Nite Fields)
3/20 San Francisco @ Rickshaw Stop * (with Lust For Youth)
3/21 Frenso @ Dynamite Vinyl + (with Nite Fields)
3/23 Long Beach @ 4th Street Vine – (with Gold Class)
3/24 San Diego @ The Whistle Stop
3/26 Los Angeles @ Non Plus Ultra # (with SEXTILE)

Christian will also be drumming for Nite Fields on all of their dates.

 

 

AUTUMNS -Blonde (EP)

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The best musicians are the ones that are fearless. The ones that play a little louder than most, the ones who play until a part of them bleeds, the ones that MAKE you believe in what they are saying. The ones that feel like an old pair of boots that you placed aside when you were forced into buying new ones. The best ones make you feel uncomfortable too, like a new pair of boots.

Autumns are a mighty fine Derry band. If you’ve listened to them prior to the Blonde EP you’ll have been familiar with Christian’s distorted sound. A sound that me love his music instantly. It felt like you were creeping into a secluded world. You daren’t tell anyone anything. Keeping up with this sacred feel, the Blonde EP is clearer and bloody hell he’s got a strong voice. Think along the lines of Orange Juice meets Dead Boys meets something completely else that none of us have heard before.

These four tracks smack you so wonderfully between the eyes, they shake you and wake you up. Every song shows the potential that Christian has, and I am so so proud of what he has done with Autumns. I’ve said this every time I write about him, but he does remind me of Alex Zhang Hungtai (Dirty Beaches/Last Lizard.) One person making a load of noise that just HAS to be heard because it is phenomenal.

I Can See Them Looking At Me feels like it should be featured in some sadistic black and white film. It’s brilliantly creepy and sinister, everything you should want from music. Bands like Autumns are exactly why I want to write about music. I don’t care for doing anything else. They heighten something inside, and things like that do not happen often. Today in London it is damp, dreary and dull; the perfect soundtrack for this is the Autumns EP. Escape somewhere else or stay where you are. Play it so loud the neighbours ask you for a copy. Through your body around to the jangly guitars and furious drums. It’ll start making sense.

Blonde leaves you wanting more from Autumns. Not in a sense of wanting more and more songs, but in a way of just wanting to hear what’s going to happen next. Knowing how the sound has changed and more clarity with Christian’s vocals (which is a very good thing) you can’t help but know that this band are definitely something special. I did one of Christian’s first interviews last year/the year before, and it was so obvious that he’s not making music that should be ignored. He’s making music that feels like a punch to the gut and a jolt to the body. An electric shock making its way through you and when it gets to the crucial point, that is when you know.

You can stream and buy the Blonde EP here: https://cf-records.bandcamp.com/

Also if you’re in Derry/nearby then go this show on the 27th February; https://www.facebook.com/events/517218015083138/?ref=3&ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

GROSS NET.

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When two bands you are a fan of or when two musicians you like make music together, it’s always a good thing (I’m sure there are shit ones, but it’s important to be nice.) You can hear both sides. You can hear each band’s influences and you can pin point signature sounds in some of them.

There’s a chap from Derry called Christian. He has a band called Autumns. I’ve written about him loads because he’s bloody good. He’s better than good. He’s an Irish version of Dirty Beaches. One guy making a load of noise in the best way possible. He’s made a 3 track cassette with Phil from equally brilliant Girls Names. If you’re a fan of both bands, you’ll love this. Or if you ever wondered what would happen if Kraftwerk stayed awake for 24 hours straight and dropped acid, this is what they would sound like.

Gross Net are an ideal “super band.” This is from a selfish point of view, obviously, because I like them. The three track tape isn’t enough, but for now it’s all we have. That’s why the repeat/back button was invented. For bands like this who simply make you want to play their music on a loop.

The EP was recorded in a dark and damp space in just a day. The EP touches on subjects such as  idiots in the arts who think they are better than everyone else (shut up you elitist twit) to surviving the recession. Listen super carefully and you’ll pick up on it. Wrong Place Wrong Time is a euphoric gem with less tension than the others, but the EP is just simply wonderful anyway.

At the moment they’re making noise and causing riots (possibly a lie) all over Northern Ireland and Dublin. If anyone can bring these guys to the UK, then please do.

Their self-titled EP will be released via  Art For Blind as a limited edition tape and you can listen to it here:

This EP crept out late last year and should not be ignored. The tracks just capture how they are live (check out the YouTube clips of their separate bands and of Gross Net.) Loud, brutally dark and unlike anything else. If you think Ireland doesn’t have a solid music scene, then you thought wrong.

AUTUMNS- Je Veux Être

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When a band/singer changes their sound, it can either be utterly shite or something really bloody great. Fortunately, Autumns are super good and have made something ridiculously good.

I’ve written loads about Autumns since being sent their music possibly a year and a bit ago. I loved how Christian was basically a one-man band, and he reminded me so much of Dirty Beaches. The fury in his music and its cinematic feel was something I really enjoyed and became obsessed with. The new sound is equally as important and a little louder. Loud is good, musically.

Je Veux Être sounds like something Orange Juice would have probably come out with. It’s a brilliant short and punchy number (Ramones did it, many tried to copy but ballsed it up) and it’s the only thing I’ve been listening to for the past half hour. As someone with a questionable (or even non-existent at times) attention span, Je Veux Être is just perfect. It’s a wonderful build up brewing within the last minute and suddenly the last 30 seconds is nothing short of a beautiful fuzzy noise that makes you want to turn it up some more. I had every intention of writing my “Lyrics of 2014” piece, but Autumns distracted me and that’s really okay. I need to give it some more thought anyway.

Autumns are Derry’s finest, and someone somewhere needs to find the funds to bring them to the UK. Easily one of the most exciting bands around who I’m just so bloody proud of. I can hear a few bands I love sifting through the new Autumns sound, and it’s just so good. Christian’s voice is one I really love, and I’m fairly sure their EP (out in February) will be one of the year’s finest moment.

The EP, titled The Blonde EP will be a limited 7″ release out in February.

AUTUMNS- Untitled LP.

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A few months ago I wrote a little preview about the Autumns record. On this clear Sunday evening whilst avoiding whatever it is I’m supposed to be doing, I thought I would finally write something. I’ve sort of lost interest in writing, but the love of Music is still there. It’s there because of people like Christian/Autumns who make Music that means something. What it means specifically I do not know, only he can tell you that. I can only write as a fan, never as a “professional writer.” A fan has love, a person who takes it all too seriously looks for faults.

What I immediately saw in Christian’s music was what I saw in Alex’s/Dirty Beaches. I saw that one person can make a lot of noise in such an intense manner, that to turn away and to not be a fan would be incredibly stupid. The Mini LP that Christian has put out consists of tracks to zone out to on public transport or just siting around waiting for something to happen.

The LP (much to my appreciation) has Keep On Sinking on it, which I think was the first Autumns song I heard. How can someone so young make music so bloody good? Quite easily, because age shouldn’t be a factor.

There are a handful of bands/singers I love that make me wish I had even the slightest bit of musical talent, Christian is easily one of them. When you listen to his music, especially this LP, it really does make you want to pick up a beaten guitar and pour your heart out in the most raw and honest way possible. If someone can do this on their first LP, if they can leave you feeling inspired and whatever else, then you know you’ve found something truly special and something that will undoubtedly last.

I sincerely hope that some teenage misfit finds this record and is left knowing that it’s alright to make some noise that truly does mean something. I hope he/she finds a copy of this record and sticks two fingers up to what their friends and family want them to be. It’s a record that you can drown the world out to, it’s a record to find answers to. You won’t find a cure, just some clarity. I remember when I saw Dirty Beaches live last year, and suddenly his music made much more sense to me. Some things you just have to see for yourself to gain a different insight, and that’s one of the many things I get from Christian’s music. I firmly believe that when I finally see him live, I’ll have a different view on his music. What I mean is, that when you see a band or singer perform live you can pick up on what the songs mean to them. You can’t fake certain feelings- the feelings that come from music.

This is just a prime example of me being unable to write like a “Music Journalist.” I can only write as a fan, and as a fan of Autumns I can wholeheartedly say that this LP is one of the best things I’ve heard this year. It’s everything I look for in a record, and it is everything I love about music. And from a totally personal perspective, it makes me want to write about music.

AUTUMNS- Mini LP.

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Last year I wrote about Autumns. Autumns is one guy from Derry who makes music that is entirely atmospheric and beautifully noisy. I got the chance to interview him shortly after that piece, and when you speak (in this case email) a musician you really like about their music, you sort of become more sentimental towards their music.

When I first heard Autumns (Christian) I straight away felt like I did when I first heard Dirty Beaches many years ago. I was yet again in awe that one person could make a sound like this. One person could make this much noise. It was a delight to hear, and it still is.

Christian’s LP will be released on 31st March through Downwards Records.  There will only be 300 copies made and you will be able to purchase it here: http://readymade.bigcartel.com/product/autumns-mini-lp-autdn1

I’m really pleased that Keep On Sinking and It’s Sooner Than You Think will be on the LP; they were the first two tracks I heard and they just blew me away then.

Autumns is one chap making a whole load of noise. You can’t really turn away from someone with talent like this. Make sure you buy a copy at the end of the month. His music is like a cloak of darkness, but at the same time it is exceptionally comforting.

You can listen to some of the songs here: https://soundcloud.com/ready-made-2/sets/autumns-mini-lp-autdn1

There’s so much heart and passion in his music, I’m fairly sure he will be listed amongst the likes of Dirty Beaches with his ability to make music that is haunting, heartbreaking and a pleasure to listen to. He just leaves you in awe with his talent.