Like the podcast? Show support for Nialler9 on PatreonOn episode 141 of the Nialler9 Podcast, a very hot Niall and Andrea chose 5 albums each from this year (there is 1 album shared) and talk about why we love them. Simple.Listen to the episode here or subscribe in your favourite podcast app:The albums are:Madlib - Sound AncestorsDry Cleaning - New Long LegEmma Houton - The BathNick Cave and Warren Ellis - CarnageClairo - SlingBicep - IslesJapanese Breakfast - JubileeFloating Points and Pharoah Sanders - PromisesBo Burnham - InsideSubscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS FeedSupport Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat + member playlists and content.Andrea has a Ghost newsletterSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify PlaylistSubscribe to the podcast and please leave a review on iTunes, tell your friends or commit to supporting us directly. Support us on Patreon.Previous podcast episodes

Like the podcast? Show support for Nialler9 on PatreonWith five fine singles of countrified pop songs (and a bonus Christmas single), the artist CMAT has proven she has chops in the songwriting department. In the week that the artist has dropped a new music video for '2 Wrecked To Care', who better than to ask to enthuse about her favourite songs in terms of songwriting than Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson? Yes, CMAT is our guest on this week's episode.We talk reality TV stars of the 2000s, doting music teachers, weird one night stands, finding her Tony Bennett to her Lady Gaga and course, the wonder that is Dolly Parton.The 5 songs that CMAT chose for their songwriting prowess are:1. Dory Previn - Lady With The Braid2. Charlotte Dos Santos - It's Over, Bobby3. Gilbert O'Sullivan - What's In A Kiss4. Dolly Parton / Sylvester Stallone - Drinkenstein5. Taylor Swift - AugustListen to the episode here or subscribe in your favourite podcast app:Subscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS FeedSupport Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat + member playlists and content.Andrea has a Ghost newsletterSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify PlaylistSubscribe to the podcast and please leave a review on iTunes, tell your friends or commit to supporting us directly. Support us on Patreon.Previous podcast episodes

On the making of Town’s Dead, Dublin as a liveable city andstaying independent.

Like the podcast? Show support for Nialler9 on PatreonWe're delighted to be joined by Saint Sister, Morgana MacIntyre and Gemma Doherty as they are about to release their second album Where I Should End this Friday, June 25th. Niall and Andrea talked to Morgan and Gemma about moving on from their atmosfolk tag, stepping front and centre in a visual world, the use of local place names in songs, moving past lyrical tropes and falling in love with albums on the road.They also chose 5 songs that inspired them which frame our discussion and are:1. Julia Jacklin - Body2. Philip Glass - Mishima / Closing3. Big Thief - Mary4. Kevin Morby - Come To Me Now5. Weyes Blood - AndromedaWhere I Should End was recorded with Rían Trench in The Meadow, Co. Wicklow, and mixed in Berlin with Benedikt MacIsaac. You can buy the album here and they are doing a Q&A in Dublin on Friday, along with other record store signings and performances around the country. Listen to the episode here or subscribe in your favourite podcast app:Subscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS FeedSupport Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat + member playlists and content.Andrea has a Ghost newsletterSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify PlaylistSubscribe to the podcast and please leave a review on iTunes, tell your friends or commit to supporting us directly. Support us on Patreon.Previous podcast episodes

Like the podcast? Show support for Nialler9 on PatreonOn last week's podcast, Niall recounted his experiences at the trial live music event in the Iveagh Gardens where James Vincent McMorrow and Sorcha Richardson played outdoors for 500 people with social distancing and safety measures in place, without any advance PCR or Antigen testing (as we've heard this week, NPHET's Tony Holohan does not recommended Antigen tests for international travel) .Aside from the personal and social aspects of the gig discussed, we acknowledged the gig was met with a lot of negative criticism where a fair amount of people saw the event as a PR stunt with no meaningful contribution to the return of live music for Irish artists and fans this summer. On this episode, with further pilot gigs to take place next week, we are talking to James VIncent McMorrow himself in a near-hour long chat about his expectations for the event, what his hopes for it were and how the event reduced in ambition over time. We talked about the negative criticism, how the overtly cautious approach and over-reliance on optics from the government informed these pilot events. James wants more fairness in helping the live music industry get back to work sooner like other industries, and thinks that we need greater noise from artists and industry to make that happen.Listen to the episode here or subscribe in your favourite podcast app:Subscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS FeedSome quotes from James from our chat.On the return of live music:"We're just looking for like a viable opportunity to get those people that have been fucked over for a year and a half. And we're past the point now of it like last year, totally, you couldn't come out and be like, "bring shows back" because it was like, we're in the midst of this thing. We need to protect people. And everyone, everyone in this industry was a willing participant in that because we all understood what was at stake. But if you see other industries thriving and getting back to normal, or whatever the version of normal is now and you see these other industries still being left behind because it gets thrown this idea of caution. You have to be cautious and you're like, Where's the fairness in the caution? Where's the where's the caution scale? I just haven't no one showed it to me.""I want to see someone on a government level saying we don't think that some dude singing a Kings of Leon song in a bar in Temple Bar is going to be the difference between a super spreading COVID event or not, people are going to be in pubs in a couple of weeks or in indoor dining, they're not going to be in there with tape measures making sure people are a meter apart. But in the fields, they were two meters apart... you have to treat it fairly, you have to treat the music industry with the respect that it deserves. And it would take I think it takes maybe a few other bigger musicians coming out as well and saying the same thing."On getting back to basics with live music:But I'm honestly here more concerned with wedding bands and people in bars singing cover songs that aren't allowed to and the conversation isn't happening. They [the government] didn't come back on it and they need to come back on it they need to say that that's fine, that's safe, because it is fine and it is safe. It's safe as long as you said like it 2000 people in like outside beside the Wellington monument [in Phoenix Park] drinking totally fine, totally safely all last summer and you could have just put a stage there. I put a proposition to the government to say can we put some stages up and I'll go and play for free I'll get friends to play for free and again they came back and said it was that they needed to be more cautious in different things and thatis beyond my paygrade that will be on most of our pay grades but fundamentally use your eyes and ears you ...

Like the podcast? Show support for Nialler9 on PatreonNiall attended the first gig back last night at the Iveagh Gardens where James Vincent McMorrow and Sorcha Richardson played outdoors for 500 people and about 25 media, with social distancing and pods. It was the first of the touted pilot events in Ireland happening in the coming months before the return of live music.What was the experience like? How did it work? Did it feel normal? Niall tells Andrea about it all. We discuss the social and personal aspects of attending gigs post-COVID. Was it actually a pilot event if there was no data or COVID testing done on site? Is there any data to take away from this to support the return of live music? What was it testing or piloting exactly?Listen to the episode here or subscribe in your favourite podcast app:Subscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS FeedSupport Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat + member playlists and content.Andrea has a Ghost newsletterSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nialler9 (@nialler9) https://youtu.be/5UDPA0DRdLs View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nialler9 (@nialler9) Subscribe to the podcast and please leave a review on iTunes, tell your friends or commit to supporting us directly. Support us on Patreon.Previous podcast episodes

Black Midi, Arooj Aftab, Torres, Sharon Van Etten & Burial included.

In the week of her 60th birthday… it’s time to talk about one of Ireland’s most successful musicians... Enya.

Like the podcast? Support Nialler9 on PatreonThe sixth album from Annie Clark aka St. Vincent is inspired by music made in sepia-toned downtown New York from 1971 to 1975.The title Daddy’s Home refers to her father’s release from prison in 2019 after doing 10-years stretch for manipulation of the stock  market with a scheme that defrauded 17,000 investors out of $43m. After his release, Clark delved back into her father's record collection and so began St Vincent’s 1970s New York themed album, produced by Clark and Jack Antonoff.Niall and Andrea deep dive into the record. Bowie himself in the 70s termed his Young Americans period “Plastic Soul” are we getting a version of that here? It is art made from an imagined past or is Daddy's Home a fresh take on vintage funk and 70s rock sounds? How does it fit in the St. Vincent discography? Is It as Gritty, Grimy & Sleazy as suggested? We discuss.Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat + get member-only contentAndrea has a Ghost newsletter Mentioned in the show:The Quietus review of the albumStop Investors Buying Our Homes Petition.Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign: HomeSave James Joyce's 'House of the Dead' (Usher's Island) from becoming a tourist hostel.https://youtu.be/NNhqcUqcCZ8Subscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS FeedSubscribe to the podcast and please leave a review on iTunes, tell your friends or commit to supporting us directly. Support us on Patreon.Previous podcast episodes in this series

Like the podcast? Support Nialler9 on PatreonAt the end of the month on the site, I share my favourite songs of the previous month as you can see for April here. As we don't cover new music every week on the podcast (anymore), this week's episode delves into the albums and songs that got Andrea and myself through April.Albums from Dry Cleaning, Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders along with songs from Self-Esteem, Kojaque, J Smith, Orla Gartland and Beabadoobee get a look in and we also discuss the movies, TV, books and podcasts we're enjoying.We also give updates on recent topics we've covered including the Grammys, Spotify and the return of live music and the piloting of events in the UK.Albums:Dry Cleaning - New Long LegFloating Points & Pharoah Sanders - Promises Songs:Kojaque - Town’s DeadJ Smith - Blood OrangeBeabadoobee - Last Day On EarthSelf Esteem - I Do This All The TimeOrla Gartland - Zombie!Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat + get member-only contentAndrea has a Ghost newsletter to subscribe to.Subscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS FeedSubscribe to the podcast and please leave a review on iTunes, tell your friends or commit to supporting us directly. Support us on Patreon.Previous podcast episodes in this series