Luke Reilly and Eimear Shannon, for the last time, run down the things have provided them with maximum joy over the last twelve months.
Heartthrob
The year was off to a melodic start with Tegan And Sara’s eighth album, Heartthrob. Listening through it for the first time was a joyous experience, filled with hooks, great lyrics and that hopeful melancholy Canadians seem to be so good at harnessing. Add to the mix some dreamy synths and it was a brilliant album, and still is.
Sometimes we get a bit over-excited experiencing things for the first time, and once the hype wears off, realise it’s all underwhelming and a tiny bit shit (this also succinctly describes Glee’s season run). This is not one of those times. Heartthrob holds up remarkably well and, as we said before, it’s a great example of intelligent, emotional “popular music”. Brief synopsis: file Heartthrob in between Dragonette and Marina & the Diamonds with tinges of Robyn in a section marked ‘AMAZING AND SPECTACULAR”.
GOLD
This is one for your diaries, especially if you’re bored of your nightclub of choice. Gold is the latest night to make a debut on the Dublin scene, but it’s got a bit of twist. It’s not indie, it’s not pop hits and most importantly, it’s not dubstep…
Unfortunately, Gold has since entered the big club night cloud in the sky, but the most important thing is the point of nights like this. It doesn’t matter what the kind of music is, as long as you’re so locked that you can’t see who is staring at you. If they are staring, they’re clearly just jealous of how unreal you are at dancing. Moral of the story: leave the shame at home.
The “Ride” Video
We love ourselves a good music video, and Lana delivers in spades. For someone who’s been around for just over a year, the Dalai Lana has already created an impressive collection of music videos. Ride continues the trend, with Harley Davidsons, age-inappropriate relationships and genuinely heartbreaking imagery.
Still as affecting as it was when it was released in October, it’s truly a gem. It also became the benchmark for “deep, evocative” videos, with everyone including Taylor Swift blatantly ripping it off. OFTEN COPIED, EH? Basically, watch it. You’ll cry, and you won’t know whether they’re happy or sad tears‒ which are the best kind, really.
Girls
No longer are women defined by whether they are a “Carrie” or a “Samantha”, rather if they are a “Hannah”, a “Jessa” or unfortunately a “Marnie”. Refreshingly honest, Girls tells the world what it’s really like to be fighting your way through the big bad world. Yes, the characters are self-absorbed and annoying, but hey, so is everyone…
Girls cemented itself as a true television heavyweight with its second season. Far from falling into the rom-com television trap, writer/director/creator Lena Dunham has written a dark and profound season that looks at the truly shitty side of life. While the show is on hiatus for the next number of months, we certainly can’t wait to see how these “girls” progress.
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