The Ambience Affair Ep Launch tonight

The Ambience Affair launch their debut Ep ‘Fragile Hearts’ tonight upstairs in Whelans, I’d definitely recommend going. This Ep has been a long time coming, songs have been reworked, re-recorded and mastered several times before Marc and Jamie found what they were looking for. The two tracks from it that I’ve heard are excellent and really manage to capture the energy of their live performance and then some. The title track Fragile Hearts has an eerie slow building momentum to it that sucks you in bit by bit as the guitar loops trip along gradually becoming more intricate. Support tonight comes from the stunning Goatboy and Sleep Thieves, who I’ve waffled about on the blog before. Make sure you’re there early so you catch Goatboy (think Fleet Foxes with only one guy), it’s his first gig under the name and it’ll be a great preview of the beautiful Ep he’s currently working on.

“Vacant Hearts” – The Ambience Affair from Souljacker on Vimeo.

Cooler than You / Sleep thieves

Sleep Thieves

Last night I checked out Dublin’s new indie night, Cooler Than You in the Twisted Pepper. I wasn’t sure what to expect but as I approached the the door of the club, I heard a track by Of Montreal playing and I immediately knew that this was going to be different from your other average indie nights. Being a bloke and not really being interested in swapping clothes, I cruised passed the Swapshop table straight to the bar. I’m sure it was great fun though, not really my thing. Bumped into Jamie and Mark from the Ambience Affair and got the update on the EP they’re currently recording. It’s nearly done, just one or two more songs to lay down and then the struggle of finding a cheap place to get it pressed up (suggestions welcome in the comments below). They hope to launch the album on the 18th of February upstairs in Whelans.

Originally I was between two minds about whether to go to Cooler Than You or not. I’ve been putting in pretty long hours lately since I’ve got the office and was feeling a bit wrecked last. About 9 O’clock, I clicked onto the myspace of one of the bands playing, Sleep Thieves. That’s when I decided I would definitely go. So I legged it down.Luckily for me I hadn’t missed the band.

Sleep Thieves play sweet sweet electro pop incorporating lot’s of synths, drum machines and catchy guitar riffs. Live, the band were a little rough around the edges. Everything was perfectly tight but I think the mix between the bass and 2/3 drum machines they have needed a little bit more attention. In saying that I really enjoyed the gig (it didn’t hurt that the singer was really cute). The highlight of their set was their last song called Osumi, a song that trips lightly along in a swirling hush of gentle vocals, dainty keys and stomping electronic beats. Sleep Thieves are definitely one of the more promising new Irish acts in 2009. Your next opportunity to check them out is at Transformer in Thomas Reeds on the 7th of February.

Le Galaxie followed Sleep Thieves on stage to finish out the night. Personally I found them bland and derivative but the room was full and everyone seemed to be loving it so I think they’re safe without having me as a fan. Overall Cooler Than You was a great laugh, a great opportunity to showcase quality local acts and have a boogie. I’m already looking forward to the next one sometime next month.