Name: Owen McGarry
Genre: Experimental Pop
For Fans Of: And The Giraffe, Amber Run, PØRTS
Location: Belfast
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'Perfect Then', the latest effort from songwriter Owen McGarry, is a real gem ~ but he does a good job of hiding it.

His distinctive tone is on display and sounding good from the off, but there's no real intent to grab the audience in the opening few bars. It's in tune, yeah. It's inoffensive, but is it any different? No it's not. But don't confine this track to the Ed Sheeran shaped dust bin of acoustic-pop just yet, oh no.  When 'Perfect Then' finds it's rhythm, it keeps it.

PØRTS inspired choirs sing over mellow caverns of soulful guitar. Violins rise and fall, drums come crashing in and out. There's a lot going on, but this song needs it. McGarry seems to embrace the rumbling bass which really shouldn't go, yet somehow seems to. In a strange way, 'Perfect Then' feels nostalgic on the first listen ~ like its the soundtrack to a distant memory you can't quite pin down.

Whether or not that was intentional seems irrelevant. If there's even the slightest hint of doubt in Owen McGarry's mind to abandon such grand production, we would strongly encourage him to ignore it.




Listen to the track below⁞►

Name: Rebekah Wilson
Genre: Alt-Pop
For Fans Of: The Cranberries, Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissette
Location: Belfast
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There are few musicians today, North or South of the border, that command the same level of respect as 17 year-old Rebekah Wilson. More still, the excitement surrounding her debut single rates higher than most local releases you can expect this year, as the hype of  several encouraging demos proved. Most impressive of all however, is when you strip away all the goodwill towards Wilson and the positive impact she's had on Belfast; what remains is simply a quality pop song.

Built upon that ever so-slightly distorted-guitar tone she's made her own, Wilson fuses her indie-rock genes with the pop melodies that clearly come with ease here. Recorded in the confines of the beautifully secluded Millbank Studios in Lisburn, the intimate nature of her songwriting was clearly never once stifled here, Each verse bounces along sweetly, creating a juxtaposition between the scorn poured over in the lyrics.

The chorus see's Wilson's steadfast harmonies never loose their cool; when she could so easily have started shouting. Though perhaps you'd be interested to hear her fire out A Plastic Rose styled aggression, she instead allows Mojo Fury's Mike Mormecha to do it for her, as his explosive drum beats give the track it's indie underbelly. Vocally Wilson's tone is warm and haunting. There's nothing plastic on display here, which keeps the rawness of 'Nothing...' in tact. When she could have hidden behind an auto-tune, she didn't. When she could have included a violin or five, she didn't. To have such a vision of you're own sound at such a young age... that may be the most impressive thing of all.

With elements of The Cranberries, Avril Lavigne and even Feet For Wings all battling for their place on 'Nothing (Me & You)', it must be remembered that Rebekah Wilson is still learning the trade.

What exactly she has yet to learn however...is another question altogether.

Name: Moscow Metro
Genre: Alt-Rock
For Fans Of: Depeche Mode, New Order
Location: Limerick 
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Now reformed as a three piece, Limerick's Moscow Metro have undergone quite the makeover. Former bassist Sean Corcoran's shift from stage left to centre proves inspired in this new, dance worthy single.

Metro fans of old need not fear however, as this transition to the groovier side of indie comes via New Order, rather than The Pet Shop Boys; though it's a progression none the less. For example, 'Late Night Radio's entrancing drum beats are significantly more feelgood  than their older material.  The sheen on the guitars now elevate their 80's 'maudlin-pop' sound to something altogether more fun.

Suddenly Moscow Metro are a band you want to dance to and 'Late Night Radio' makes no apologies for it. In a sense this shift see's them let go of the worldly pain which attached itself to 'Headlights' and 'Spirit Of A City', it's a chance to start again.

If there's one critique to be made of this newest single, it is perhaps at it's lack of a definitive ending. Whilst waiting for that post-rock breakdown which never comes, the song seems to fade prematurely, not a fault of the bands, more of the bands legacy ~ which may take some time to outrun.

In truth 'Late Night Radio' is more 'Head On The Door', than 'Disintegration'. By no means a bad thing, but it may need more time to gel.

Name: Munez
Genre: Low-fi Surf
For Fans Of: Peace, Pond, The Strokes
Location: Brighton
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Our coverage of Brighton's music scene (which has been entirely accidental) continues with the next installment of Encore Introducing, where this week we focus on Munez, a band of harmonious chaos and melody drenched paranoia. Their latest release, 'Bunch Of Legend' see's the bands echo-surf credentials stretched to the limit, with elements of shoe-gaze and guitar driven indie in there too.

The beauty of 'Bunch Of Legend' is the fun running through it. 'I've Got Issues' floats with the nonchalance of  'Is This It' era-Strokes, but it doesn't end there. Dig deep enough and you'll hear all manner of indie hero's lurking in Munez's shadow. The gentle sway of Swim Deep seems to go hand in hand with Californian renegades Best Coast, particularly in opener 'Gulliable'. That's not to say they lack originality, far from it. For one thing Munez's tendency to break down their surf-pop songs gives them a heavier vibe, without ever straying too far. It's the hallmark of an experienced band, something they most definitely aren't.

Not that they give a damn. As the old mantra goes, 'the less you care, the cooler you are' ~ right kids? No? What do you know anyway! Typified by grungy closer 'Nah', (a short, pile-driver) Munez really couldn't care less if you like their band, and that's exactly why you like them. In fact, you'll love them. With a sound draped in hooks so big and piercing they could be used by the Japanese whaling industry, this is a band with potential.

Go buy//download//listen while you're stoned to 'Bunch Of Legend'. 


Listen to the Ep below⁞►

Name: Glen Foye
Genre: 'Sad-Punk//Emo'
For Fans Of: A Plastic Rose, Million Dead
Location: Brighton
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Don't let the name fool you, the amorphous mystery of Brighton's 'Glen Foye' is not a maudlin singer songwriter writing quirky acoustic songs about elephants. Far from it in fact. This South Coast power-trio are the antithesis of everything that's been coming out of England in recent years, sticking two fingers up to every industry professional along the way. Describing themselves as [sic] "sad punx", 'Elephant Park' trundles along with the youthful abandon of very early A Plastic Rose ~ the free flowing guitars and harmonious interplay between their heavier sections and melody (which for a punk band especially, they have a tremendous command of) fitting so much more into one song than expected.

Somehow Glen Foye manage to take you from damn angsty pain, to gentle acquiesce. It's a pile driver of a song, with a waltz like outro and beautiful guitars. Listening to 'Elephant Park' is the sonic equivalent to a trip to the therapist. Raw, emotive and strangely cathartic.

And not a synth in sight. Take that NME.

Name: Tanizaki
Genre: 'Occult tinged-Electronica'
For Fans Of: Tycho, Merchant Ships
Location: Belfast
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Entrancing electronica is the most accurate description we could find when describing beat maker Tanizaki. Based in Belfast, the mysterious producer's debut spins with a quiet foreboding, each track's whimzy eclipsed by the lingering feeling that something terrible is on the horizon; but much like the inevitable heat death of the entire universe, Encore NI finds 'Ouroboros' peculiarly comforting.

'A Spell For Fog' lingers in a lucid dream, building towards a climax that somehow questions it's own existence. It fades to the sonic equivalent of the calm before the storm, whilst Tanizaki remains in total control throughout. The menacing androgynous voice which runs throughout this Ep feels like the narrator of a twisted apocalyptic fairy-tale, it's warnings of a reality ravaged by humanity's greed ever present, even if it's not directly stated. 'Seed Pod Explodes' could well have been lifted straight from Noel Fielding's 'The Mighty Boosh', it's gentle electro-swing and whale song backing ever enthralling. Curiously, 'Wildflower's Beatles-tinged acoustic guitar suggests it should be anywhere but Ouroboros fantasy complexion, and yet it is an undoubted highlight.

Particularly for a debut release, Tanikazi has proved his technical understanding of this niche genre beyond doubt. What's more impressive, is the feeling he conveys throughout the record. This EP has a great ebb and flow, a beautiful harmony between light and dark. Here, we enjoy the latter slightly more ('A Spell For Fog' particularly), though the beautiful thing about 'Ouroboros' is that it is a journey to be had. You'll want to play this Ep, in order, many times through.

Exciting indeed.

Name: Visitors
Genre: Garage-Doom Rock
For Fans Of: Royal Blood, Joy Division, Mojo Fury
Location: Liverpool
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Today's new found musical offering hails from Merseyside, a band who's self proclaimed 'garage-doom rock' has taken them from leather clad-also rans, to headline shows in the likes of the world famous Carvern Club. For those expecting mop-tops and three part harmonies however, Visitor's will leave you sorely disappointed; as this band take the punk tinged melodies of Radio One's beloved Slaves and deliver it with the fiery fervour of .Royal Blood.

Dig beneath the stony-faced surface of Visitors and there's more to what meets the eye. While there's no doubting this is a band with their feet rooted firmly in the 21st century, a theatrical swing permeating through their debut EP 'Truth' nods to legends of Liverpool past. For example, the falsetto cries of 'Yeah, yeah, yeah' on that EP's title track are positively McCartney. The fact that it lies between a Humbug era-Alex Turner guitar solo only heightens the appeal.

As if to remind the audience of their harder exterior, 'Stay Away' is a track of snarling, punk edged delivery, menacing bass and pulsating electricity. The ferocity with which vocalist Callum Mian generates in the songs chorus is truly outstanding; thus negotiating the tricky business of capturing what is surly a watertight component of their live set, bang on, in the recording studio. By their debut EP's closing track Visitors' have added yet another string to their bow, 'Radioactive' dropping like a remastered Joy Division b-side. Dealing in metaphors and intricacies, Visitors' fluid sound and raw energy set them apart from their heavy counterparts. They seem to have found a middle ground between dark-riffs and noise rock appeal. Provided they can exploit it, I see a very bright future for them indeed.

Listen to their debut EP below⁞►