Hi QsySue, I would definitely recommend The Tycho Brahe, a quirky, intelligent yet unprentious band named after a danish astronomer with a golden nose. They also have distrurbing fascination with tacky interior decor (flying ducks, flock wallpaper etc.) http://www.thetychobrahe.com I think that I can also safely predict that someone on this board will recommend a band called "The Things"

Hows it going QsySue. Id agree with Binokular recommendation of the Tycho Brahe. Id also add Bell-x1. Damien rice used to play with members of this band in a previous band. TenSpeedRacer are my own local favourites. Catch them at www.TenSpeedRacer.com. Their label mates, Future Kings of Spain are also worth checking out. Rock music at its best. A few websites which focus on the irisi music scene are www.irismagazine.net and www.thumped.com. www.phantomfm.com was up until recently, one of the best radio stations in the country for promoting irish music and good music in general. However it was taken of air as it was a pirate station. However, they still stream live across the web. Enjoy

How goes it? I'd agree with the lads choices above, to add to that: The Jimmy Cake - Instrumentalists - great, they used to to have a site www.thejimmycake.com but it doesn't seem to work now. The Redneck Manifesto - Just feckin great.www.redneckmanifesto.com And I really like these, Kila. A sort of trad band but not really because they use influences all around the world. Also check out Ronán Ó Snódaigh, he is Bodhrán player form the band and his two solo albums are just fabulous. www.kila.ie And thats all I can think of for the moment.

Howdy do QsySue, You should check out www.republicofloose.com, fantastic band with a legend of a front man. Also www.cpu-records.com is another site worth checkin out with a load of songs on there to listen to. Autamata, Neosupervital, 8 Ball and Star Little Thing are a few decent Irish lo-fi electronica-types to listen out for, if that sort of stuff floats yer boat! www.themightystef.cjb.net www.mainline.moonfruit.com

The Tycho Brahe were mentioned in particular by Binokular and klootfan. I'd be curious to hear what they (and other Tycho Brahe devotees) thought of Anthony Morrissey's mixed review of their 'Love Life' album which was published here on CLUAS. Check it out: www.cluas.com/music/albums/tycho_brahe.htm eoghan

I though 'Love Life' was one of the best albums released in the past year and I think both disc rock. The review just reads like someone who is looking for a feckin tabloid angle - 'released the best and worst albums of last year' - total bull. I never go by reviews anyway. And the band seem to not mind the review because I saw it on their press page - www.thetychobrahe.com al

I think Anthony Morrisey gave his genuine and honest opinion on "Love Life" and I cannot fault any reviewer for doing that. Overall I thought the review was extremely possitive rather than negative and pretty fair. The Tycho Brahe are one of the few genuinely quirky and avant-garde groups around, so its inevitable that there is going to be stuff on their albums that people don't like or just make them go "what the hell is that?" Even on the first Tycho Brahe album, friends of mine were perplexed by songs like "Ooga Chaka" or "performing seal". The Tycho Brahe still seem to approach recording with the naive enthusiasm of kid with their first tape recorder so all sorts of stuff tends to end up on their records. Its part of the whole appeal of the band. One comment that that thought was a little unfair was that "their talents do not stretch over a double album", not because this comment was inaccurate in itself, but have you ever known a band who could knock out a consistently good double album of new material? Ever tried to listen to Pink Floyds "The Wall" in one sitting without the assistance of recreational pharmaceuticals? Or how about "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" by the Smashing Pumpkins, a great album containing some of the best tracks that band ever recorded yet lacked the cohesiveness of Siamese Dream. Even James Iha once told a guitar magazine in an interview "I suppose listening to a double album is kind of like going to the chiropractor... It's pretty good for you but you can't force it on anyone else." There is also the fact that alot of people are listening to albums on their spiffy new iPods these days (I'm not one of them sadly), meaning you don't need to listen to the tracks you don't like. Unlike back in the days of LPs and cassetes its no longer as important that an album be listenable from beginning to end. Albums are getting longer these days. As long as an album has enough good tracks to more than justify its price (which I think love life does) who worries about a couple of duds?

Hey there, I'd recommend Snow Patrol (Northern Irish/Glasgow) band, they have a nice mixture of slow and fast songs - although they're not ground breaking they have their own sound and write some great catchy songs. Two albums I'd recommend are 'When its all over whos going to...'(something or other) and 'Final Straw'. The lead singer also has a side project called Reindeer Section - a combination of a load of Scotish Bands - great album. Also I'd recommend Gemma Hayes, shes worth a listen, great voice and writes great songs + mmmmm, mmmmm she is fine!

Alert - welcome, I thought the review was spot on. But "The review just reads like someone who is looking for a feckin tabloid angle" is strange comment.. Is 'tabloid' a byword for inaccuracy, hyperbole, and poor writing? As any working journo knows, it's the exact opposite - tabloids pay the best writers and produce the best written and subbed copy. They have to, because of space considerations and because they need to grab the attention of those who 'don't read reviews'. (Sorry for the lecture folks - throwaway comments just bug me.) Double albums can work - see Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works or Dylan's Blonde on Blonde or the Last Waltz or London Calling... Admittedly, there could be a valid case to suggest that the genre hasn't fared so well in recent years. In terms of Irish acts, the Bray Vista are worth investigating, especially if you're a Gram and Emmylou fan.

surprised no-one mentioned paddy casey...

Alert - I've a feeling we're working off different sheets here. We can certainly agree to disagree on the merits of Love life, or the merits of the reviewer's writing, but what do you mean by '100% tabloid'? Is that 100% good, 100% bad, 100% accurate, 100% inaccurate... Is 'tabloid' some low-grade dirty phrase, like 'St Bernard' or 'public transport'? Don't tell the publishers of the Independent that!

Personally, I like what the Tycho Brahe are about. They have quirly charm in abundance. However, I do feel that listening to their albums, you can clearly see they are studio boffins and as is often the case, some frivolous and throwaway tracks make it onto the finished item. I always feel this is because the band are in love with some specific sound or mood on the track and don't want to throw it away. As with all bar a couple of doubles, most are a distillation of the great album it could have been if the band had been a bit more brutal and trimmed down to a single disc.

Check out www.irishmusiccentral.com it's jammed with great Irish talent, If you like Damien Rice and the Frames check out Bell X1 as mentioned already, they leave those and others far behind www.bellx1.com

Thanks for all the recs, I'm going through them slowly. Been offline for a couple days. Bell X1 sound awesome?

Oh yeah--and I have a lot of questions about music in Ireland. Anyone willing to send me an email and let me be nosy? qsysue@yahoo.com

highly recommed: Colm Quearneyhttp://www.colmquearney.com and David Hopkins http://www.davidhopkins.net get onto their sites and download some mp3's you wont be disappointed!!