79Cortinaz

79Cortinaz arrived on the Irish music scene back in 2004 with 'Deirdre's Song', their independently released debut single. An impressive indie-rock song in itself, it offset a lot of punch and indie guitar noise with haunting vocals strikingly similar to those of Mercury Rev.

However, the hype which has followed 79Cortinaz since then in the music press in Ireland has been rather disproportionate. One national radio music presenter even went so far as to say they were "the best thing to come out of Ireland in years". In reality, they have never come close to matching let alone surpassing this fine debut. They released 'Electric Hymn' as their second single in early 2005 and although it was again well received, I wonder whether it would have drawn as much attention if not for the hype which had grown around them following their debut. In my view, this second single was a massive disappointment from their debut. Actually, as far as credibility implosions go, this was a massive one in my book. This second single was amateur by comparison and almost nauseatingly colloquial. They did flirt at a return to form with a rather delicate third single 'Nowhere To Go' last December, but given the disparity in their material to date, as far as I'm concerned, the jury is still out on 79Cortinaz.

Their debut album is due to be released later this autumn, so that verdict should be in soon. For those who wish to reach an earlier verdict on 79Cortinaz, they play at this years Hard Working Class Heroes festival, appearing at the Rock Room @ Spirit Live on Sunday 15th October. Some 79Cortinaz tracks can be download from their myspace, including 'Deirdre's Song', their impressive debut single.

Related Links:

http://www.myspace.com/79cortinaz

http://www.79cortinaz.com

http://artists.cpu.ie//bands/89