AS YOU have doubtless failed to notice, Noise Annoys has occasionally gone missing from this page over the past few weeks due to it being called away from the trenches of rock to do other Very Important Work.
The result of this is that a few recent releases have slipped through its review net – like the new self-titled EP by Dublin indie rockers Gallants, for example. The quartet feature former Yakuza drummer Jamesy McDonald on the traps and have already proved themselves prospects in the 90s alt-rock revival game with last year's pleasingly shoegazey, Sugar-y single This Is Heaven.
The four new tracks on the EP offer another concentrated dose of gritty, FX-pedal augmented guitar pop powered by a grooving rhythm section, which finds Jamesy locking-in with bassist Colin O'Dwyer.
Singer/guitarist David Kennedy's breathy, wistful vocals go well with the dreamy noise surrounding them on bittersweet tunes like the urgent, guitar abuse-driven lead track Evergreen and the brooding yet catchy Faultline, with its stuttery beats, swelling catchy chorus and wailing guitar solo (possibly by Kennedy's fellow fret-bothering foil, Ruari Paxton).
The band launched the EP at Whelan's a couple of weeks ago, but will be back in action on January 23 at The Workman's Club as added value support to like-minded types Beach Slang.
Get your ears around the new Gallants tunes and their other output right now at Gallants.bandcamp.com.
Onwards and geographically upwards to Belfast alt-rockers Gnarkats who got in touch a couple of weeks ago with news of their new Waves Collide EP.
The stand-out tune from this four song EP is, appropriately, its lead track Running From You – an angsty, fuzzy stick-it-to-The Man slow stomper with nicely deployed one note piano bashing a la The Stooges.
Elsewhere, the seven minute long Sorry is a rather different, rather more musically ambitious affair: an epic, slow-building number with definite post-rock leanings featuring festival crowd-friendly 'woah-woah' vocals and samples from It's A Wonderful Life.
An intriguing debut: check it out now at Soundcloud.com/Gnarkats and catch them live supporting amusingly named Co Fermanagh indie popsters Bare Bear (Barebear1.Bandcamp.com) at Blakes in Enniskillen on January 6.
Finally for this week, be advised that Armagh rockers Trucker Diablo are currently running a PledgeMusic campaign to fund the making of their new album, the provocatively titled Fighting For Everything.
The band's fanbase came through for them big style for their last record, Rise Above The Noise, which was also PledgeMusic-backed: now they can once again help the big Truck keep on rolling and indeed rocking by pre-ordering the new album and/or purchasing one of the many splendid special treats the band have made available for consideration.
Plump for a plain Jane bare bones album download (£8) or bust the bank by selecting a special Trucker Diablo unplugged performance (£600) to take place in the comfort of your very own living room/garage/cell.
I wonder if they could be persuaded (bribed) into upgrading that to a full-blown electric rock show that the neighbours would still be complaining about long after your eviction?
However, by far the coolest item on offer is a handmade electric guitar lovingly conjured into existence by Trucker man Tom Harte himself (£400), on which some of the songs for the new album were demoed – and he'll even autograph it for the lucky big spender who wants to add it to their collection of specialist axes.
The Pledge campaign had just passed the 50 per cent mark at time of writing, so if you're planning on buying Fighting For Everything, why not do it now and give the Trucker boys an early Christmas.
As a reward, you'll get the album's rocking title track as a free download when you make your purchase.
Get involved now at Pledgemusic.com/projects/truckerdiablo-ffe – and don't forget that you can still give their big riffs n' sleigh bells festooned seasonal favourite We're Gonna Rock This Christmas a blast over at Truckerdiablo.Bandcamp.com.
See you on the other side, hopefully.
