When the visionary songwriter Elaine Howley unveiled her mesmerising and atmospheric album, The Distance Between Heart and Mouth, a couple of years ago, she found herself grappling with a conundrum: should she utilise streaming platforms? “Unsettling as it is, at present, a dependence on Spotify seems to pervade the music industry. What are our alternatives? How else can we ensure our music reaches listeners?” Howley states. Although Howley is based in rural Tipperary, her work is intrinsically tied to the vibrant experimental music scene in Cork.
The recurring issue is that there is a conditioned expectation for music to be readily accessible and affordable. Further, Howley feels apprehensive about the ventures with which Spotify is involved, although she doesn’t explicitly mention it, there is a widespread disquiet amongst various artists about company’s founder Daniel Ek’s financial support ($100 million) for a Munich-based AI weaponry corporation.
“The overwhelming bulk of the listeners crave that instant access provided by platforms like Bandcamp,” Howley goes on, citing the indie website where one can either stream music or buy it outright.
“However, perhaps these streaming platforms don’t hold the same gravitas. When I was releasing my album, the idea was to make it universally attainable. A large number of individuals have consumed my work via Bandcamp – it has undoubtedly become my favourite platform. I strive to not promote Spotify excessively. I am perhaps hoping for a wave of solidarity amongst musicians.”
Musicians, while hesitant to abandon major streaming services like Spotify, are expressing their displeasure in alternative ways. Howley takes pride in the fact that many such artists are Irish. She highlights a recent protest, helmed by Irish musicians like Lankum and CMAT, opposing Barclays’ sponsorship of UK music festivals due to the banking giant’s affiliation with defence manufacturers supplying Israel.
Howley is set to perform soon at the National Concert Hall in Dublin on July 21st, joining forces with composer Irene Buckley and the Crash Ensemble, a group known for their contemporary music style. This performance aims to offer an intriguing reimagining of her work, with most of the program hinged on The Distance Between Heart and Mouth. Since its release in August 2022, the album has quietly seen a spectacular rise in popularity.
Before this point, Howley was most recognised for her contributions to The Altered Hours, a five-member psychedelic band. They have garnered a dedicated fan base with their sharp-edged post-punk tunes and the drone pop sounds reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine. Unexpectedly, Heart and Mouth’s haunting ballads and fantastical musical montages have lured an even more diverse audience.
This reaction has been somewhat fuelled by favourable critiques, with influential music platform Pitchfork complimenting the album’s “mysterious allure” and likening it to a “slumbering vision partly illustrated upon awakening”. A Bandcamp feature focusing on the music scene in Cork shed light on Howley, praising the LP’s “blending of pop, ambient, and sonic art”. Yet, the album’s triumph lies predominantly in its steady viral spread: it has gradually poured out into the world, stream after stream, week after week, like an expanding ripple.
She says, “I’ve certainly found that people continue to discover and listen to it for the first time, and reach out. It’s encouraging that there are numerous paths for music to reach people.” Howley cites Arthur Russell, the avant-garde composer, whose music continues to captivate a fresh audience annually. “It’s comforting to realise that success doesn’t need to be instantaneous. Sometimes we stumble upon our favoured albums decades after their release. Or perhaps a recording label will bring something back into circulation, or a piece of music is unearthed again.”
When it comes to touring, working with record labels, or travelling, musicians hailing from Cork are most enthusiastic about the prospects.
Howley also touched on Irish musicians’ stance to boycott the South By South West festival in Texas due to its US military sponsorship. “The willingness of musicians to make a stand has been truly laudable,” she exclaimed, detailing the significant implications of such a step. She hopes that this momentum continues to grow and spread, as there is still much to be done, especially regarding Spotify’s investment practices.
Music has always had a knack for finding its audience with time, no matter how long it may take. Notable instances include Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” which reached its peak four years post-release, or Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” that climbed the US charts over several months. Other tracks like Hozier’s number one hit, “Too Sweet”, gained listeners gradually.
Musician Howley communicates a similar sentiment, expressing that songs sometimes demand a waiting period before they feel right, a concept she attributes to the wise words of PJ Harvey in a recent interview. Harvey revealed that some songs Bided their time for fifteen years before the opportune moment arrived to perform them again.
Howley is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to introduce a classic flavour to her music at the NCH, utilising her extensive musical background. This includes her solo work, as well as her ventures into the avant-garde with projects such as Crevice, Howlbux, and Morning Veils.
But despite her rural upbringing near the Limerick border in rural Tipperary, and current residence in the small Dripsey village, located twenty kilometres west of Cork city, Howley has come to be closely linked with the urban music scene of Cork. The city has burgeoned over the recent years as an launching pad for innovative music.
Cork, particularly, has made a name for itself as a hub for improvisational performances – where musicians compose impromptu pieces before a live audience. Bandcamp, last year, referred to this establishment as rebellious and described Cork’s music scene as “a way into music accessible to anyone willing to jump onstage and give it a go”.
Certain perspectives and musicians have a pronounced influence, which may be due to geography but equally relates to their philosophical stance, suggests Howley. She acknowledges Cork’s unique music scene, often contrasted with Dublin’s industry-centric creativity, believing that art in Cork tends to be pursued for its own sake rather than for fierce ambition, unlike in Dublin. However, she mentions that the Dublin scene also harbours a spirit of experimentation.
Howley highlights Cork’s tendency to stray from the mainstream, often because of the prevailing circumstances rather than personal choice. She points out that Cork musicians, when presented with opportunities to tour, travel or associate with labels, are very keen to seize these. She recognises that Cork’s industry may be less centralised than Dublin’s, but emphasises that there’s no reluctance for success within Cork’s musicians and that they are open to exposure when it presents itself.
Previously, Howley was concerned that pursuing a solo career might affect The Altered Hours negatively. However, she was delighted to discover that her solo acclaim via ‘The Distance Between Heart and Mouth’ has introduced new audiences to her band. She used to perceive things in neatly separated boxes, but now appreciates how her different activities intertwine creatively. Like this, her Crash project brought her own songs to another level of stimulation with the incorporation of varied instruments. This is what fuels her interest.
Elaine Howley along with the Crash Ensemble are set to perform at The Studio in the National Concert Hall on July 21, 5.30pm. Joining them is Yoruba-Irish sound and visual artist “E”, collaborating with Kate Ellis, a cellist and artistic director, and the rest of the Crash Ensemble.
On the 20th of July at 8.30 pm, the reflective indie music artist, Rachel Lavelle, is set to perform tracks from her well-received album, Big Dream, alongside Ellis and her freshly formed music group.
Similarly, on July 21st at the same time, Mohammad Syfkhan, a Kurdish/Syrian vocalist and Bouzouki exponent based in Ireland, will be having a musical discourse with Crash Ensemble.