Band Profile – Clann Zú + My Disco

A clash of styles, old and new. Violins, the bodhran (a traditional Irish instrument commonly referred to as the heartbeat of Irish music), and Declan De Barra’s vocals are the main ingredients in Clann Zu’s unique sound.

While All Music Guide pointed out that

With Clann Zu, nothing seemed easy and predictable. Even their geography was curious and strange — a band from Australia with songs based on Irish and Celtic folk and distributed via a Canadian label is definitely not something you come across every other day. That same sense of unpredictability was evident in their music as well — mixing elements of post-rock and electronica with folk-inspired melodies and arrangements, they created a sound that was imaginative, passionate, and wholly their own.

Selected Discography
Albums
Rua (G7 Welcoming Committee, 2003)
Black Coats & Bandages (G7 Welcoming Committee, 2004)
Misc
Clann Zu (Self-Released, 2000)
The band broke up in 2005 with members going off to pursue other projects, one of which was My Disco.
Named after Big Black song of the same name,  the band includes former CZ members Liam and Ben Andrews as well as a drummer Rohan Rebeiro.
Temporary Residence Limited describe the band’s style in the following way:

Each new album finds them subtracting a little more, applying minimalist instincts to relentless, stripped-bare post-punk grooves. The result is a hypnotic, almost subconscious body music that lives and breathes with the persistent repetition of a heartbeat and the menacing precision of a sniper.

Since their inception, the band played in all sorts of venues, including warehouses and art galleries, but they had to slow down when Liam Andrews was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. Still, the band soldiered on, playing shows and recording in between Andrews chemotherapy treatments.
The band’s latest release (as of 2010) is “Little Joy”, which, likes it predecessor, 2008 “Paradise” was recorded at Electrical Audio with Steve Albini (Big Black, Rapeman, Shellac).
In addition to their main, band members are involved in other projects – Agents  Of Abhorrence (which includes Benjamin Andrews), Blarke Bayer (solo project of Benjamin Andrews) and Slow Hog (Rohan Rebeiro and Liam Andrews).
Selected Discography
Albums
Cancer (Numerical Thief, 2006)
Paradise (Numerical Thief, 2008)
Little Joy (Shock, 2010 / Temporary Residence Limited, 2011)
Misc
Language Of Numbers (Crashing Jets, 2004)
Off Minor / My Disco Split (Golden Brown, 2005)
Young Widows / My Disco Split (Temporary Residence Limited, 2009)
MP3 Archive
Clann Zu – Live At The Casbah (2004-07-29)
Clann Zu – Live At The Railway Club (2004-08-07)
My Disco – A Turreted Berg + Closer
Videos
Clann Zu – From An Unholy Height (Live)
Clann Zu – So Complicated Was The Fall (Live at Cates Park, North Vancouver)
My Disco – Instore Performance at Polyester Records, Melbourne
My Disco – Sunray (Live in Brisbane)