On the surface 1988 was a promising year for Irish music with memorable vinyl provided by The Stars Of Heaven, Something Happens!, A House, Cypress Mine! and the sadly defunct Microdisney – but beneath that veneer, all is not as well as it might seem.

The standard of emerging bands is a cause for concern with only a bare handful of unsigned acts (The Fact Lady Sings, Hallelujah Freedom, Scale The Heights, Missing Link) seeming capable of delivering in the long term. The ‘job interview’ approach to forming bands is frighteningly predominant, with acts designing music solely with A&R men in mind and glossing over the lack of good ideas with a surface sheen which rarely has even short-term appeal. And the answer? Fucked if I know.

Further afield, the year did have its gems shining through the murk, with outstanding rock albums from The Godfathers, The Church, Sonic Youth, Crazyhead and the back-in-form Iggy Pop, who not only produced one of the best albums of his career in ‘Instinct’ but then issued a promo-only live set which knocks the living shit out of practically everything else I’ve heard this year … expect a release early in the new year, if there’s any justice.

Comebacks featured heavily in’88 with Brian Wilson and Sandie Shaw showing the benefits of a good long rest and Randy Newman reappearing with a wonderfully crafted collection, ‘Land of Dreams’. And as for R.E.M. …