“ANTHEM NOISE White Whale 8 tracks Trained at the New England Conservatory of Music in 2004, singer John Russell and composer Jordan Montgomery weave a dreamy, trippy aural mix consisting of violin, keyboards and avant garde complementary drumming. The almost four-minute “Social Anxiety” features those beats with a layer of grunge keys embracing the unreal quality of the vocal that embraces these movements. The instrumental “Anthem” continues the melodrama with a similar edgy intro, this a segue that would shake up a house mix or two. Shuffling percussion perfectly placed so that “Locked In,” track three, can build on the theme. Robotic trance pop with swirling textures make it radio friendly and a standout. “Help Myself” and “There is Nothing Wrong” come in at nine minutes together, twenty-two minutes and forty seconds up to this point on the CD, more than a single side of an LP. “Help Myself’s” drone and the cosmic effervescence of “There is Nothing Wrong” are like diving slowly in a pool of water somewhere above the earth. The next three songs are another eleven minutes and twenty two seconds, “Apnea” glides along a dreamscape while the title “Flounder” is the closest thing you are going to get to the album title of White Whale. It would work nicely for Captain Ahab sailing the dark seas. “Out of Darkness” (featuring Conor Ebbs) with Stephanie Skor’s violin locking in with Russell’s vocal is more like into the Celtic dark – a nice concoction of world and other-worldly sounds.” - Joe Viglione
“Emmy award winner writes Wicklow Pride Festival song May 21 2016 12:00 AM A new song has been composed by an Emmy ward winning musician to mark the 2016 Wicklow Pride Festival. Festival organisers made the announcement this week that composers Jordan Montgomery, Emmy recipient, and Conor Ebbs of the group Anthem Noise have penned a song which they will perform live in Arklow during the festival on Saturday, July 9. The track 'Out of Darkness' will soon be available on iTunes and all proceeds will go towards the festival. 'We are thrilled with the song', says festival co-founder Dave Thomas. 'To have a song written specifically for us is incredible. The beautiful melody with the extremely important lyrics deliver a song with a real message of hope, of inspiration and will, I am sure, inspire those that are hiding in the shadows to come out, accept themselves for who they are, come out of the darkness and into the light, where they will find happiness. 'Even in 2016, there are many people that are still hiding their sexuality, some questioning who they are, and this can cause a lot of misery and stress. 'Ireland has come a long way, especially since Marriage Equality became recognised by the people of Ireland, but we need to do more, as we are far from living in a society that accepts diversity and "difference",' Mr Thomas added.”