So Cow

An indie pop group called So Cow centers on Irish singer, songwriter, and guitarist Brian Kelly, whose compositions center on his energetic yet jittery melodies paired with angular guitar lines. Although Kelly grew up in Tuam, Ireland, the project originated in Seoul, South Korea, during his 2005 stint there as an English teacher. Isolated in an unfamiliar setting with abundant free time, he started composing material and capturing it on a basic computer-based home studio. Those early recordings featured Kelly on vocals, guitar, bass, and percussion, leading to the self-released 2007 collection These Are Truly End Times. A second set of songs, I'm Siding with My Captors, followed in 2008. Distributed mainly online and at concerts, the material attracted enough attention for Tic Tac Totally Records to curate a 2009 compilation titled So Cow from his strongest self-released tracks. Kelly and the label then issued the full-length Meaningless Friendly in 2010, after which he expanded beyond solo work by adding bassist Jonny White and drummer Peter O'Shea to create a trio. The resulting first band album, The Long Con, appeared in 2014, recorded at a Ballyheigue studio in County Kerry, produced by Greg Saunier of Deerhoof, and issued on Goner Records. For the next release Kelly resumed working alone, tracking the songs in the small western Irish town of Spiddal; Lisa Marie Airplane Tour came out in late 2016 on Jigsaw Records, Tall Pat Records, and Lost Sounds Tapes.