Sunday, February 22, 2009

Venetian Snares, Dublin & Cork, April 2009

Mister Aaron Funk (class name...I am so calling my son that) a.k.a Venetian Snares has confirmed he is hitting Ireland for dates at the following:

Sat 11 April: Andrews Lane Theatre, Dublin
Sun 12 April: Cypress Avenue, Cork

This is a guy not to be missed. His material involves orchestrating rich and spacey musical landscapes (often with the aid of eastern influences) to collide with snapy flashes of insane breakcore. His 2005 album "Rossz Csillag Alatt Született" demonstrates this perfectly. Check out his site

Check out the vid for "Hajnal" of that very album below. (the video work itself was created by some random guy who just mashed the music and images together....quite trippy)


Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Metronomy - A Thing For Me

I am loving this tune at the moment. It should be annoying but it isn't. The vocals are unrefined and synths are rather simplistic but damn it it works....less is more


Monday, February 16, 2009

Dark was the Night

Check out three tracks I picked from the forthcoming "Dark was the Night" compilation to the left of the screen

<<<< Here to be exact

Dark Was The Night will be released on February 17th, 2009. It’s comprised of 31 exclusive tracks and it will be available as a double cd/triple vinyl/download and will benefit the Red Hot Organization – an international charity dedicated to raising money and awareness for HIV and AIDS through popular culture. They are the people responsible for albums including No Alternative, Red Hot and Blue and many more, and this is their 20th year, and this is the 20th release!

DARK WAS THE NIGHT

THIS DISC
1 Knotty Pine – Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
2 Cello Song (Nick Drake) – The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez
3 Train Song (Vashti Bunyan recorded, written by Alasdair Clayre) – Feist + Ben Gibbard
4 Brackett, WI – Bon Iver
5 Deep Blue Sea – Grizzly Bear
6 So Far Around the Bend – The National (arrangement by Nico Muhly)
7 Tightrope – Yeasayer
8 Feeling Good (popularized by Nina Simone) – My Brightest Diamond
9 Dark Was the Night (Blind Willie Johnson) – Kronos Quartet
10 I Was Young When I Left Home (Bob Dylan) – Antony + Bryce Dessner
11 Big Red Machine – Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner
12 Sleepless – The Decemberists
13 Stolen Houses (Die) – Iron and Wine
14 Service Bell – Grizzly Bear + Feist
15 You Are The Blood – Sufjan Stevens

THAT DISC
1 Well-Alright – Spoon
2 Lenin – Arcade Fire
3 Mimizan – Beirut
4 El Caporal – My Morning Jacket
5 Inspiration Information (Shuggie Otis) – Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
6 With A Girl Like You (The Troggs) – Dave Sitek
7 Blood Pt 2 (based on original song “You are the Blood” by the Castanets) – Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
8 Hey, Snow White (Destroyer) – The New Pornographers
9 Gentle Hour (Snapper) – Yo La Tengo
10 Another Saturday (traditional song) – Stuart Murdoch
11 Happiness – Riceboy Sleeps
12 Amazing Grace (traditional song) – Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues
13 The Giant Of Illinois (Handsome Family) – Andrew Bird
14 Lua – Conor Oberst + Gillian Welch
15 When the Road Runs Out – Blonde Redhead + Devastations
16 Love vs. Porn – Kevin Drew

Friday, February 13, 2009

Villagers, Roisin Dubh last night...

Well to say the rushed drive from Limerick to Galway last night for this gig was worth it would be an understatement. My expectations were high but by golly were they met. And surprisingly the gig was free, I would have happily paid 10-15 quid.

Another surprise was the presence of one Richie Egan (a.k.a Jape) I thought he was just there for a listen but then he plugged in the bass guitar and away he went. Part of me was aching for a snippet of "Floating" but it never came.

Another surprise was the guy playing keys was playing his first ever gig and he appeared highly capable and at ease. It must be the company he keeps as Conor O'Brien (Villagers frontman, instigator) exudes such a warm and inviting presence to the stage. He is quite the talent and packs quite the punch for a guy with such an elf like stature.

His material is captivating and deep that complemented a set that flowed smoothly. The softer tunes were given the attention they deserved whilst the tunes that punched a hole in the room were delivered with impeccable pinache.

The Villagers "Hollow Kind EP" is out now.

Check them out here , or in whatever other way you can...even if you have to break the speed limit in getting to Galway from Limerick



No youtube vids up for the gig...but check this one out:


Wednesday, February 11, 2009

R.S.A.G Irish Tour






A smile suddenly enveloped my face at the sight of R.S.A.G's Irish tour: 2 dates for Limerick!

The multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Hickey (a.k.a R.S.A.G) has been known to astound crowds with his unique and vibrant live shows complemented by daring graphics on the screens he adopts as props. His material is oozing with infectious loops and thumping percussion delivered with impeccable precision. His debut album "Organic Sampler" has been shortlisted for this years Choice Music Prize.

He is undoubtebly this small islands most exciting artist at present.


TICKETS FOR ALL SHOWS ON-SALE THURSDAY 12TH FEBRUARY

APRIL
Monday 20 NUI, Maynooth
Wednesday 22 Dolan's, Limerick
Thursday 23 Spirit Store, Dundalk
Friday 24 Auntie Annie's, Belfast
Saturday 25 Roisin Dubh, Galway
Monday 27 UCD Ball
Wednesday 29 Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Thursday 30 UL College Ball, Limerick

MAY
Friday 1 Electric Avenue, Waterford
Saturday 2 Whelan's, Dublin
Thursday 7 QueensUniversityBelfast
Friday 8 Trinity Ball, Dublin


http://www.myspace.com/rarelyseenaboveground

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The Release Party

The solution to your Friday nights in Limericks fair city is finally here!

Starting this Friday (13th Feb) in the refurbished downstairs of Aubars (it is looking damn nice) those merry folk from Eightball Promotions bring you a night of stress free frolicks and good times...basically forget all the bullshit going on and just bop through it


Read the statement here


See you there!

Fever Ray

I am quite absorbed in Fever Rays self titled album at the moment. It is the work of one half of the Knife, Karin Dreijer Anderssons.

The album infiltrates spaces previously unexplored by electro heads. There are times in this album where I felt I was lost in the landscape of a world of synths and percussion that is subtle and incredibely powerful at the same time. Put this baby on loud while driving and the bass shudders the car with a surprising tenacity. The vocals as expected are majestic and fitting with the challenges of each song.

In terms of consistency and overall quality I believe this offering surpasses that of the Knifes brilliant album of 2006 "Silent Shout"

Here is the opening track of the album (out in shops mid-March)

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Ladyhawke, The Academy, Thursday 5th

I made the trip to Ladyhawke at the Academy in Dublin, mind you some jaded planning resulted in only getting to see the last half an hour which actually wasnt a bad thing as I got to see the majority of the cracking tunes off the Aussies album ( at times some tunes on the album are just a bit meh)Something told me however the most part of the set may have been a somewhat lacklustre affair due to the crowds stagnant presence on view upon my entry into the venue.

I was impressed with the Academy as it was a lot more intimatet than I imagined it would be. The lady Pip was lloking lovely as I expected and graced the mic with ease.

There was very little deviation between the output of her material live however. Especially the likes of "My Delerium" or "Paris is Burning" I thought could have been approached with more vigour in comparision to the studio/ album versions. Otherwise it was damn enjoyable.

Roll on Four Tet at Andrews Lane Theatre at the end of the month...


Monday, February 2, 2009

Now thats what I call a line up....

Every year since I went my first festival (Witnness) I have been looking for a festival that offers the best line up with a eclectic spectrum of heavy hitters, fresh up and comers and varying genres. Well Coachella 2009 is coming damn close. Pity I dont have the cash to pay for flights to LA...maybe next year...