The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother

Well well, The Dead Weather have finally unleashed themselves officially upon the music world. Their LP titled "Horehound" is a keeper. Swampy-blues and riotous rock is delivered in abundance.

Treat Me Like Your Mother is a downright dirty tune-Mossharts voice is both sultry and demanding and rides the crest of some glorious jamming,

Giveamanakick - Brittle Bones

Cranberries guitarist Noel Hogan has been championing many of Limerick's up and coming artists for a while now. Courtesy of Gohan Records he has curated a CD comprising of a sample of many of these artists. There are some great tracks by some very underrated artists on it such as Drumming Room, Headgear, Arkitekt and the Brad Pitt Light Orchestra.

The stand-out track comes from Giveamanakick who are probably the most popular act to come out of the "Limrock" scene in recent times. Their track Brittle Bones is a stonker. Downtempo beginnings are trounced by absolutely ferocious riffage. Like any good piece of art it always makes you want more...much much more.

Giveamanakick - Brittle Bones

Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move

Taken from the Dirty Projectors latest album Bitte Orca(which I am gradually warming to)comes this single is an absolute beauty. It's oozing with layered and serene vocals that would bowl over any wannabe girl group. Stillness Is The Move displays a striking ability to fuse a subtle musical composition with truly memorable vocal work. I need a fill of it at least twice a day.

Quantic and his Combo Barbaro - Tradition in Transition

Tradition in Transition sees Will "Quantic" Holland mining the lesser-tapped musical sources from the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa and fusing those rediscovered styles with his own rhythmical prowess and ability to breath increased joy and exuberance into music. It's breezy Latino-infected jazz with a sprinkle of funk served on a plate-a gorgeous album for those sunny days.

Clubroot - Clubroot

Burial fanatics listen up! Clubroot, courtesy of Lodubs, has just released this gem of an LP that exudes downright sensual dubstep. Clubroot, very much like Burial, has a sound that evokes mood driven atmospheres through a layering of dynamic bass lines and intricately warped samples. Deep invasive dubstep is the name of the game offering the listener a portal of escapism. This is stunning music that fills dormant gaps in one's aural environment.

Arctic Monkeys - Crying Lightning

I wouldn't normally get very excited about an impending release from the Arctic Monkeys but this time round its a little bit different. Most of their album (titled Humbug)has been produced by the one and only Josh Homme in his ranch-come-studio in Joshua Tree, California. The rest of the album was produced by James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco.

Crying Lightning is a testament to the Queens of the Stone Age sound. Droning stoner rhythms are used as a foundation for those distinctively piercing riffs which Homme adores. What's left for the Monkeys to call their own on this track is only the lyrics.

Buraka Som Sistema

I am loving Buraka Som Sistema at the moment. Admittedly I am a bit late getting into them considering their album Black Diamond was released in November of last year.

The Portuguese group specialise in delivering the riveting sound of Kuduro, a musical genre with it's roots emanating from Angola. The likes of M.I.A and DJ Znobia are both ambassadors and contributors to these guys rhythmic and dance-friendly sounds that gives Kudoro a worthy altar for which to preach it's uber-cool sound.

These guys are also playing the Electric Picnic in September.

Florence and the Machine - Lungs

I just did a review of Lungs, the debut LP from Florence and the Machine, for this months Limerick Event Guide and I felt compelled to mention it here aswell. From start to finish Lungs flourishes and excites with Florence Welch's voice making it a very tantalising listen. Check it out you won't be dissappointed.

The Pixies to start touring with Olympia dates

According to the Pixies Myspace they are set to embark on a European tour kicking off proceedings with two dates at the Olympia in Dublin on October 1st and 2nd (Thursday and Friday) Tickets go on sale this Friday (July 3)...where is my mind!

An insight into music today...

There appears to be a bit of a renaissance erupting in the world of popular music. Bands are releasing sophomore albums layered with soul and adventure while this years pop princesses are no longer the Britney’s of the world.

It seems that there’s a few artists that once flew the flag for NME's template of indie blandness have broken free of the supposed “path of commercial destiny” and released material that exudes quality and genuine substance. The artists I am highlighting in this case are the likes of The Horrors, Jack Penate and The Maccabees.

When The Horrors released their debut album “Strange House” in 2007 it was most definitely a case of style over substance. Their gothic punk boudoir of clothing and hairstyles distracted the NME following from the notion that their tunes were a tad uninspiring. Their recently released second album shocked a lot of people as they found the new material boasted involving and relevant sounds. “Primary Colours” is laden with swooning and vast guitar sounds with pulsating drumming. It truly is one of the albums of 2009.



Jack Penate's debut album “Matinee” on the whole was an entity of unimaginative indie dribble it has to be said. It lacked bite and any sort of uniqueness. What he has followed that album with is another surprise to the musical world. His new album, aptly titled “Everything is New” sees a dramatic shift in direction adopting a whole array of worldly sounds that complement a focused melodic understanding.



Like Penate’s debut The Maccabees first outing lacked ambition and thirst for the extraordinary. Their material fit the indie template set out by NME tone by tone; safe song compositions with an altogether indie aesthetic. Their follow up “Wall of Arms” has seen the group morph their output into a beautifully intimate and decadent tapestry of sound seeping with emotion and substance.



These bands have gone from creating music that plays by the rules to actually delving into their souls and releasing material that means something and displays genuine substance and thought. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for bands/artists like those mentioned above who are in the NME foothold i.e. The Klaxons (who had to return to the studio under the label bosses orders upon hearing their work for their new album)

In terms of the ladies it’s the likes of Little Boots and La Roux are invigorating our airwaves with deliciously infectious pop tunes. These two are delivering quality tunes that are radio-friendly and actually propel involving lyrics as opposed to the American branded muck that we are subjected to on a regular basis. Our airwaves are slowly but surely emitting interesting pop tunes and it’s the ladies mentioned proving to be the honourable catalysts.

The Avalanches - After The Goldrush

The Aussie orchestrator's of all things mixed and spliced have released a mix an eclectic off the wall mix CD that starts with Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys before mixing into the Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx, Felix Da Housecat, Guns ‘N Roses, DJ Zinc, Phoenix, Queen and loads more before ending with another appearance from The Beach Boys! Saloon.

It has some old school classics thrown in giving party friendly genres a celebratory outing. This would be a great mix to put on at a messy house party. It would go down as a damn fine crowd-pleaser satisfying all tastes.

This may prove a teaser to wet the appetite of those in desperate need of a follow up to 2000's Since I Left You, which I hinted at way back then

You can try it out the mix for party pumping size here

The Mars Volta - Octahedron

This the fifth LP from the genre-fiddling prog-rock group The Mars Volta is quite a different type of beast to those previous albums. Octahedron contains more coherent vocals and less elongated screeches which should make the music more accessible to its incoming audience. There are still the characteristic themes of morbidity, darkness and alienation that encapsulate the focus of their material.

Compared to earlier works this is a more progressive and ultimately more formal body of material. Songs on this album are certainly less erratic than usual-With Twilight As My Guide and Copernicus(which strays into a lo-fi territory)are clear examples of this

Tracks like Cotopaxi still offer links to their latin punk funk startings.

This band is one of the main reasons as to why I am considering braving the intrepid melee of youth that is Oxegen-they are that good.

The Glass - Wanna Be Dancin'

The latest offering from the The Glass, the New York based duo who specalize in electro disco/funk (somewhat reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem) but carving their own by adding dreamy shoegazed vocals is not only damn infectious but has a top-notch video to boot. LEGO will always rock

New William Elliot Whitmore recorded session

The sensational William Elliot Whitmore has recorded has recorded a session for Daytrotter. All the tracks are from his new album "Animals in the Dark". He also plays an unreleased track called 'Don't Prey On Me'. You can download all the tracks from the session for free here

Experimental sounds to reach Castletroy

A new dawn in the live music scene in Limerick is a-coming thanks to Guantanamo Noise Fest II. This weekend-long event is set to take place at 31 the Cedars, Castletroy (recent change of venue from the above poster) this Friday and Saturday. And yes anyone who has ever attended the University of Limerick will know that the venue in question is a student house. The house, which would usually house empty cans of Dutch Gold and Koka noodles will play host to a range of experimental sounds. When I asked the organiser (BiPolar Joe) what one can expect the reply I got was:

For an experimental gig, you shouldn't expect anything. I mean, youmight hear just about anything, thirty minutes of white noise, thesound of someone taking a dump, the theme from Dallas, fuckin'anything. They key is experimentation. Sound is not just sound, andmusic is a genre of sound, if you get what I mean. The hardest thingto do is to describe experimental music. Put it like this, John Cageused piano sounboards, K-Project uses computer games. Everything is aninstrument, experimental musicians use them all. In short, expectanything! Expect to hear things you most likely never would have ever.

Admission to this "guerilla-gig" as I like to call it is only 7 bucks...viva la'resistance!

When Sport and Music collide...

The video mixing maestro that is DJ Yoda recently did a short but sweet mix for ITV in the build up to this years Champers League semi between Chelsea and Man. Utd. (United won of course, but got smacked last Wednesday by Barca which pleased me immensely). I wonder do his turntablism skills filter through to the pitch?

Chris Cunningham

Ye may have noticed the latest ad for Gucci doing the rounds on the the box. The ad features a fresh rendition of Donna Summer's I Feel Love running in synch to the invigorating flutter of flowers circulating a rather attractive young woman. The result is a brief yet enlightening advert that is up there with the works of Guinness.

The director behind this advert is Chris Cunningham and his filmography consists of many groundbreaking and almost revolutionary music videos such as Bjork's All Is Full Of Love, Leftfield's Afrika Shox and Aphex Twin's Windowlicker. Everything he has touched is pure genius.

He showcases his work to date at the Electric Picnic-a definite must see.

Milosh

I have recently got into Milosh who Donal Dineen has been giving some deserved airplay on Today FM. Hailing from Toronto, Michael Milosh delivers "pretty" music that incorporates smooth electronica with soft gushing vocals. There is also an r n'b feel to his material that allevites the tunes from a shoegazey fallout, which in turn gives them a distinctive groove-great driving music on slow sundays.

The track You Fill Me from Meme (his second LP released in 2006) has been embedded in my head from my very first listen. Its melody swings and serenades while the romantic vocals enrapture the senses. A complete gem of a tune. Click on the link below to download and enjoy!


http://www.zshare.net/audio/6042171891314a65/

The xx - Crystalised

I am digging this tune (and band for that matter) in a big way. The xx hail from good oul' Londontown and have been creating waves in the UK blogosphere as of late. This tune is one of the most intimate and provocative songs I have heard all year...totally engrossing!

Pet Shop Boys - Love Etc.

Camp electro-pop it may be but I think this is a great tune and with a wonderful animated video makes it all the more impressionable:

Prefuse 73 - Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian

Prefuse 73's output to date has consistently involved rich and diverse tapestrys of sound that encapsulate various genres. This, the fifth album from the man from Georgia USA, is no different delivering a 29 track body of work that splashes short yet substantial tracks, typically under a minute long, with tracks of normal length which trancsends into an album that constantly surprises the listener. No one stage of the album submits to a definitive genre as such. There are samplings of hip hop, lo-fi IDM, jazz and so on. There even snippets of dub on tracks like Fountains of Spring, while tracks like Four Reels Collide and Whipcream Eyepatch appear to have lost the marbles of genre definition altogether.

This is a terribly endearing and involving package of music that pulsates in waves of controlled spontaneity whilst potraying a certain level of romanticism

This is big...

It looks like the long awaited Avalanches second album is due out soon! Ambiguous it may be but their Myspace and Official Site both come with a fresh announcement of "clearing samples" which can only mean the album is finished with only licensing and all that jazz to be dealt with.

Their inagural LP Since I Left You is an absolute gem jampacked with bold and exciting samples and general badass mixing-here's hoping the second instalment is just as tantalising...

Moth/Wolf Club tracks for your listening pleasure

Thanks to the good folks of the interweb the two tracks from the mysterious 12" released by Four Tet and Burial(as I mentioned a last week) are availble to tantalise your pretty ears:

Eagles of Death Metal to hit Limerick!

Dolans Warehouse have just confirmed that the Eagles of Death Metal will be playing on Tuesday August 25th with tickets available now from their website for 18 bucks.

This is quite the coup, with the EODM renowned for downright sexy and electric rock n' roll. I wonder will the legend that is Josh Homme be on the drums for this show...

Wish I was there...

I hate seeing things like this:




...and to think she only gave birth a few weeks ago, some woman.

Four Tet/Burial Collaboration???

Apparently there is a split 12" on the horizon comprising of the works of Burial and Four Tet. This is damn exciting but as always with the Burial aura there is a shroud of mystery. There is no artwork, no promos....nothing really apart from being called Moth/Wolf Club. Oh and it sold out in a day via Bleep. Here's hoping another batch will be released.

R.S.A.G live @ Dolans, 22 April

I hit R.S.A.G in Dolans(upstairs) last night and what a performance it was. I had only heard Jeremy Hickeys material prior to the gig through his studio recordings and was damn curious to see how he emulated this material onstage. The performance surpassed my expectations big time. It wasnt just music being displayed, it was art in its most universal and creative form on show.

Through the use of a Gorillaz-esque visual display (courtesy of Paul Mahon), Hickey adds the components for each track that are not drum orientated (be it bass, piano etc.) through impersonations of himself playing the insruments on the screen behind him. These visuals run in tandem to Hickeys flawless drumming. This man has the skills to play the bloody bills. The drumming and overall instumentation was superb. The music he composes is quite intricate but at the same time very soulful. I felt my feet constantly tapping the floor not knowing exactly what to do themselves, much like a frenzied game of hopscotch.



RSAG - Days Go By (Live) from mrpaulmahon on Vimeo.

Mirah - (a)spera

I got wind of theis album a tad late but upon discovering it I made up for it by giving it a prolonged listen. Mirahs fourth studio album (a)spera is a bit of a gem, bringing the listener on an expedition of the soul. This is delivered through a soft yet enticing voice (quite similar to that of Cathy Davey) and wonderfully natural progeressions in the music, elevating both emotion and intensity. The World is Falling is perfect example of this. Explorations into other musical cultures is evident in Country of the Future. Mirahs grittier side is banged out in Forest and The River.

This is one for the listen over brunch

Ebony Bones - The Muzik

Really liking this tune at the mo-dirty disco at its finest...

DM Stith to play Roisin Dubh

The captivating DM Stith is set to play Galways Roisin Dubh on Friday May 22nd. This gig should not be missed as it is also set at a recession freindly price of 0 euros!

Boxcutter - Arecibo Message

Arecibo Message, released on Planet µ records, is the third album from Barry Lynn (a.k.a Boxcutter). The Lurgan man yet again delivers a clever and fascinating body of work. The intricate compositions associated with his previous work are still in play that make the listen a tantalising experience. This time around Lynn deviates the tunes with a subtle yet distinctive groove or funk, not usually heard of in the Dubstep world. Track no.4: Spacebass is a clear indication of this refreshing direction. Altough maybe not for the casual listener, Arecibo Message is a great listen.


Here is track no. 10 of the album: Otherside Remix (Earth is my Spaceship)

Electric Picnic 2009 announces first wave of acts

Well well well, the EP boys have conjured up quite a tasty bunch of acts for this years festival. It does lack the heavy hitters that would grab your immediate attention but on the whole the line up is riddled with quality acts. The mighty Orbital are a must see along with the antics of Madness. I do hope they put Zero7 on for an early slot on the Mainstage on Sunday so as to lure me back into an able capacity. Credit must be given for the superb range of Irish acts on offer, namely Jape, Halfset, Villagers, and Lisa Hannigan. I am not so sure about MGMT though, hearing them at least 8 times a day via somebodys ringtone has driven me to detest them.

Anyways so far so good, and with more to come this year could very well be up there as one of the festivals better years(like 2005 and 2007)

Heroes of Popular Wars

The Heroes of Popular Wars have mad my ears tingle with intrigue from the moment I heard their small but delightful collection of tunes. The Brooklyn two-piece are Stephe(aka the "Blue Eyed Devil") and Rory(aka "DJ Red Cent"). They are almost ready to release their first record titled "Church and McDonald" and have allowed the public access to a generous free sampler to be availed of here

Have a listen and you will become engulfed in rich spacey landscapes like that of M83 bunched with flashes of other-worldly sound clips. Enjoy

The Dead Weather

I am really looking forward to see what comes of this latest indie-rock supergroup. The Dead Weather consists of Jack White, The Kills' Alison Mosshart, Jack Lawrence of the Raconteurs and Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age. That's a highly credible and intrigueing congregation of musicians. They have just announced their first public show set for April 14 at NYC's Bowery Ballroom. Sure they would be a grand addition to this years forthcoming Electric Picnic would'nt they?

This is a fairly rapturous indication:

The Ropes - Be My Gun

The Ropes are a two piece indie group from NYC consisting of vocalist/bassist Sharon Shy and multi-instrumentalist Toppy (known for playing drums with the guitar hanging around his neck. Their forte is to open up lifes confusion's and problem's for debate and clarity.

Be My Gun epitomises this mission, shall we say. The engaging message is delivered in tandem with an infectious ryhthm (this strong ryhthm may be attributable to the fact that much of their work has been produced by Nic Hard of The Bravery) that evokes a slight resemblance to the sound of Garbage back in the day. The Ropes are kind of what The Gossip would sound like minus the flamboyant loudness of Beth Ditto.

Tenaka

I came across this superb artist recently but forgot to post anything about him until now on this Monday evening come down after a week that involved a birthday, Amsterdam and randomness.

Tenaka is the moniker of Ronan Carroll,a Limerick man now residing in Galway whose music has been described as:

the clockwork rhythms of Plaid, the folky sensibilities of Fridge, and some hushed singing

His "EPonymously Titled" EP is available for free download on his Myspace here

Its a surprisingly captivating collection of material. The first track Aint Nobody brings the listener into a hazy, almost sub-concious state through Carrolls vocals. What follows is an alluring lo-fi journey which could fly the Irish flag in the cozy world of Folktronica. The sounds played are subtle but have this determined power that allow them to leave a pleasant imprint in the listeners mind. A perfect accompaniment to a nice hot chocolate with cream imo.

Akil the MC(Jurassic 5) - The Belltable - Friday 27th

Limerick's Belltable saw a frenzy of hip hop shenanigans with Akil (formerly of the now disbanded Jurassic 5)hitting the mic last Friday night. Support on the night came from Leon who masterfully mixes and splices the freshest beats with the classics to get the crowds heads bopping in tow.

Akil hit the stage and the beats and rhymes punched the air powerfully. Jurassic 5 material was drawn out to engage the crowd but it was clear that they were open to anything and everything he threw at them. Within the space of half an hour the pint-sized rhymes merchant left the stage to locate himself in the centre of the dancefloor while the crowd swarmed around him. What followed was the start of a beautiful relationship with both the artist and the crowd making love together to produce an offspring of continuous smiles. Akil invited others to drop rhymes over the beats and those who did did so with such ability one felt they could carry on with the show themselves. By the end of the show there was no Akil to be seen on stage-he was getting his dance on with the locals.

It was this connection the artist offered to the crowd that made the night an unforgettable night in Limerick. Could it be the best gig I have been to in Limerick?....

Here is a flashback to the J5 days:

DM Stith - Heavy Ghost

It has been a long time since I heard an album open with such a striking opening as DM Stiths debut album Heavy Ghost. The opening track Isaac's Song wrestles with emotion and sound in a magnificiently distorted fashion that instantly captures the listeners attention. This quite simply a very interesting body of work. On first listen I drew tangents to PJ Harvey's White Chalk album due to the overall eerieness and dipping nature of the music. But upon further listens it becomes apparent that this is a bigger beast than its predecessors.

High tribal-folk overtones buffer the album with landscaped melodys and inspiring displays of experimentation to result in a pretty spectacular piece of music. The album treads the troughs of obsure sounds tremendously, without straying into anything too foreign. Below is a video for the track no.2 on the album called Pity Dance:

Show me your Genitals

What a lark....

Bon Iver for Galway Arts Festival

According to Jim Carroll, Bon Iver will be bringing his heartfelt tales and earthy melodies to the Galway Arts Festival on July 23rd. This is a must see, mind you I would not be all too surprised if a Electric Picnic date was added (christ the festival needs names like this to compete with Oxegen's awesome line up this year)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero

What a tune-what a video-what a tune.....

Antony and the Johnsons - Live Video

Pitchfork have great footage of Antony and co. live right here

Dan Deacon - Bromst

I finally got Dan Deacon's new album "Bromst" and my ears have been ringing with amazement after the first listen. It is a bloody cracker. I find it more fitting to describe the album in a spit of words, rather than sentences: wild, frantic, booming, fun, joyous, fun, rapid, sporadic, fun, charged, epileptic....I could go on and on

Try out the tune below and let the words flow out-there is just so much going on....

Great Friday

The solution to the countrys dry day is here. I caught wind of this last year on the day itself but I had already made arrangements. Definetely going to hit it this year....and its BYOB for extra recession freindly fun!

Superstar DJs:Here We Go!

This new book from Dom Phillips(former editor of Mixmag) chronicles both the rise of British club culture with the status of DJs in tandem in the 1990s, and the fall subsequently after the turn of the Millenium.

This is a gem of a read for the likes of myself a few years back i.e a hermit-type bedroom DJ with aspirations to have 5,000 clubbers hanging on to my every beat. It contains some great waves of nostalgia and rock n' roll tales,such as how one DJ had his wife leave him after she discovered a clause in his gig contracts specifying the provision of a blow job! All the DJs of the not so long ago era are there: Oakenfold, Tong, Sasha, Lavelle and so on. Here is the Times review.

Woodpigeon to play Academy 2, 22nd May 2009

The Canadian neo-folk rockers Woodpigeon play Dublins Academy 2 on Friday May 22nd. Their sound fits the indie-folk template adorned by the likes of Fleet Foxes and the Dodos.

The group boast sweet flowing melodys in complement to soaring strings, which result in mellow and breezingly transient songs that give the listener that warm fuzzy feeling inside. Lead singer Mark Hamiltons vocals are suitably rich and elongated reminding me of Sufjan Stevens.

Thanks to Stephen for the heads up on this

Check out this delightful tune:

Bat for Lashes - Two Suns

Natasha Khan a.k.a Bat for Lashes is back with the follow up to her spectacular debut album Fur and Gold of 2006. "Two Suns" follows from the debut with another picnic basket serving wonderful instrumentation with other worldly sounds and provocative lyrics.

She does seem to pick up where she left the last album whilst picking up a few electronic goodies along the way to give an added flavour to the ingredients in her basket. “Glass” is a confident opener seeing Khan place greater emphasis on higher notes than she would have in the past giving an early indication of the added dexterity affixed to her voice.

The natural element of the music that was essential to "Fur and Gold" fades as the album goes on with a new electronic weighting given to the material. Thankfully this is not an overbearing inclusion ,unlike a lot of electro pop records at present. Credible synths will give fans something fresh to relate to. The first single “Daniel” does dwell upon slightly dated 80s flavour, but her unique voice alleviates it from falling over itself.

The album throbs with dense progressive moments over a foundation of sweet ambience but the final two tracks do dampen the flow of the album ever so slightly. All in all another wonderful mystical journey.

Sol Seppy - Enter One

I was watching the last episode in the fourth series of BBCs brilliant show Ideal the other night and this song came on at the end. I felt utterly compelled to hunt for the name of the song and artist.

"Enter One" by Sol Seppy is a powerful, powerful tune. Delicate yet sublime piano notes ascend into a space with the airy vocals to deliver a truly moving piece of music. It demonstrates the ability of an artist capable of calibrating simple sounds and gentle touches to emit music charged with an intimacy similar to some works of Sigur Ros and Ulrich Schnauss.

Listen, then listen again-you might shed a tear!

Jape wins Choice Music Prize 2009

As I predicted Jape wins the Irish "Mercury" prize with his smashing album "Ritual". Great to see the award go to a Richie Egan who seems to persevere through the industry hurdles and constantly deliver quality music that allows innovation and utter charm to stand side by side.

I caught him live at this years Life Festival and god dammit I enjoyed myself

Tenori-on

Flashback from Saturday night!...Four Tet plucked an alien device from behind his effects board that looked like that Lights Out game on speed. The device in play was a Tenori-on. And what a trippy little toy it is. Apparently pressing and holding the switches/lights maps beats and sequences. Something tells me Radiohead will incorporate this onto a live stage, but the whole band absail down a massive board of lights to play "Ideotheque".

I heard about this device before but seeing it in action live was fascinating to say the least.

La Roux - Quicksand

This little nugget of tunage from Englands latest electro-pop hopeful has grown on me over last couple of days. Its so breezy and gives a nice splash of electro-pop to my ears. Its packed with punchy beats and and synths meshed sweetly with Elly Jacksons vocals. The rest of their material isnt bad, check them out here

Seminar on the works of Morrissey, UL, April 23rd

The University of Limerick will play host to a seminar on the writings and works of Morrissey on Friday April 23rd and Saturday 24th. The event intends to divulge into the provocative writings of Morrissey and shed a somewhat academic light on them. The seminar is curated by Dr Eoin Devereux from UL's Department of Sociology.

Following on from this renowned Smiths tribute act "These Charming Men" play Dolans Warehouse on the Saturday (24th)

Tickets and more info can be found here

Four Tet, Saturday 28th Feb, Andrews Lane

I finally got to witness the live sounds of Four Tet on Saturday night and I was quite satisfied. I did notice early on in the night while the support acts were on that there was a scant presence of drums or any other applicable live instruments. As complex as Keiran Hebdens sounds are I thought he would dare to incorporate a live set of drums into the performance.

Tim Exile was on before Hebden and his own electro brand of Jamie Liddell style beat making was damn tasty. A nice dose of tricky loops and crunching beats set up for the main act nicely. During this time though I realised that Andrews Lane Theatre carries sound awfully. The walls at either side of the dancefloor area extend out past the line of the ends of the stage and seem to steal the sound from saturating the room. The venue mad up for it by having some of the friendliest crowds I have come across at a gig. As a friend said to me "I could have happliy left my bag on the ground for the night and no-one would have harmed it"

Hebden graced the stage to applause and lured the crowd into "Ringer" which set the tone for a set flowing with his best tunes that made the "folktronica" tag of which he has attained (reluctantly or not) so popular amongst those in the dance world. I found myself closing my eyes for most of the gig and letting the music fill my ears with absolute delight. The Four Tet sound has that power which can put you in a really positive place. Many of the sets material ("And Then Patterns" and "Sun, Drums and Soil some of the highlights for me) came from the "Everything Ecstatic" album of 2005 which epitomizes the notion that music can act as food for the soul.


Here is the opening of the set:

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)

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

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

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:

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

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)

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...

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...

Oxegen 2009 headliners- blandfest

According to NME Kings of Leon, The Killers and Snow Patrol are to be this years headliners. This is highly safe route for MCD to take, really playing to the festivals demographic.

Having a headliner play two years in a row (KoL) is downright pathetic in my opinion, I mean really is the country not sick to its stomach of them?

And as for the other two headliners....the will undoubtebly suck the energy from the punters with their back catalogues that instigate chronic snoring.

I went to Oxegen last year solely on the back of an outstanding line up. I know its early days with regards revealing the line up but I genuinely thought Oxegen was winning back the music lovers, obviously I was wrong.

Dj Scotch Egg tommorow night, Bakers Place

I am looking forward to this. Scotch Egg is bringing his crazy sounds and modified Nintendo Gameboys to Baker Place tommorow night (Thursday 29th)

And only a fiver in!

RTE's Other Voices

I am sitting down watching the second episode of RTE's Other Voices. Now in its seventh season, the stations only dedicated music programme continues to humble me with the notion of the power of simplicity.

It is such a simple concept. Have good musicians, both international and homegrown, playing in a quaint, rural town like Dingle. The calibre of musicians over the past two shows resonates the attractiveness of the concept. Elbow, Lisa Hannigan, Richard Hawley, Eric Bibb deliver concentrated and moving performances amidst the backdrop of an idyllic church (or pub, or bowling alley!)

The show reminds me of stories I hear about Sigur Ros playing gigs in the heart of their native Iceland, surrounded by the spectacular elements of nature the landscape bears. It is their way of sharing the landscape and music with the people.

RTE deserve a pat on the back for once

Heres Lisa Hannigan from last years show:





http://www.rte.ie/tv/othervoices/

Antony and the Johnsons-The Crying Light

The new album from Antony and co. is just as I expected...glorious. After a couple of listens it doesnt match with the calibre of 2005s Mercury Music Prize winning "I am a Bird Now" but it comes damn close.

Antonys voice is extraordinary, swallowing the peaks and troughs of the accompanying arrangements seamlessly and emmiting a voice regarded as one of the most unique and beautiful the world has heard to date. This is music that is medicine for the soul.

The Villagers

Conor O'Briens latest project is soon to get its official EP release. Nialler9 has been granted two tracks to wet the appetite:


http://www.nialler9.com/2009/01/19/premiere-villagers-hollow-kin/


If you saw the performance of "Pieces" on the most recent airing of RTEs "Other Voices" you will certainly have something to get excited about for the coming years homegrown music:


http://www.rte.ie/tv/othervoices/archive.html

Passion Pit- Sleepyhead

I am loving this tune right now. Its so joyous and boppy...really puts a pep in ones step....

Limericks Comic Revolution

Amidst the forboding closure of Dell and economic downturn in the area Limericks citzens are still capable of projecting a humourous light on the city. The recent performances of the now legendary pranksters The Rubber Bandits has proved the popularity of the duo, with their material being shared around the globe through the chatterings of the citys ex-pats.




The boys behind "Limerick Uncovered" are also making a name for themselves with their hilarious videos and attracting cameos from rugby player Jerry Flannery and comedian Joe Rooney.



Limerick laughs.

The Day The Earth Stood Still

Firstly Happy New Years to all-let your 2009 be as great and prosperous as you hope it to be.

I went to see the new Keanu Reeves film "The Day The Earth Stood Still" last friday and my oh my what silage it was. Apart from the whole deja-vu factor associated with all apocalytpic hollywood offloads there was also the hidden message that we are all the cause of the worlds demise. Throw is some blatant product placement from the cuddly Microsoft and McDonalds and you have yourself a film that makes you die a little inside scene after scene.

"Australia" was booked up in case you were wondering