Easy Music for Difficult Ears (The musical "Dallas" of Ireland)
I make music, some folk don't particularly like it - oh dear...
I'm a self-taught pianist - I'm not bad.
I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere desperately trying to get out
These are my thoughts...
This is here purely because I love it. Having been a Marx Brothers fan for a very long time (hell, Groucho is still one of the funniest people to have ever walked the Earth), I have plenty of time for their films and this little snippet of A Night at the Opera is no exception. It is a roll of the famous "Crowded Cabin" scene where various groups of people from their ocean liner pile into the room for the most pointless of reasons... but it is very, very funny.
Steven Van Zandt will be broadcasting his Underground Garage Radio show from Tower Records on Wicklow Street at 1pm on Sunday afternoon. Van Zandt - best known as the guitarist / mandolin player from Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band on various occasions and as a the character Silvio Dante in the Soprano's - will be hosting the Wicked Cool Records Day Show at Tower until 5pm and will be followed by sets from local garage band, The Urges, and the UK bred and based artists, The Len Price 3. The show will also be broadcast live on Dublin City FM.
Even though I work in the "entertainment industry" to a small degree (ughhh...), I (as a rule) generally despise most of the people in it; although I also happen to generally despise most people everywhere. However, one must to add to that, an event on Thursday found me despising even more people that I had only just met. It may have something to do with the fact that I am a spiteful cunt who is desperately trying to figure out what went wrong; it may also have a lot to do with the fact that I am now only officially happy when I'm angry or it may just be because the human race is an infested swamp with shit-bricking, dog-wanking, child-whoring, fat-sucking, penis-stabbing, cock-dicking arseholes. I might also be incorrect about that too.
The short video, below - by animator David Firth (of Salad Fingers fame), is a pretty good example of how the "entertainment industry" works and makes rather quick work of the human pimp machines involved and the brainless fuckers that are fed dog food for music on a regular basis. The video is also quite funny...
Still here. Moving house. In the searing heat. Via the London tube network. ...fucking nightmare! Will be back shortly with stories, news, thoughts and reviews; but meanwhile...
The FIA and FOTA have not agreed on the issues facing Formula 1, with the result being the FOTA teams leaving F1 to start their own rival series. FOTA - which consists of Ferrari, McLaren, Brawn GP, Toyota, Renault, BMW, Red Bull and Toro Rosso - have decided after ongoing talks broke down (again) that their dealings with FIA are now concluded in dramatic fashion.
Stunned... simply stunned!! I have not written or commented on this recently as the press releases and news flowing in each direction with supreme regularity left me feeling nauseous and confused.
So now it's on. The great irony is Formula 1 had in recent years dropped many of the fans' popular circuits, so it's quite conceivable that the likes of Silverstone, Imola, Montreal and Indianapolis may find their onto the FOTA Grand Prix calendar as they're still easily up to FIA safety specs. There won't be word of a potential car design or rules for a while yet, so that'll be interesting when it comes about. I am also rather intrigued to see who will pick this up commercially too.
One thing I've noticed about the local music scene in both Dublin and London (and this may not be a popular view) is the sheer arrogance that is often present amongst its participants - the thought that we deserve cool purely because of where we come from regardless of the output that is produced ...and I've seen this a lot over the years - an awful lot!! I will not go into the details here, because I could spew my guts for page after page.
This shithead-like arrogance was slammed in face once again on Tuesday night in Cargo, where I witnessed quite possibly the worst band that I have ever seen. Let it be said now that Advert are simply the most pointless, horrible group to ever take a stage anywhere. They even managed to piss me off before they started by refusing to get on stage until more people arrived - listen to yourselves you dickheads, you're the support band; get up or fuck off!! As a result people got tired of waiting and actually left before they started!!
When the London based three-piece (two guitars, one bassist, one backing track) pride themselves on apparently making post-punk/industrial music; but one would be hard pushed to tell seeing as how you simply could not hear anything. At first I thought their sound was botched, until I leaned towards the front of the stage and realised that every distortion pedal (there were lots) for each instrument was turned up to 10. Therefore, the audience proceeded to get 15 minutes of solid noise, feedback and fuzz - I really hope they're not trying to be "challenging", because they only succeeded in being very, very boring. Throughout their set, they posed, pouted, strutted, lamely threw their instruments around, knocked monitors off the stage, played at rock 'n' roll with about as much charisma as dead boy moments after he's thrown his car into a tree. They played, they finished and then left without saying a word with their guitars and bass leaning into their amps to generate as much feedback as possible. It was so pointlessly loud, that I left the room feeling physically ill, but worst of all when I turned to leave, I was met by an audience that just looked so bored to death and wondering what that show of ineptitude actually was. Maybe if Advert stopped ripping off industrial and post-punk bands from the 70's/early 80's and leaned off the distortion a little, they maybe surprisingly tuneful, but until then... Advert (MySpace)
Occasionally I often am criticised for not being positive enough about music - that's not strictly true, it would be more accurate to say that I have great trouble putting wonderful things into words and this is another one of those situations and it is with that in mind that this night provided me with another first.
At the gig where I caught the worst band I had ever seen, Kap Bambino entered and proved to be the best band that I had ever witnessed. One must be honest here and that I can't remember most of the set, so violent was the show; however I do remember singing (possibly shouting) rather loudly, being thrown around by slightly younger burly people, the vocalist - Caroline Martial - climbing on my shoulders demanding a lift, a stage mosh (during New Breath), losing my glasses in a sea of people mid-mosh to find them perched precariously between Martial's legs, scores of men whipping out their digital camera's whenever she fell over (how subtle!!) and me drowning in my own own sweat (kudos to bar staff handing out pint glasses of water to throw over ourselves in the smoking area). I vaguely remember Acid Eyes, Dead Lazer's, Blacklist, Red Sign being played amongst others and the encore featuring Hey! This was about an hour of pure ecstasy driven electro-punk (or electro-grunge??) that left me with most incredible feeling of euphoria afterwards ...and I was sober too!!
Blacklist is out now on Because Records. They're back for Glastonbury this year and are also playing the Offset Festival in September. Check.Them.Out. Kap Bambino (MySpace)
While sitting in watching Round 6 of the current IRL season from Texas Motor Speedway something quite irritating popped into my head (apart from the incessant ad-breaks). Ryan Briscoe - once again driving an impeccable racing for Penske - was leading by around 11 seconds (just under half-a-lap) and had lapped everyone up until Tony Kanaan in 8th place.
No problem there; I remember sitting through the Schumacher years of Formula 1 when he pulverised everyone repeatedly, but then on lap 150 the stewards through a full-course yellow... for debris on track, thereby closing the entire field up. Now I must agree with Pressdog onthis occasion by calling bullshit - this was a crude trick taken directly from NASCAR's big book of cheap thrills. In NASCAR, they don't bullshit though; they call them "competition caution" - an open and deliberate ploy to close the field up if someone is too far ahead; in the IRL, they call the "debris cautions"... hmmm.
In the long run, Briscoe got passed by his team-mate Helio Castroneves for the win in the pits and Briscoe came a close second, but this came about purely because the "debris caution". I doubt there was any call to make sure Castroneves won, but that they wanted to bring the field together for a "close finish". There are many folks calling the IRL's bluff on this - there's a lot of unhappy folks that felt a race win had been stolen from Ryan Briscoe. Let's hope this get nipped in the bud, as we don't need NASCAR type rules in open wheel racing.
Leigh
*edit: Grumble... grumble... grumble... As a follow up to this post, IRL official, Dave Lewandowski has released a statement to counter the many complaints raised following the phantom debris on lap 150. According to the release, there were loosened bolts and marbles on track on the outside of turn 2 that had been spotted by the trackside safety crew and the stewards acted upon those notifications - which is sensible considering the deaths of drivers Tony Renna and Paul Dana are still fairly fresh in the series' history.
However, I still would like to debate why it took longer to tidy up stray tyre marbles than clear a three car pile-up at the start of the race. Commercial breaks, pit-stops followed by more commercial breaks anyone?
Nialler has thrown together a blog about the latest Kitsune release here and while I agree Kitsune releases can be hit and miss from time to time, Heartsrevolution have always been a hit with me. The Rose and Her Prince is taken Kitsune Maison 7 and although it is not as hard-electro as Choose Your Own Adventure or Ultraviolence, it still more than tickles the pit of my belly. KM7 can be picked up from their online shop from June 9th- good stuff.
I was meant to put this up at the weekend, but am only getting around to it now. Anyhoo, this is the "Ultraviolence EP" by Heartsrevolution, released on Kitsune late last year - pure electro class - and the second disc I got was "Movement" by New Order (their first album following Ian Curtis's suicide).
You just have to love Peter Saville's minimalist approach - in fact the large inlay card of this special edition release is just white...
The only thing that pissed me off was that it took 3-and-a-half weeks for the Heartsrevolution record to arrive - for anything to take that long to arrive (Preston to London) rips the fucking piss. Get your arse in gear Royal Mail!! The new Green Day CD arrived on my desk on Friday, but I'm not really bothered by that too much.
There are times when I look at the state of the music industry and Ireland and its relationship with television and laugh - mostly it makes me cry, but sometimes I laugh. If anything, it's a coupling that has never quite taken off; whether that has to do with any Irish music show being broadcast invariably late or having little Irish music to show and thus filling it with material from elsewhere. For the first point, realistically these shows are mostly going to be shown late as there is such a tiny audience for them that many advertisers just would not be bothered. On the other hand, although it would be fantastic if a music show could be filled with just Irish artists, the simple fact is that the Irish music machine (like all other countries) contains a high amount of dross - never mind the amount of poorly made, on the cheap, videos circulating around.
Imagine my surprise when I came across this promo on Friday afternoon for a new show on RTE 2 called the Raw Sessions. What seems like a really great idea, taking artists into studios for jam sessions and recording the progress, etc - backed up by the usual talking heads who talk about these things for some reason - was eventually kicked into touch when the immortal line
"...you decide the outcome at the end of every episode..."
Suddenly my heart fell and it fell again when the promo started going on about viewer text votes and my mind drifts once again to missed opportunities and lowest common denominator outputs. Is there something so difficult about music shows that they can't simply present an artist within a credible format or are we so stupid that we simply can't handle it? Irish television has a very bad history when it comes to producing shoddy, shoddy programmes and it's just a shame that this adds to a very long list. Missed opportunities... anyway it starts on RTE 2 at 7pm tomorrow night.
Excellent - the Microtronics EP by Broadcast has just arrived on my metaphorical doormat this morning.
Unfortunately it is a limited edition 10 track 3" CD, so I may have to wait until during the week before I get a chance to hear it; but my love for Broadcast shall not be dimmed by such minor quibbles. I will report once I actually listen to the thing.
Currently watching: Formula 1 "2009 Spanish Grand Prix, Rd 3 Qualifying Session"
A short post here. Public Image Ltd at their absolute (and short lived) peak with John Lydon, Keith Levene and Jah Wobble - they never quite recovered once Wobble left during the recording of their third full length effort Flowers of Romance (1981).
These two tracks are taken from their 1980 performance on the Old Grey Whistle Test and showcase their intensity and unease - it only makes me wish I came across more bands with such formidable imagination, as opposed to the conveyor belt of bland meandering bullshit that seeps out of Ireland and the UK right now.
"Poptones"
"Careering"
Currently watching: Formula 1 "2009 Spanish Grand Prix (Round 5, Saturday Morning Free Practice Session)"
While weak limbed, I have to say that one has grown used to the throbbing – in fact in a most bizarre sense this body has come to expect it; comforted by the regularity to the point when sullen evenings free of some sort of discomfort are nearly a disappointment. I swear I have lost a close friend.
Weak limbed (on repeat!!) and bedraggled of mind, if someone can give me a reason to bask in the warm, hazy oasis of [can’t even think of a word to here and I only see blank eyes and vacant smiles – a sea of dead boys and dead girls, especially sculpted; while Damien Hirst would be proud, I probably wouldn’t]
…if you know what I mean. Mish, mosh, mash, kill keyboard smash – like fists against my head whilst simultaneously butting a wall.
*Crack* *Crack* *Crack* *Crack* *Crack*
Maybe this is how dead boys get to be dead boys and how dead girls become dead girls; as if fashion represents the subtle elimination of intelligence by instigating a purely cultural lobotomy – an intellectual battle to reduce wit, while committing satirical suicide. Death by word of mouth – I suppose there could be worse things in life… I might actually be alive!!
Fuccck you LOL cat – it’s about time you drowned in a sea of your own piss!! Any chance someone could photoshop that for me? Thank you in advance, the resident cock.
I originally posted this at the end of January and with today being the 15th anniversary of Ayrton Senna's Death, it seems apt to repost this entry as - quite frankly - I don't think there is anything that I could add to this. Let us also remember that yesterday (April 30th) was also the 15th anniversary of the death of rookie Roland Ratzenberger during Saturday qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
It's odd that their deaths actually feel like they happened longer ago. Formula 1 (and motor sport in general) has changed massively in the past 15 years - it had too. The safety of drivers, fans and mechanics have become paramount and the days of 180 mph corners lined only with concrete walls are gone. Where once the drivers were fairly exposed, they are now cocooned in their cockpits; where mechanics once wore shorts and t-shirts whilst hanging around the pitlane, they now all wear fire protective attire and for better or for worse where fans once could get relatively close to the action and leave messages on the track for drivers and teams (dead or alive), they are now sat behind distant fences watching sporting royalty from afar.
There will always be people who watch motor racing for the thrill of seeing a big accident, but even then everyone wants the driver to jump out and walk away - just as sure as there no worse PR for motor sport than a dead driver sat limp in the cockpit of his car.
---------- Ayrton Senna "The Whole Story" (by Christopher Hilton) A few days ago I mumbled on about how Franz Ferdinand's new album felt like a cheap biography - there would be an excellent opening section that would inform the reader/listener about the subject's youth, determination and ultimate motivation. The next chapters would tell of the struggles as well as the success' and eventually the next section would dwell on the peaks before the inevitable epilogue.
The very best biographies will weave stories continuously throughout a book, while some lamentable efforts slot into a recession of stop/start storytelling that relies specifically on blow-by-blow, date-by-date entries. It is possible that it's just me, but biographies are a lot less fun when they steer away from the subject as a person and instead follow a path of results and short quotations.
While Ayrton Senna: the Whole Story is not a bad book by any stretch of the imagination, it does fall ever so slightly into statistical storytelling during the latter half of Senna's career rather than regaling the reader. While this in itself isn't too bad, it means that closeness of the subject is lost. Soon it begins to read a little like a memo and as a result detaches itself from the reader somewhat. Inevitably, the tragic weekend of Imola 1994 is covered in great depth, covering, not just the many accidents of the meeting, but also the feelings of around the paddock over the course of the four days and it is in these chapters that the author excels. The book covers Senna's near obsession with religion with a deft hand and avoids any temptation to be overzealous in favour of subtlety.
Although I already admired and knew a great deal about the man, many of the interviews show a much greater insight into Senna and reveal the passion and intelligence through which his mind worked. To be honest, I don't think any words that I can come up would ever truly describe Senna, but hopefully this two-part interview with Steve Rider in February 1990 can delve ever so slightly into his person.
May the 1st, 1994 is a date that is burned deep into my head. I remember getting up on Sunday morning and I remember the picture of Roland Ratzenberger on the back of the Sunday World (killed the previous day in Qualifying - followed by imagining the spluttering morons claiming the motor racing was a disgrace and should be banned - let's not forget the gobshites that chose to speak following Richard Hammond's Top Gear accident). There was the start-line accident between Pedro Lamy and JJ Lehto and fifteen-minutes later, the accident.
I remember my Dad and I used to go for drives to the Curragh on occasional Sunday's as soon as the race was over - but I recollect that on this particular Sunday, we didn't watch the rest of the race. A time later my Dad turned on the radio in the car and it was the death of Senna that governed the conversation of the weekend sports show (Ireland doesn't have weekends - it has 48-hour long Sundays). I also remember another neighbour coming out that evening playfully announcing that "...your mate got in the head, just like that guy yesterday..."
This year will be the 15th anniversary of Senna's death; however this book did not remind of his death - in fact, it reminded me of a wonderfully passionate life. I often look at modern musicians and racing drivers and so many look devoid of passion for they are more often than not PR controlled - in order to offend no one, you must show no passion.
There is a moment, a facial expression and a feeling that is frozen time time. I had the same feeling when I stayed up all night listening to reports of Princess Diana's death (although I am no royalist, it was such news) and that feeling emerged again when I learned of Joe Strummer's death, but nothing burns quite like that accident. I will never forget that day as long as I live. Rating: 3.5 out of 5
I am beginning to appreciate walls more and more now; and even more than that I am beginning to understand the true complexity of paint and the subtlety with which it dries. To say that I have never seen the tonality in many aspects of third party life would probably be so much more accurate.
So life gets worse from here on in , eh..? Oh bugger... I suppose I should have guessed. That constant feeling of exhaustion turned out to be my capacity for irrational thought slowly being stripped away bit by bit only to be replaced by blanket numbness. For the first time ever, I can now stare solemnly at a wall and find instant and ever lasting entertainment - this only serves to make me want to throw my TV out of the window. At this point I am seriously considering taking the top off of the television, ripping out the screen (scream) and replacing it with age retarded red bricks and hope in vain that no one will notice the difference. The entertainment may be mildly better, but one fears the damage has already been done.
This life lived while dead from the neck up reminds me of the sheer horror that was school and the nightmarish thought of being prepared like food for the modern world, but how many could have possibly thought the modern world could possibly be so culturally backward and filled with gawking morons. Watching real life has become like staring at a car crash in the rain on a motorway.
So what does that make of my wall? Well, my wall is dulled, dirty and has not seen paint in many years. It neither shines nor reflects, but absorbs light no matter the source - a dark laugh in spite of will coaxing ultra violence. Maybe we should all just kill our TV's?
Current listening: Heartsrevolutions "Kitsune: Ultraviolence"
While scouring my bloglinks this morning, I chanced upon this link set by Jim Carroll on his On the Record site this morning. The piece is a short interview with Gregor Pryor and Elisabeth Hoffnell of law firms Reed Smith and Lindahl respectively. While a majority of the interviews reads about the consequences of the case that many others have already referred to, I must admit I was intrigued by the following paragraph:
Billboard: "Is this ruling likely to help new legal alternatives? "
GP: "The big frustration is that we act for all these legal services who pay lots of money to the rights holders, and it's almost impossible to get licenses. They are so expensive and the process is so slow. Two or three years can go by and you can throw millions at trying to get a compelling service launched, and there are obstacles in the way all the time. Pandora is a great example, it's just not possible [to operate it in Europe]. We also advise Last.fm and MySpace, it's just so much hard work. This is the irony: they [labels] complain about piracy and then you walk in the door with a new service with some VC funding and an amazing bit of software that is essentially promoting and selling their content. But they say 'we are not moving unless you give us an advance of $5 million plus equity.'"
I wrote here about a week-and-a-half ago (right here) about my beliefs for the future regarding the next step of the music industry and one of my niggling points is the industry's apparent inability and/or unwillingness to adapt to the future and Billboard's post-Pirate Bay case article alludes to the industry's stubbornness as well. Meanwhile, although Pirate Bay may be shut down soon, how long before another sprouts up? And another..? And another..? And another.......
I'm having one of those days where i require lifting and nothing lifts better than The Safety Dance by Men Without Hats. Released in 1982 by MCA, this became a smash in both the US and the UK and has since been covered, copied and parodied, but mostly enjoyed. So sit back, relax and enjoy it one more time...
I remember a number of years ago, I came across a large book detailing the history Grand Prix racing and cars in general and on the inside cover, the author reprinted a famous quote from 1896. Taken from a text that was printed in 1896, it read;
"…the automobile will never replace the horse and carriage…"
You only have to look briefly at what has happened since to disregard that statement as nonsense; however it was an absolute belief at the time.
Whenever I am directed towards the subject of music piracy and record companies, that quote often come freshly into my head – in the sense that the entertainment corporations and large independents represent that outdated and outmoded horse and carriage; whereas the purveyor’s of the digital age are the new car. Much has been made of Spotify recently and while I think it is a wonderful idea and product (free music to stream, bar some advertising or sign up for a tenner a month for zero interruption), it is nowhere near its potential yet; however it may not be that long before it does encroach it’s maximum.
Technology moves very quickly nowadays and with that the lines of communication have expanded their potential in recent years and it's not something that is going to slow down any time soon. Eventually a point is going to be reached where a program like Spotify can go fully mobile, but that may not occur until the third or fourth evolution of 3rd Generation phones become available – a point where mobiles become recognised as fully integrated media units; however a stigma still exists in UK where phones are still seen as low grade alternatives that can’t handle high quality media. The simple fact is remains that 3G units are currently far too primitive to adapt to the necessary conditions.
Eventually I’m going to end up repeating myself over and over and over again (if that hasn’t happened already), but I don’t believe that the likes of the Pirate Bay are the future – more than anything, torrent search sites are more likely a stepping stone in the evolution of technology; however, technology does evolve by itself. I have believed for some time that technology, like social culture, economics, and human media all co-exist to some degree and develop and evolve separately and together; in that no one single unit can strive so far forward without somehow affecting how the other sectors exist.
The future could conceivably be a mobile media centre that can receive and project nearly all forms of media to the point where products like iPod become obsolete - in essence the iPod is being/will be replaced by the iPhone (when it is good enough). The economic theory behind this is based in the practice of subscription for media usage - much in the way that users pay set monthly bills, the subscription for media policy would see customers pay a set figure every month for unlimited access - much like how Spotify currently operates.
That is the future, threatening the owner's of torrent websites is not. However, until the horizons multimedia usage are expanded, nothing will change and ridiculously pointless court cases like the Pirate Bay one will continue. Spotify may not necessarily be the future, but it is a step in the right direction.
This shouldn't be funny, but it is. This clip is taken from the excellent German film Downfall (about Hitler's last days in the bunker), but it replaces the story with his general's informing the Nazi leader that Hamilton passed Timo Glock in the last corner to take the 2008 World Championship. Excellent stuff.
Hey that was fun stuff. For the few who were wondering, here's the set list from last night:
The Normal "Warm Leatherette"
Franz Ferdinand "Ulysses"
Beat Happening "Pinebox Derby"
Grinderman "No Pussy Blues"
Kap Bambino "Hunger Texas"
Dan Deacon "The Crystal Cat"
NOMO "Brainwave"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Zero"
Sexy Sushi "Princesse Voiture"
James White "Control Yourself (edit)"
Hot Chip "Ready for the Floor"
Little Boots "Stuck on Repeat (Hot Chip Remix)"
HeartsRevolution "Ultraviolence"
Scott Joplin "The Entertainer"
Talking Heads "Psycho Killer" *************
Primal Scream "Swastika Eyes (edit)"
John Dalton "Motion"
Terry Lynn "Kingstonlogic"
Peaches "More"
*************A this point whoever was supposed to be on after me never showed up, so I started stealing CD's from other people when I started to run out of muzak. Daycent shindig all the same.
---------------------------
I'm in Dublin for a few days this week and I'll be doing a lovely little DJ set at UnaRock's SoundCheck shindig in Spy on Thursday
It's 1:22am on Friday March 27th and it's 8 minutes from the start of first practice for the 2009 Australian Grand Prix. New rules, new cars, new stories - I can't fucking wait!!
*I have tried to write this entry twice already, but due to Blogger.com's absurd shitness a third attempt is necessary.
Exponents of folk induced indie-pop, Groom, are to release their second album, titled At the Natural History Museum, on Tight Ship Records next month. This will be the quintet's follow-up to their rather grand long playing debut, All this Happened More or Less which came out in November 2006 on their own Fairview House label.
Upon hearing the title track, I get the impression that Groom are beginning to leave behind their once folky roots and are drawn towards more psychedelic sound. Not only is the result rather pleasant to the ears, it also showcases a definite strain of development within the group. When the group released their debut EP / mini-album (no one is sure which it is...), Stitch in 2004, it was bursting with electronic twinged folk that gripped me instantly and in a way their following releases have done the same.
Groom will be launching At the Natural History Museum with a gig in Whelan's (upstairs) on April 24th with electronic kitsch-meister, Neosupervital and it will be a dandy 10 Euros in and with that you also get a free copy of the album. The band will also be performing an instore at Tower Records on Thursday April 30th and with that the album will also be available from Road Records and Freebird Records. Groom MySpace MP3: Groom "At the Natural History Museum"
Currently watching: Formula 1 "1990 Brazilian Grand Prix"
The rather grand Sleep Thieves and Lines Drawing Circles are both performing at the Sugar Club on Leeson St. this Friday evening as part of this year's IMRO Showcase Tour shindig.
The gigs are free in if you e-mail the artists in question, so for guestlist to this show contact Sleep Thieves here and Line Drawing Circles here; however, should one not be down for a guestlist, the show is a wallet ripping 5 Euros in. Both make for excellent live shows, so fun shall be had.
Also playing on Friday are the always excellent Kinetics and 8ball (no idea......) and doors are at 7.30pm with the first band on shortly thereafter. In the meantime, Sleep Thieves can be found here, while Lines Drawing Circles are right here (don't forget LDC debut EP, Thebes, is still available from Road Records). Have fun!!
In slightly related news, Lines Drawing Circles have also announced a new EP - titled So Much for Solitude, it has yet to be given a definite release date, but should be out soon enough (with gigs to follow I'm sure).
Earlier on this evening, I got a quick comment from a reader regarding the fate of Road Records and it was only then that it dawned on me that I was meant to post this last Thursday, but completely forgot... :/ Anyhoo, Dave and Julie posted this nice little tidbit on Thumped.com and On the Record. Good stuff indeed!!
Thank You All ! - From Road Records
A big big thank you to everybody who attended our benefit show on Saturday night in Andrews Lane. It really was an amazing night full of like-minded music fanatics and a real shot in the arm to us here at Road Records regarding the feelings people have towards our store and what we do. It was truly amazing to see so many people come out and support us, added to the general goodwill we have experienced here in the store since we announced our closure. I have to say we have both been utterly blown away by the reaction we have received. To be honest I did know people liked the store
but the outpouring of emotion since January has just been mind blowing, from bands contributing free stock to our cause and also from regular customers just begging us not to give up hope.
We regarded our decision in January as final having spent a long time trying to find a way out of our situation to no avail. Soon after announcing our closure a number of ideas were thrown at us by different people and we started to think that maybe there was a way that we could carry on. We have set ourselves certain targets and have agreed that if we manage to hit every single one of them then we will carry on with the shop. Last Saturday night was the fulfillment of a major target!
The thank you list for Saturday night could go on for many pages so I will keep it as simple as possible
- To Vinny from the Jimmy Cake whose idea it was in the first place * We can never repay you. - The bands * Jimmy Cake, Jape, Adrian Crowley, Large Mound, Dudley Corporation and Si Schroeder [Colm Mac Con Iomaire sustained a rather serious eye injury on -Saturday but we still owe you Colm] - Thanks also to Dylan and Djonny for their dj skills, we would love to have done it ourselves but that would have required not being able to talk to everyone on the night. - Andews Lane and their staff for the venue. - Leagues, Allistar and Foggy Notions for their tireless help. - Paul Smyth, Tickets.ie, Nialler9 / State Magazine, Pete Brady at Thumped.com and Tower Records - Every single one of you people who paid in.
We would also like to thank all the bands who contributed their music to us free of charge after we announced our closure, the thank you list would go into the hundreds so please forgive us for just making a collective thank you to you all, you know who you are and you should be very proud of yourselves for what you have done for us.
To everybody who has been in to us since January with words of support, thank you, it really does mean a lot to us to just know how important you feel our store is to the Irish music scene in general.
The last time I was at the Lexington in London was near the end of last year to see the excellent So Cow support someone or other at a launch or something and was instantly impressed - not just by the venue - but the feel of the place too.
First up were London duo, Gentle Friendly. To say that Gentle Friendly are Animal Collective copyists to the extreme would be a bit of a soft touch. Admittedly they seem like very talented chaps, but every sound, idea, trick and process felt as if it were copied and pasted from Here Comes the Indian period AC - sitting down and pressing might have been more effective. As a plus, they have one of the best drummers I've seen in ages.
Skeleton$, on the other hand were simply phenomenal. With brief touches of DNA, the Pop Group and Talking Heads all mashed together and moulded into a rather unique sound this post-punk/art-rock band got me into a spasm and writhing with joy. They also gurn like no band I've ever seen. Skeleton$ MySpace
Baltimore art-pop band, Ponytail look surprisingly fresh despite nearing to the end of this UK and European tour (this is their second last date) and it is a freshness that lends itself wonderfully to the performance. They are noisy and jerky, but also joyous and emphatic; all the time focusing on material from their 2008 album, Ice Cream Spiritual. Every song feels like short stabs of energy permeating via two guitars and drums while singer Molly Siegal moans and yelps throughout the performance - she is the perfect catalyst for the rest of the band. My only complaint is it was just too much for too long - after two-thirds of their set, I was beginning to get tired, but when you're in a mass feeding off of a mass of energy (and bouncing as a result), that can happen. Ponytail Myspace
Skeleton$ were easily the best band tonight; but Ponytail were so powerful, it became too much after a while. I did eventually get home; albeit drowned in dry sweat, but by golly that was good fun.
Often I have thought it a strange feeling when every so often, I come across a band and think "excellent..." Admittedly it does not happen on many occasion's, but when it does happen it's a rather nice feeling that makes one want to hug themselves. At the start of 2007, I had this feeling when I first heard London-based electronic duo, Rubicks - a band that instantly reminded me of Goldfrapp and New Order and their most impressive. It had been only a few months since they released their debut album, In Miniature, but apart from an appearance on a Rough Trade compilation a few years ago, they had barely touched the air outside of the UK. They initially remedied this by playing the Electric Fix in 2007, before supporting Gary Numan on his UK and Ireland tour in 2008.
But now times has moved on somewhat and so have Rubicks. The band have expanded to a three-piece with the inclusion of drummer Anthony Johns; Vanessa Redd and Marc Makarov have progressed to a much more punchier and enthralling noise, which is exemplified by their upcoming "Idiot Time" EP (out April 6th). Anyhoo, they are currently performing shows in Canada, and shall have some UK dates lined up soon. Anyone fancy bringing them to Ireland though..?
Confirmed for definite - massively late, sponsorless and rather ugly, but they made it. Introducing Brawn Grand Prix Racing. Driver-wise, Jenson Button and (surprisingly) Rubens Barrichello have been signed up drive for the 2009 season.
I seriously have a thing for French electro-punk duo Kap Bambino after coming across their second album Zero Life Night Vision in 2006. The track is called "Hey" was released as a double A-side with "New Breath" and rather than go down the conventional route, the band used a fan made video for the track - and it's fucking class!! I really I had done this.
Anyway, their third album Blacklist is out in May on Because Records and is preceded by the single "Red Sign" later this month. Watch and enjoy.
Current listening: The Normal "TVOD / Warm Leatherette"
News is slowly but surely leaking about the fate of Honda F1. If rumours are to be believed, former Ferrari Technical Director, Ross Brawn, has led the buy-out with help from Bernie Ecclestone (in lieu of a portion of next season's prize money) - a buy out that is thought to have finished Nick Fry's relationship with the team.
Regardless of what many think of Formula 1, it must surely be welcomed that in a time constant company closures and redundancies, this buy-out may save at least 500 of the 700 jobs with the team and with measures in place to bring the cost of participation in the World Championship down, this may even secure the long term future of the team - it is also this economic strategy that has made the 2010 entry for the new USF1 team possible.
However, the car has still been run and as a result Brawn Racing (or whatever they end up being called) face an uphill battle for the rest of the season - which is why holding onto veteran Brazilian driver, Rubens Barrichello, makes perfect sense. With Bruno Senna waiting in the wings, Barrichello must surely know that this will be his final season in the top flight and many would not be surprised to see him make a move to either the IRL (Indy Racing League) or DTM (German Touring Car Championship) for 2010.
Although the signing of Ayrton Senna's nephew may have brought with it sponsors, immediate income and publicity; Brawn Racing desperately need experience and with mid-season testing banned, the only time the car can be run for development is at Grand Prix weekend's. It would appear that the team will really need Barrichello's in depth knowledge of the machinery to progress through the year and with Button already signed for the next three years, Honda have an apparent strong front for the moment. No doubt that Senna will make to Formula 1 eventually - just not yet it would seem.
Currently watching: CART "1998 Grand Prix of Long Beach"
...is going to be The Chain by Fleetwood Mac. Bringing back memories? Well, this version of the opening is from the start of the 1990 season - check it out.
I'm going to be straight up here - I'm not going to review the album as I have not heard it and probably may not pick it up; if you hang on for a second, I'll explain. But first, one must point out that judging from the comments in the linked posts below, a number of U2 detractors and fans completely lost the plot. Some of the sheer vitriol and unconditional love displayed is clearly standing in the lost end of absurdity and is looking in at the rest of us, but if you don't believe me...
To be honest, I've no plans to review this at any stage as I simply haven't got the will anymore. U2 at one stage in my life were one of my favourite bands', but have annoyed me a number of times since Pop came out in 1997. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to blather on incessantly about Bono and his publicity train, because what would be the point - I am annoyed that U2 died as a creative force forever when they released the numb sounding All That You Can't Leave Behind in 2000. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb fared little better quality wise and what limited snippet that I have hears off of No Lines... never really engaged.
The best way to describe U2 would be that they are the friend that I used to hang out with at school and have deep philosophical conversations with; but now when I see them, they maybe get a knowing nod or maybe a "hi, what are you at nowadays?" You chat vaguely for a few moments and on passing say that you'll call sometime and have a beer, but you know that it will probably never happen. There in lies the problem with U2 - they have morphed into a somewhat cleaner Rolling-fucking-Stones and I fucking despise the Stones; surely arena rock at it's most excessive. When watching the Rolling Stones, there is often a keen feeling of disinterest and detachment.
A level of comfort has also seeped in - producing this album are Steve Lilywhite, Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno. It really is unfortunate that both Lilywhite and Lanois peaked some time ago, while Eno's only shining moments in the last few is probably his work with David Byrne, Father Ted, Grace Jones and Massive Attack - is it such a crazy that the production team that the band always turn to have also had their day? There are apparently tracks recorded with Rick Rubin; but unfortunately those tracks were ditched, so we may not not know (until they're leaked) how they may have ended up. No Line... was also leaked on the web last week, but this all seems a little too much like a shit press jibe to raise even more awareness the album is coming out. This was followed by Universal's identikit call to arms that you really should buy the CD and then maybe you should also buy the special edition CD with bonus tracks and then the CD/DVD package with live material from Croke Park (naturally) and the music videos and then the CD special special edition that has bonus tracks with added material from the Rick Rubin sessions and a vuluptious booklet - then maybe later on, a remastered version will appear to celebrate 35 years of the band (August 2011 to be approximate). (This has turned into a much longer rant than I had in mind.) So could someone please send my deep regards and apologies to the lads; but I think I'll have to give No Lines... a miss this time out...
Current listening: Blonde Redhead "Misery is a Butterfly"
There is a confession to be made before I go on with review: with this EP, I have found myself in the midst of an unknown territory - Anthemic rock. Generally whenever I listen to any guitar based music, it tends to be along the lines punk, post-punk/new wave, 60's garage - you get the idea - however beyond a smidgen of Muse (and maybe the Killer's debut album), anthemic rock is a bit of a desert land.
Thus, here lies Suddyn with their new EP, Dark Lights of which I was rather kindly given tracks one and two, "Holding Up the Backdrop" and "Generations", to listen in the privacy of my own squaller and upon first listen to "Holding...", it is quite apparent that Suddyn's sound is big. If the band were food, they would be a massive beef-steak with potatoes and gravy. It's been noted on previous occasions that Suddyn would slot in rather neatly with the likes of the Foo Fighters and the Killers and those kinds of comparisons are quite apt and would be perfect support should they ever descend upon these shores again (you know damn well they will).
The EP falls away somewhat with the second track, "Generations". Following on from a meaty opener, this second track sounds quite limp and suffers from some seriously weak mixing and mastering. Rather than letting the levels flow neatly across the EP, the vocals on "Generations" are far too high in the mix and it seems as if a poorly rendered compressor has been layered over the master - the moment the vocals retreat, the instrumentation booms back at the listener in the most unpleasant of ways. My only other quibble would be the backing vocals; with the layers of "ohh-eyy" coming across as slightly cringe worthy as opposed to emotional. As I stated at the beginning it's not a genre that I'm overly familiar with, but it's an interesting introduction all the same and with regards to musical styles, Suddyn are not going to change the world, but regardless of that Dark Lights is a fine effort all the same. Rating: 3 out of 5
I've been looking for this for absolutely ages. Endless Art is easily one of the finest pieces of music to come out of Ireland in the last 25 years, let alone the 1991, with an seriously stunning video to boot. Dave Couse is still on the go, but I don't know about the other two. In the meantime, apologies for the poor quality, but it is the only copy I could find.
I'm sorry, but this is one of the shittest things I've ever fucking seen/heard. Listen as the every time they change, it grinds to a halt... Christ on a bike!!
(apologies - this was to be published last week until Blogger.com became a cock) So this is what sunshine pop/rock sounds like... Over a long period of time, I've questioned band's that have put duff songs as A-sides on EP's/singles and I would like to ask the Very Most that exact question.
It's just that I can't help but feel that Today is Even Better would make a fairly nice B-side, but as a lead song it really doesn't work as it runs along in a very anonymous manner. It is short (a very brief 2'20") and ends rather suddenly leaving this listener thinking that this was a lost opportunity. For a while, there were thoughts that there might be more to it.
If I were to compare the Very Most to anyone, it might probably be Belle and Sebastian or Camera Obscura and it is something that comes apparent on track 2, April is the Kindest Month - now this should have been the lead song. It is a much better effort in every way - the structure is finer and the production is a lot more clued in and unlike the opener, it is not an obvious pop-orientated tune. This is more intricate, without ever becoming difficult at any stage and represents a band that really have it together - so, why isn't this the A-side?
The EP's third track, The Only Pretty Ring Time ropes in slightly more electronic surroundings to the proceedings and neatly bounces around the boundaries of pop without drawing itself too closely to a formula or becoming to abstract for the casual listener. A Two Week, Springtime, 7th Grade "Romance" closes the EP - it's a nice jaunty instrumental piece and at 1'50" represents a perfect end to the release.
It's hardly awe-inspiring stuff, but it's not a failure by any stretch of the imagination. If anything, it does what it sets out to do perfectly - however, it's just a shame it is let down by a poor opening track. If the first two songs were swapped around in order, the EP would make a lot more sense. Good stuff, but I can't imagine ever running back for more. Rating: 3 out of 5
(apologies - this was to be published last week until Blogger.com became a cock)
Have you ever had that feeling that you have heard something before, but are not quite sure where. I had that feeling when I put on Thebes - the debut single from Dublin based alternative rock band, Lines Drawing Circles.
There's the all knowing guitar line - a tightly choreographed hook if you will - that is reminiscent of the Wedding Present (or possibly even Ash). I can also hear it in the double-tracked vocals followed by the sudden burst of everything else, but then I copped it - Thebes was produced and mixed by Gareth Mannix. This is by no means knocking his production, but sometimes you can tell when a certain person produces a piece of music. In fact if anything, the single sounds great! I must also point out that Thebes itself is a very good song and as such should be deserving of recognition.
The B-side, Fit to be Tied, is another piece of good alternative rock and while it's hardly groundbreaking stuff, it still manages to sit very nicely opposite Thebes. Also on the LDC's website is the video for Thebes (see below) as well as a link to download the single for free. The video is well made and representative of the sound, but probably needed a little bit of tighter editing, but this is a minor quibble in what is a good effort. Indeed the entire project is a stellar job all round - I'm still not sure about all the pink though... Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Strange rumours are seeping out of Honda F1 with regards to the teams future. Bosses at the Japanese corporation's headquarters announced in December that they were pulled out of competition with immediate effect and since then there has been a rush to find buyers. Although no buyer has yet been announced, a number of rumours has developed in the last couple of days to suggest that the teams' problem may have been resolved.
Word began to spread on Friday morning that 2008 GP2 championship runner-up, Bruno Senna (nephew of the great Ayrton Senna) has signed for the upcoming season - which was odd as no buyer had been announced. However, once the news about Senna started to spread, some noise was being made about Mercedes supplying engines and that F1 commercial chief - Bernie Ecclestone - was making no small contribution. The Senna deal would also have Brazilian sponsors lining up in their droves to get their name associated with him and as a result, the 25-year-old may face himself under a level of scrutiny never before seen in the sport - even to the point where it outdoes Hamilton-mania.
The most intriguing thing about a possible buyout is the it might be lead by Nick Fry - the man who in many people's eyes was responsible for Honda's downfall in the first place. Whether he can steer the team in the right direction without Honda's influence remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure - this could be make or break for Honda (or whatever they decide to call themselves in Melbourne). Should all this talk about a takeover be true, the team will then face an uphill battle to be completely ready for the Grand Prix in Australia in the last weekend in March. There are not many test sessions left and they're going to be readying the cars and systems for the first race around the second week of March. As a result, they have next to no shakedown time and with testing banned during the season, they have next to no time to ready their machine.
Currently watching: Formula 1 "1989 Mexican Grand Prix"
Now that Blogger.com seems to be working properly, i can finally get down to business (again). I have always felt that late 1970's post-punk/new wave (whatever you want to call it) was one of the most exciting times in music during the 20th century and few bands captured the energy of the period quite like the Pop Group - whom I am unashamed to say are one of my absolute favourite bands of all time.
Although not on their 1979 debut album, Y, the Pop Group's most famous song - "She is Beyond Good and Evil" was released shortly before the LP and has been included in recent re-release onto CD - buy it here. To be honest I have witnessed an awful lot of dreadful home made music videos on YouTube, but earlier on today I came across this absolute gem of a video. It feels like it could be a video for Justice (or someone of that ilk) and although it shouldn't, it bizarrely sits well with the Pop Group. Kudos too for the fact that it all done in one single take.
The Pop Group "She is Beyond Good and Evil (Fan Video)"
...and what kind of host would I be if I didn't show you the original video of the single. The Pop Group "She is Beyond Good and Evil (Official Video)"
Leigh (reviews for the Very Most and Lines Drawling Circles later - I swear!!)
Jesus, what a shitty night - I mean piss-pot shitty!!“There’s going to be a lot of rain…”I have absolutely no problem with that, but did the BBC Weatherman have to smile like a lobotomised fucking cat when he said it?
Ughhh… anyway, I'm here to catch Fighting with Wire at the Camden Barfly in London - one of many venues in London that have that slightly dingy Whelan’s feel only without the tradition - it is a high class Eamonn Doran's basically. The Barfly is also much crapper in terms of sound. No matter who is on or who is manning the desk, the sound always seems to swing violently from deeply muffled to painfully sharp. More than anything, it is just another symptom of the sick case of franchised rooms, complete with their hip clientele and their sponsored lifestyles endorsed by the NME and XFM, etc... Yes, that (e)N(e)ME (sic).
But enough of my meandering bullshit - what of the bands..? Hold Fire opened and were... quite good, although hardly the most challenging of groups. In 25 minutes they ripped through some jaunty and well composed British Pop/Rock (nee Indie) in a fairly confident manner and although there were nice for a fun listen, they could have been any London band right now - the only downer point was the lead singer's guitar was clearly (and painfully) out of tune halfway through every song.
Anyhoo, thereafter I went downstairs and in my quest to a responsible adult (i.e. - I'm penniless), I decided against alcohol and went for a pint of blackcurrant and lemonade. £3.60 - Camden Barfly, you can fuck right off!!
Ten sweet minutes later, a discovered was made. It turns out that the following support act - the New 1920's - are one of the shittest bands I've ever fucking heard... really. Just imagine a crap Rage Against the Machine and then imagine a crap Hardcore Punk band and the imagine being shot in the head (you get the idea). Someone whispered beforehand that the singer digs confrontation - different singer. Every conceivable pose and strut was thrown and not in a subtle or intelligent way.
(Fuck off! Needed a pint - it was cheaper than a mineral. I don't get that at all.)
The final support act of the evening were Irish act La Faro - and they rawk. I mean, they really rawk. Rawk is not something I normally go for, but they were quite possibly the best fun I've had at a gig in a really long time. Put simply, it was barrage of bass and riffs - absolutely fucking loved it!!
Admittedly I initially went to this with the intention of seeing Fighting with Wire, but by the second song I was so knackered and aurally blunted that I just went home. They were probably pretty good, but I guess I’ll just have to find out another time. On reflection, the main disappointment of the night was the incredibly subdued crowd. The gig was fairly full, but there was a severe lack of atmosphere in the place - but it's not the first time I've experienced that in the Barfly.
