Click To Buy From Amazon I've not been posting much lately. That is because I've been over in London drinking beer that cost £2.40 and eating salted peanuts. And while wandering around all the dinky little music shops in Soho, I got around to thinking about the wonderful jumble of cultures and unique musical styles that are incorporated into the British music scene - particularly in London. A fine example of this aural pot-pourri is found in Mathangi Arulpragasam, who has mercifully adopted the much more pronounceable moniker M.I.A. Listening to her [...]
Click To Buy From Amazon 1978 was a interesting year for many people. The first test tube baby was born, and so was I, Larry Flint got shot, space invaders was developed and Charlie Chaplin - or at least his corpse - was dug up, spirited away (i.e. robbed) and held for ransom. This was also the year that the delightfully surnamed Scroggins sisters - Maria, Valerie and Renee (along with some friends) - formed the band Emerald, Sapphire and Gold , which was better known as ESG . I'm unsure [...]
Click To Buy From Amazon As songs go, Challengers by The New Pornographers has to rank as one of my favourites. From the first thunk of the rhythm guitar to the rich swell of Neko Case's voice, it's all about burdening love and forbidden assignations, and like all great songs, it's associated with some powerful personal memories. The album, also entitled Challengers, is similarly wonderful and is well worth a purchase. Challengers (Low Quality D/L) [...]
Lykke Li played in the Button Factory, Dublin, a few days back. It was clearly the gig to be seen at. The place was packed to the rafters (actually, it was dangerously oversold) mostly with fresh-faced youths whose fashion sense and street-talk confuses and irritates me. Indeed, I don't ever recall feeling like an out of touch, old geezer before, but I did that night. Damn their unwrinkled skin. Overall it was an enjoyable, if not a slightly puzzling, gig. Lykke Li emerged on stage in a whirlwind of wavy energy; tambourine in one hand, drumstick in the [...]
Click To Buy From Amazon This is one band that has been put on the back-burner for a long time now. I assumed they were going to sound like the Arctic Monkeys and was reluctant to give them a listen. Thankfully this isn't the case, and from the few listens I've had to date, I've been very impressed. Ah! If only I could travel back in time to 2003 - that's the year they released their first album The Decline Of British Sea Power - I would predict that they are a band to [...]
Click To Buy From Amazon Today's tune comes from the ultra-cool Modeselektor . (Apparently Thom Yorke is mad for them, and by default, this means every hipster, too.) The first time I heard about these guys was a good few months back when their mildly amusing yet oddly repulsive cover of their second album Happy Birthday! (see above) appeared on a number of publications. Now I have to admit that I the normally wouldn't touch anything approaching techno with a bargepole. Any techno event I've been to is full of [...]
Click To Buy From Amazon If your head is a little sore after a night on the town and you are feeling a little ruffled, then To Build A Home from the album Ma Fleur is the song to sooth your jangled nerves and let you slip serenely into placid, eiderdown dreams. To Build A Home (Low Quality D/L) (High Quality Stream) [...]
Click To Buy From Amazon Just a quick one today. All the button bashing that causes the corresponding porridge of bleeps, blips and distorted vocals forming the basis of the self titled album from the the Crystal Castles album may not be to everyone's taste, but it's an interesting listen and worth a purchase nevertheless. The infective song Crimewave is probably their stand out track. If you like it, then you'll most likely enjoy the album. Crimewave (Low [...]
Click To Buy From Amazon Half a bag of pistachios poured into a bowl. Another bowl beside - empty this time - waiting patiently for shells. A cup of tea on the brew. Boom! Let's do this post! Most people in Ireland, including myself, seemed to have a soft spot for McCain. He had that kindly grandfather way about him - one that talked about honour, duty, the greatness of America and occasionally, in a reverential tone, told war stories, but only ever to emphasise a point. He fought well considering the hammer blow [...]
Click To Buy From Amazon I'm of the opinion that Neko Case has a voice like melted chocolate. And not the cheap stuff, either. Hers is a sumptuously rich, smooth, and sexy voice. Unfortunately, that's where the chocolate/ Neko Case analogy ends. Ah, It wasn't great to start with, to be honest. After all, chocolate goes down your throat, not into your ears. But you get what I mean, right? That is: she's got a wonderful voice and loads of talent. The unusually titled album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is a [...]
I remember being rather dismissive of Kate Bush when I was a youngster. All I knew of her back then was that she had a massive perm, sung about some guy called Heathcliff and had absolutely nothing to do with Britpop or the hilarious handbag fight between Oasis and Blur. At this point, I feel it important to mention that back then then my CD collection consisted of Oasis, Blur and The Bluetones. It was actually David Gilmore of Pink Floyd who initially helped Kate get her career out of the starting blocks. And quite incredibly, at the [...]
I'm tired and emotional today, so I'll make it brief. Papua New Guinea by FSOL may well be a blast from the past - in dance terms 7 years is a lifetime - but it certainly must rank as one of the greatest dance songs ever written. After 20 years in business, FSOL - always ones to push boundaries - are still going. Indeed, with 6 releases this year alone (some under different monikers), they remain prolific. I wonder, though, will they ever manage to surpass the [...]
Kleerup Sweet mercy, another Swede. Actually, this time it's two of them - Kleerup and Lykke Li . Usually I shudder at the mention of any song titles containing the words "featuring". More often than not this is sign of some awful pop-hip-hop collaboration. However, in this case, Until We Bleed (Featuring Lykke Li), which is found on Keerup's self-titled Album, is a rather catchy electro-pop tune. Until We Bleed (feat Lykke Li) (Low Quality D/L) [...]
As the clocks went back an hour last night, many people will become aware that it's getting very wintry out there all of a sudden. A few minutes ago I found myself sitting down with a bowl of home-made soup and a cucumber sandwich (as the crusts are still on I retain my manliness), and I got to thinking about the perfect song to welcome the long, cold nights ahead. Then Moon Pulls by múm popped into my head. It's found on the album Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy . [...]
This song got me through the long winter days and evenings stuck in an office with Margaret, the poisoned, bananaphobic dwarf. My daily escape routine from this pee-pee soaked heck hole was simple. At 5:15 I would flee the office, hurriedly mount my bike, shake my fist at the building and, just as the elation of escaping Margaret for another day kicked in, I'd pop on La Ritournelle by Sebastien Tellier. You may be familiar with Sebastien Tellier if you happened to be watching the Eurovision this year. He was the [...]
Despite practically every other blog out there doing the same, I've got to mention TV On The Radio 's new album Dear Science . If you want a review you best go to another music blog. I'm simply here to command you to buy it. ***End Transmission*** Halfway Home (Low Quality D/L) (High Quality Stream) Website | MySpace | iTunes
Now, it's quite probable that the names Torsten, Niels and Lloyd wouldn't mean a great deal to most people. But allow me to fill you in. These three names belong to members of the post rock-band God Is An Astronaut. Stylistically speaking, it is probably no great insult to liken them to Mogwai . In fact, it's a hearty endorsement of their talent. Despite names like Torsten and Niels (who are brothers, incidentally) God Is An Astronaut come from good old Ireland. Each of their songs usually follows a fairly set (but [...]
I guess all of us have been thinking about hard times lately. It's unavoidable when every headline and every bulletin keeps reminding us of our collective predicament. Still, despite this, I find a certain solace in looking back over history to times of great upheaval. It helps me to put things into perspective. And in doing so, it's interesting to see how people have dealt with hardships and adversity through music. I am, of course, leaving out some obvious choices, but hear are a few tunes that resonated with me. Marvin Gaye [...]
I was watching SKY 1 today. During once of their ad breaks they told me to buy a HD box - because, you know, when you are watching Roads Wars you really need to see the police get all rough with some criminal in high definition. Anyway, the ad for the HD box had a wonderful cover of Cindy Lauper's True Colors . It's sung buy a Swedish lady called Ane Brun , and she has the honour of being my first digital download from iTunes. The song [...]
Another quick one today. I gots to go and get me a job. Celebration released their second album The Modern Tribe about a year ago to the day. The parallels with TV on the Radio are obvious - probably in no small part due to the fact that Dave Sitek of TVOTR produced the album - but there is also a hint of Blond Redhead about Katrina Ford's vocals. Still, to hone in on what seems like fairly obvious influences to other bands doesn't do justice to the rage and scope of sounds mustered [...]
Van Gogh's Ear For Music
Azealia Banks - '1991' [Listen]
Metric Debuts Album via Synthetica Hide+Seek, Tickets On Sale Now For Fall Tour
