Chris Cornell has said on Twitter that Soundgarden will grace us with their greatness again after 12 years of sitting on the shelf. Not much details yet but will keep my ear to the ground on your behalf. Good times ahead.
Soundgarden return.
January 3rd, 2010Faithless are back
November 27th, 2009Faithless return with a stormer of a tune after 3 years on the low. This goes right back to early faithless, catchy loop, a kicking beat and Maxi Jazz rapping in dark and silky tones.
It's a real thumper and you would have to be strapped down not to dance to it. You can download the track called SUN TO ME free from their website (nice of 'em). Here is the link
Giveamanakick change of venue in Galway.
November 27th, 2009Those mighty noise merchants GAMAK are winding down, and will be sadly missed. They brought us anger, power and noise levels you don't often hear outside of Armageddon. They are on a fairwell tour and Galway is their second last stop. However there has been a change of venue for this show. This is swiped from their myspace page.
Hey All, due to circumstances beyond our control, we've had a change of
venue for this Sat 28th's gig in Galway. The venue is no longer Roisin
Dubh, but Kelly's on Cross St. We apologise for the late notice. So-
Strange Brew and Gigantic Present: giveamanakick (final Galway show
ever) w/ support from Last Days Of Death Country, Kelly's, Cross St,
doors 8pm, Adm E8. Apologies once again for the inconvenience, S+K
Can't wait for it, they will rock the balls off the night.
Proper shiny MGMT remix.
November 17th, 2009I like a good remix, and no I don’t mean someone dropping a four on the floor beat on whatever pop song is clogging up the air waves. I like a bit of a twist, a reworking if you will. I stumbled across this gem the other day and thought I would share it with you. A good bit of thought went into the gentle tweaking of MGMT by Boy Meets Club. Enjoy.
Mgmt kids boy meets club remix of a remix
De-Timbaland-ized Chris Cornell!
November 11th, 2009When Chris Cornell said he was going to do a pop/r’n’b album with timber face I cringed at the possibility of a complete hash of an album. This turned into a full shudder fest when it was released and I heard it.
I have recently stumbled across this and it makes the mess that was the faithful collaboration all the more damning. This is one of the tracks Never Far Away form the album stripped down of all the squeaks and beeps and filtered muck and remade in a much more palatable form. The man behind the magic is Jordan Zadorozny. In a way it makes things worse as we could have had an album like this instead of what we ended up with.
Track curtsey of ExploreMusic
ExploreMusic – Exclusive! – World Exclusive: De-Timbaland-ized Chris Cornell!.
Game on
October 30th, 2009
I would like to start by saying that Henrietta Game have some cheek. They think they can lie to us and nobody will notice. They have the neck to claim they are a newly formed band, not yet a year old. Merely babies crawling towards musical maturity. I am surprised they have gotten away with such a bare faced lie for so long. No band sounding so breathe takingly beautiful could be anything but the product of years of careful and pain staking practice. Clearly they have been locked in a vast studio for the past 10 years and worked hard for 12 hours days to hone their craft to the sublime level at which it now stands.
Seriously though this group are the proud owners of some of the finest melodies I have heard in years. Cello, piano, guitar, glockenspiel, violin and a whole heap of vocals in perfect harmony. I could describe them as Bodies of Water meets Damian Rice as it in part captures what they are about but sheer genius will better cover it. They produce a glorious down tempo blend of stringed instruments and vocal harmony but I think it is the glockenspiel that really does it for me. It acts as a counter foil to the lower tones of the cello and deeper violin arrangements and helps the gamers stand out . When they release an album it will have to be on the short list for the Choice music award if there is any justice in the world. If not perhaps their name should be put in the hat for the Nobel peace prize, it seems anyone can win that one. Talent of this level deserves to be recognised.
See you yourselves in the Lantern, Navan Oct 30th
Ruby Sessions, Doyles Pub Dublin 10th Nov
The Sugar Club Dublin 11th.
Floating heads are funny
October 27th, 2009I may get laughed at for my next statement but I like Newton Faulkner.
To many he is just another wuss strumming his six string and being offensively inoffensive. But he has a playfulness that some of his counterparts lack. One of the main crimes committed by the guitar wielding balladeers is that they take themselves waaaaay too seriously. Newton on the other hand can laugh at himself. Here is the proof. Its called Badman and its taken from his second album Rebuilt by Humans. Which incidentally is a fine album for those of you in a more sedate (yet happy) frame of mind. This is far and away the funniest video I have seen in ages.
He plays the Radisson hotel in Galway 27th feb
Ulster Hall in Belfast 28th feb
& Oylmpia in Dublin Mar 1st
The Doctors are in
October 7th, 2009Doctor Leaves. Not much of a name unless there is a reference I have missed.
But what is in a name, would a melody by any other name still sound as sweet? Some bands have a catchy name and not much else. Doctor Leaves have the opposite. The name may have left me cold but I have defiantly warmed to their sound.
A Dublin two piece, Ben Shorten and Dara Munnis, have cobbled together a rather unique and quirky sound for their debut 4 track eponymous EP. They are multi instrumentalists and this adds a great deal to their aural arsenal. They also record with session musicians for a fuller sound.
This is most evident in the first song No Step Forward. It’s a jaunty number with multi layers and tempos which hops all over the shop. It could have been a totally aimless disaster in the hands of less competent song writers but the playful lyrics and whimsical vocal delivery help make this an endearing and uplifting tune.
When Darkness Turns To Light is a much more conventionally structured song. Acoustic guitar with cello accompaniment which strays into Damian Rice territory. Vocally they are not in the same league but it is sung in such a way that makes the theme of rejected love all the more real. A song of understated heartache.
Seven Year Itch is a much livelier affair. Vocal harmony and female backing vocals (or at least a girl gently going “Ooooooh” at the back of the room) coupled with lively guitars and nod your head drumming.
Finally there is Small Fish, Small Pond. It is the semi acoustic song with a toe tapping rhythm complete with classic (flogged to death) guitar solo fade out ending that has to appear in every bands catalogue apparently. Doctor Leaves at least put in a bit of piano. This could best sum up Doctor Leaves. They know what the picture should look like but they still decide to colour outside the lines. Well worth a listen.
You can download it for free at their website if you don’t believe me.Here ya go.
To Marta
September 24th, 2009Happy birthday Guinness!
Raise a glass to the man who brought us the black stuff, hang overs and is linked with the international image of my little island. Its 250 years since he signed the lease and became the cause of countless births deaths and marriages in Ireland. Here is to you sir.
Go see William Elliott Whitmore
August 30th, 2009What are you doing at the end of Sept? Around the 20th if you are in Dublin or 21st if you are in the city of the tribes? I’ll tell you what you should be doing. Reread the title, there is a hint in it.
William Elliott Whitemore is some form of country/bluegrass singing legend. A rough gravelly whiskey soked voice and lyrics which are both simple and profound. Country music should always this, in turns political or personal. There is often little more to his songs than a banjo or six string and his voice but trust me that is all is needed to make a great feckin’ song.
If you doubt me go to Whelans on the 20th of Sept or 21th in the Roisin Dubh and then you can post up your apology the next day you doubting Thomas.