...temporarily. It's a big world out there and onfire is tying on the hiking boots and off to explore some of it. Well, as much of it as one can in 13 or so months of travelling. The sole purpose of this post then is to say thanks to those who've read anything on here in the last 12 months and even to those who came on here hoping to find links to Mediafire or Rapidshare downloads of the latest Half Man Half Biscuit album. It's unlikely then that anything will be posted here until August 2011 unless, say, Galaxie 500 announce that they're reforming. I've set up the obligatory travel blog thingie so if you're procrastinating at work and you've just added your 597th friend to your Facebook profile, then come see. Thanks for listening.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
Holy Fuck
Ah, bands who use profanities in their band names. Always been wary of them. Skewed logic along the lines of 'Well if they need to be that deliberately provocative, then the music's probably lacking something.' Which is bullshit of course. Fuck Buttons for one, and now Holy Fuck are deserving of side-stepping the puerile names. There is definite substance here. I've only recently given Holy Fuck a listen and new album Latin is a gem. Think of them as an organic Battles. I can think of no higher praise.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tindersticks to play Kilkenny Arts Festival
Tindersticks have finally announced details of an Irish date on their sporadic European jaunt promoting the quite beautiful Falling Down A Mountain. Seemingly destined to remain on an Alexander the Great-esque tour of outer Europe, the band will play their first gig here on Irish soil - "the last mean spit out of the gob of Europe" - since a sold out show at Vicar Street some two years ago. Tickets ain't cheap at €37/35 but this is a band who seldom touch down here and are invariably worth every cent. They're also playing in St. Canice's cathedral, a venue which should be ideally suited to the band's orchestral sound. More details about the Kilkenny Arts Festival here and tickets for Tindersticks here. Show starts at 8pm.
And if you're going that far you could also check out - and I'm not sure if he's tired of this yet, but - the Choice Music Prize winning Adrian Crowley as he'll also play with Valerie Francis on the same day in the Set Theatre at 3pm. Tickets for that are available here.
And if you're going that far you could also check out - and I'm not sure if he's tired of this yet, but - the Choice Music Prize winning Adrian Crowley as he'll also play with Valerie Francis on the same day in the Set Theatre at 3pm. Tickets for that are available here.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
GSY!BE to play Tripod
Having already confirmed that they'll curate this year's ATP 'Nightmare Before Christmas' (following on from My Bloody Valentine), Godspeed You! Black Emperor have announced their first show live in Tripod, Dublin in quite some time. They'll play Tripod on Friday, December 10th and tickets are priced at €24. By then there'll undoubtedly be a product to promote but no news as yet. Invariably I'd link to the band's website for upcoming details of future releases but that kind of thing seems beneath GSY!BE.
Tickets onsale here from June 24th at 9am.
Tickets onsale here from June 24th at 9am.
The Suburbs - all 16 tracks of it!
So, The Suburbs is 16 tracks long. 16 fucking tracks! In the same way that the sight of Neil Hannon naked in a bath tub save for a bowler hat and bow tie made me queasy prior to the release of his new record (justifiably as it turns out), the notion that Arcade Fire have, during their hiatus, recorded 16 tracks that could hold your attention from beginning to end simply does not compute. I struggle to think of one rock band who have stretched things out to this length with even the remotest success. Shit, Neon Bible sagged more than a little with a comparatively penurious eleven tracks. Regardless, here's that tracklisting.....
01 The Suburbs
02 Ready to Start
03 Modern Man
04 Rococo
05 Empty Room
06 City With No Children
07 Half Light I
08 Half Light II (No Celebration)
09 Suburban War
10 Month of May
11 Wasted Hours
12 Deep Blue
13 We Used to Wait
14 Sprawl I (Flatland)
15 Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
16 The Suburbs (continued)
"Hope that something pure can last" indeed.
You'll already be familiar with two of the new tracks - Suburbs/Month Of May and now here's two more - Ready To Start has been mooted as the first single from the album.
01 The Suburbs
02 Ready to Start
03 Modern Man
04 Rococo
05 Empty Room
06 City With No Children
07 Half Light I
08 Half Light II (No Celebration)
09 Suburban War
10 Month of May
11 Wasted Hours
12 Deep Blue
13 We Used to Wait
14 Sprawl I (Flatland)
15 Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
16 The Suburbs (continued)
"Hope that something pure can last" indeed.
You'll already be familiar with two of the new tracks - Suburbs/Month Of May and now here's two more - Ready To Start has been mooted as the first single from the album.
R.I.P. Frank Sidebottom
Frank has, at some stage in the past, freaked me in the same way people get freaked about things you shouldn't, clowns for example. I could never quite figure out his appeal - I'm not English or, more specifically Northern enough. Frank was Max Headroom with a soul. But now he's gone. Hit The North-uh.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
'Rancho Tetrahedron' - Cathal Coughlan
4 years on from his wonderfully demented song cycle Foburg, confirmed details of Cathal Coughlan's fifth solo album. His Facebook page has seen more updates these past 24 hours than a hormonal teenager.......
"Cathal Coughlan's fifth album, recorded with the Grand Necropolitan Quartet, is Rancho Tetrahedron, and will be released on Kitchenware Records on August 9, 2010. The album was recorded in various locations in London, California and Ireland, and contains 12 new songs. It was recorded by various people, including Oliver Knights of Turin Brakes (who also sang), Andy Ramsay of Stereolab and Coughlan himself.
Mixing, fittingly, ended in a breezeblock construction, adjoining the freight airport in San Diego, Xmas ‘09. It was freezing cold and, periodically, booming sound-systems would circle the empty parking lot outside. A giant East German flag decorated the wall."
There are also two live dates for now.
September 7th - Bush Hall, London
September 11th - Whelan's, Dublin
Tickets for the Whelan's gig, priced €20, here. Support from the frankly pointless Thread Pulls.
"Cathal Coughlan's fifth album, recorded with the Grand Necropolitan Quartet, is Rancho Tetrahedron, and will be released on Kitchenware Records on August 9, 2010. The album was recorded in various locations in London, California and Ireland, and contains 12 new songs. It was recorded by various people, including Oliver Knights of Turin Brakes (who also sang), Andy Ramsay of Stereolab and Coughlan himself.
Mixing, fittingly, ended in a breezeblock construction, adjoining the freight airport in San Diego, Xmas ‘09. It was freezing cold and, periodically, booming sound-systems would circle the empty parking lot outside. A giant East German flag decorated the wall."
There are also two live dates for now.
September 7th - Bush Hall, London
September 11th - Whelan's, Dublin
Tickets for the Whelan's gig, priced €20, here. Support from the frankly pointless Thread Pulls.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
'Angel Echoes' (Jon Hopkins mix) - Four Tet
Another mix of one of the standout tracks from There Is Love In You. Worth a listen - the last music I heard from Jon Hopkin's was a sublime cover hidden away at the end of a bonus disc from James Yorkston's covers CD with the deluxe edition of When The Haar Rolls In.
Angel Echoes (Jon Hopkins remix) by Four Tet
mp3: Heron - Jon Hopkins
Angel Echoes (Jon Hopkins remix) by Four Tet
mp3: Heron - Jon Hopkins
Monday, June 14, 2010
New Belle and Sebastian album imminent
The album - titleless at the moment - has been recorded in the US and now the band are seeking volunteers (preferably couples) to feature on the cover. Applications - in a typically B & S 'Readers Wives'-esque style - can be forwarded to coverart@banchory.net
Monday, June 7, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
'Angel Echoes' (Caribou remix) - Four Tet
Two creators of 2010's best records dry hump each other.........
Angel Echoes (Caribou remix) by Four Tet
Angel Echoes (Caribou remix) by Four Tet
33rd Galway Arts Festival
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3-h2z8TiFGDJlVSASAYYFKVZfgPyBAsqoybNqJTWCyUWb43acMux8ztwLzBJ7JVDwLhlOToWXZ3GaAUyfal0TBK8xMt1Lr4HfZcJG7-M9zQOW-eKLqwU57D4Ak1kf9w1InApzDwa2kE/s320/m-gafangel.jpg)
Adrian Crowley
....and that's your lot.
New James Blackshaw album
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMXHZVlO88OPaclBcjamf1riNflKONSe-UK3GyZDLPNbhc65JgOnol9613Nrqdxx4VKF1thgaFwBVFQ_PkdvkZLWAKswsRzHFrANmZN8Tm1R6WoTQagy00lHoNB7Un6mf973QUB0uLXw/s320/james-blackshaw.jpg)
mp3: Cross - James Blackshaw
Friday, May 28, 2010
Interpol to play the Olympia in November
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-JLgTgKlGaidG5lJnsUQ5i6pEpovPPDx369HUbfDyGRSR6afB2PLw-9fFWTDQFMTOgscfORHtE_IEL7xx-7pfSrp6_X_LwrJgrU8rWMlrcvRbpIGs9B1nehhBzbj-_uPQzqxiflxx0I/s320/Interpol.jpg)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Joanna Newsom for Grand Canal Theatre
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VQ2tMUzEJ7-UiJ6im0mqUhR-bkW0KIzBhQJ6JIcDQH_yzr0Mh-VVQHo1YQlbabVY7QB3SmhefL_FNl-ieVLyM8l38BKiLPoVwhRCLfgw2L008lGtbpJltTptvCiE31A6AYtN23L634Q/s320/joanna_newsom.jpg)
EDIT: Tickets on sale tomorrow (28/5) priced €33.60 (which probably works out at a €20 ticket and €13.60 to Tickemaster).
The Suburbs/Month of May in full!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KwxqsVJPPp6W6DdFYREKf39vvu0j6k1UVaVCyCRq8QUQrcJr8hacCAPJjirtCNiXQs87rAoW8-d6-OAH5p7yIQGbtglW5gkxjsjZJLTTK_bFY3otUX7PyvB3oBnNv9MaqqbudiK_kzk/s320/up-2arcade_fire.jpg)
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs by meanwhileinaustin
Arcade Fire - Month of May by meanwhileinaustin
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
'Baby You're Blind' - God Help the Girl
So whilst we wait for Stuart Murdoch and co. to get their shit together and release the follow up to 2006's wonderful The Life Pursuit, we'll have to make do with a further exploration of his more whimsical side by way of God Help the Girl. The new single was not available on last year's eponymous (and frequently cloying) album and is backed by a new version of Down and Dusky Blonde. Shouldn't be long before something stirs in the Belle and Sebastian camp as they've pencilled in some festival dates for the summer.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Best records of 2010 (thus far)
10 records you probably should have purchased thus far this year.......
1. Have One On Me - Joanna Newsom
A record I have played more than any other this year.
2. Queen of Denmark - John Grant
Sure, at times it evokes images of Dennis Wilson, open denim shirts, big hair and summer in 1970's California but....is any of that really such a bad thing?
3. There Is Love In You - Four Tet
My favourite Four Tet record to date.
4. Falling Down A Mountain - Tindersticks
Looser, happier....more productive. And probably the best record David Kitt will ever feature on.
5. Swim - Caribou
Because Odessa is a fantastic tune.
6. High Violet - The National
Perhaps not the record to catapult them to the heights many have expected them to reach, but a frequently engrossing record nonetheless.
7. Shadows - Teenage Fanclub
Scotland gets Teenage Fanclub and Ireland gets The Frank and Walters. Bastards. And because it's the summer.
8. Together - The New Pornographers
America gets The New Pornographers. Scotland gets Teenage Fanclub. Ireland gets The Frank and Walters.
9. Forgiveness Rock Record - Broken Social Scene
On World Sick the band finally sound like the band I've been reading about for almost a decade. On Me and My Hand, they sound like the band I've been ignoring for the best part of a decade.
10. Heligoland - Massive Attack
Their best record since, ooooh............Mezzanine.
1. Have One On Me - Joanna Newsom
A record I have played more than any other this year.
2. Queen of Denmark - John Grant
Sure, at times it evokes images of Dennis Wilson, open denim shirts, big hair and summer in 1970's California but....is any of that really such a bad thing?
3. There Is Love In You - Four Tet
My favourite Four Tet record to date.
4. Falling Down A Mountain - Tindersticks
Looser, happier....more productive. And probably the best record David Kitt will ever feature on.
5. Swim - Caribou
Because Odessa is a fantastic tune.
6. High Violet - The National
Perhaps not the record to catapult them to the heights many have expected them to reach, but a frequently engrossing record nonetheless.
7. Shadows - Teenage Fanclub
Scotland gets Teenage Fanclub and Ireland gets The Frank and Walters. Bastards. And because it's the summer.
8. Together - The New Pornographers
America gets The New Pornographers. Scotland gets Teenage Fanclub. Ireland gets The Frank and Walters.
9. Forgiveness Rock Record - Broken Social Scene
On World Sick the band finally sound like the band I've been reading about for almost a decade. On Me and My Hand, they sound like the band I've been ignoring for the best part of a decade.
10. Heligoland - Massive Attack
Their best record since, ooooh............Mezzanine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)