What I'm listening to right now - Voices to cry for

I've never been bothered by song lyrics. I admire and appreciate them but feel the power of music comes from the sound and emotions created. Bad lyrics or empty words will never make a great song but I don't think the use of one word over another can curtail the power of the truly great song.

I love voices. I love accents. I love the vocal intricacies that they entail. I love the voices that sound like they are only singing to you. Loving this singer at the moment, Luan Parle. Had caught the end of her songs several times before finding out who she was. Shes sings a great vesion of this song as gaelige as well -'Ghost' (Would love to hear this one 'live')


'Live' version of 'Free'.


Robyn unfortunately chose to release the awful, upbeat version of this song. This one has a beautifully, restrained power (could do without the psychedelics though)



Bono could be singing about house prices in Dublin here and it would still raise those lickle neck hairs.

(you didn't think he'd be able to do that, did you?)

Nick Cave on the other hand is a master word smith. Anyone that can get I don't believe in an interventionist God But I know darling that you do deserves some kudos (Ignore vid)


Any other suggestions out there?

Oh, Canada!

What's with those Canadians and their swirling, uplifting gems of perfect indie pop these days. Whatever it is, I'm loving it.

Stars - In our bedroom after the war (lovely stuff altogether)

(pity about a few people nattering away at the start)

Stars - The night starts here


Stars - Your ex-lover is dead


Obviously, Canada is a huge country but there is definitely a particular genre of music that many people would associate with it at the moment. Bristol was famous for producing a distinctive type of music a few years back with groups like Massive Attack, Tricky and Portishead among others.

The start of this track hints at a song of understated, melancholic briliance.
The New Pornographers - Challengers


Sunset Rubdown

Music - Cathy Davey

Recently listened to Jack Johnson's latest album. Very disappointing fare. Each song seems to be just a pleasant, unremarkable melody no different to the next one. I suppose many people would have said this of his earlier stuff but he just seems to be churning out safe, formulaic tunes neither likely to be loved or hated. One of the better ones is "Angel".

(Even as I listen to it again it just seems bland)

Cathey Davey is one of the many Irish singer-songwriters out there at the moment, but she manages to be distinctive enough in a crowded genre.

Sing for you Supper (live)


Cold Man's Nightmare


All of You

Clubbing - Turnmills, London

Made my maiden voyage to this famous, London club last week. What a place! A vast labyrinth of rooms spread over 2 floors(I think) that provided room after room of house music. To be honest, I was no more able to navigate the venue after 6 hours hours there than when I arrived. The crowd were generally friendly with the usual London mix of nationalities, although the majority seemed to be white and in their mid/late 20s. The tunes were provided by Smartie Partie on the night with some serious cheese thrown in at different stages with a remix of Toca Me by Fragma (big hit in Summer of '99) getting an early airing.


By the end of the night, I had well and truly embraced the cheese though which definitely helped buoy the crowd as the night pushed into morning. Particularly loved a reworking of an old house classic, shown here from Melbourne.


Overall, a great night - no queues for drinks, jackets, toilets - and even though they were closing off rooms at 630am a few more were still rocking. London is seriously pricey place but I always have a great night there. So glad I got to see Turnmills before it closes down for good in a few weeks.

What I'm Listening to at the Moment

Loving this hairy man's lazy manner with a guitar and a song.





Sharing my love with some of these funky house mixes that often start off a little too shlow and shekshey but build up brilliantly. Quality going out tunes.

Music - For Mondays

I mean 'Mondays' in the sense that it's one of those days that seem to drag interminably. They eventually splutter to an end with you just barely crawling over the end line and the knowledge that a long week still awaits, ever darkening your mood. Music can often be the only thing that wipes clear those clingy remnants of the day.

The entire 'Astral Weeks' album provides a deliciously meandering soundtrack that remains uplifting and inspiring. It always seems to offer the listener another sound or beat previously unnoticed. If an album is an image, this one depicts a loving parent leading a distressed child away from trouble into the warm evening sun. (Right, that's my 'Corny' allocation for this month all used up)

Madame George


Have been listening to Jack Johnson for a long time. This guy's voice is mellifluous ear candy that can lighten the darkest of days. Whatever his critics may say, his songs conjure up idle hours, lounging on a beach with someone by your side to share the views of the shimmering seas.

Better Together


High Tide or Low Tide (First song in which I heard his voice)


North and South of the River - Christy Moore
This song mightn't be too cheery but the power of the words and his voice swallow and drown out the ebbs we encounter in our daily lives. This song speaks of someone in an Ireland of the past who just wanted to "walk with you along an unapproved road not looking over my shoulder".


More songs for a Monday
Morcheeba - The Sea


Zero 7 - In The Waiting Line


Air - All I Need


Any other suggestions?

Music - Sunshine Tunes

Well, the summer has finally arrived in Ireland. It's about 3 months late but is here nonetheless in all its balmy brilliance peaking today at 24c/72f. (Irish people begin to melt somewhere around 35/95). Its so easy to let your troubles melt away in it all. No wonder Jamaicans are so chilled or Californians are so gleefully happy. Let them try a few Monday morning with the rain belting down and see how they get on.
The weekend promises more of the same so I finally get to ponder on some of my favourite sunshine tunes. Sadly most of these songs are associated with times outside of Ireland but always ensure a warm feeling regardless of the weather we are dealt.

Superfunk - Lucky Star (Big hit in France a few years back)


Ian Pooley - Coracao Tambor (Anything in Portuguese is inherently sun kissed)


Bob Marley - Sun is Shining remix (A bit sacrilegious really but always recalls memories of Ibiza)


Toots and Maytals - 54-46 Was My Number (Cider sales have plummeted in Ireland this Summer but there's nothing to compare with pint glass of ice brimming with Bulmer's cider, some reggae in a beer garden with the sun shining overhead)


Zero 7 - In The Waiting Line (A bit of blissed out of chill to finish your day)


Right, time to get some rays on my milky torso. The farmer's tan is not a good look.

Music - For Driving

Today's entry promises to be a little brighter after yesterday's heavy and slightly cryptic entry. Had a good 'airing' of views with certain people involved in the situation last night which generally cleared a few misunderstandings. It's good to talk.

Previous to the meeting, I went for a drive with this song from Irish group director playing. Perfect driving music.


Another good one, Editors - Smoking outside the hospital doors


Don't really like this kind of rock but great playing behind the wheel. Jimmy Eat World - Pain


Driving would be a typically male activity if there is a problem to ponder. Withdrawal into yourself to figure out a way past something. The driving provides enough distraction from the problem but allows you to subconsciously search for an answer. Usually, when you come out of your 'cave' you have some sort of solution. The male species is definitely a strange yet simple beast.

Any other suggestions for music for driving?

Music - Songs That Remind Me Of

A family holiday on the west coast of France when I was about 15. I was designated navigator and took full control of the radio for the journey. This group, Alliance Ethnik, were popular at the time and I think this was their first big hit, Respect.


France is the biggest market for rap after the States and I think the language is well suited to this genre, whereas rap often seems very forced in some other languages. The group's 5 members all come from different ethnic backgrounds, including Algeria,Italy and the Congo, with an American singer for the English lyrics. Their music is generally upbeat, back boned with funky beats and positive messages.
Simple et Funky


Honesty et Jalousie


Listening to these songs again remind me of upside-down maps, a few wrong turns, asking directions in broken French but with enough Atlantic sun to make it all seem all right.

Music - New Music DiscoVery

Back in the old days, before sites and programs like Lastfm.com and bittorrent, discovering and procuring good new music involved older siblings/savvy friends, reading music magazines, actually going to music shops and copying tapes. In hindsight, maybe there was more of a sense of involvement or reward when you had to work so hard to find music that wouldn't ever appear in "Now that's what I call music vol. 34". Public recognition for independent artists seemed to take much longer and when you 'discovered' a new act it often felt like you had a precious object in your possession while the ignorant masses passed you by oblivious to its value. You would be bursting to tell your friends, but almost felt deceived when the act finally did hit the big time. One such artist for me was Damien Rice. I know he has many critics but that's not my point. We all have had one musician in the past that felt like they were almost singing for you. The first song I heard from him was with Lisa Hannigan. It's called 'The Professor' (despite coming from Meath her French accent is class).



What/Who was the equivalent song/ singer for you?

Despite today's nostalgia tinged blog, the music industry has never been more in the consumers' favour. The myriad of ways to access new music today is amazing. I'm too busy discovering new music to feel as possessive about one particular artist as I have in the past (just checked - 35 gigs of music on my computer!) . Nonetheless, the sense of ownership that I mentioned earlier can be recreated in a typically noughties way by actually buying a share of an undiscovered act through the site sellaband.com. Quite like Daniel Ward-Murphy. Hands off!

Travel - Art of the Day

Whenever I spend a bit of time in any city I try to do the usual touristy things before getting up to the inevitable mischief after which appreciation for churches, statues and galleries is greatly diminished. I have been to some of the great galleries like the Tate Modern in London, the Prado and Reina Sofia in Madrid and the Van Gogh musuem in Amsterdam. I usually read the gallery captions and guides, buy the audio tour (best one ever was in Forbidden city in Beijing - voiced by the eyebrow himself ... Roger Moore), stand in front of as many paintings as I can and try to get an understanding of the artist's life and why, or for who, he painted them.

When it comes to paintings I feel I have to know this background information to truly appreciate them. This probably indicates my inability to simply appreciate a painting for what it is - a work of art. Nonetheless, despite my initial zeal , the tour is usually rushed through in the end, fast forwarding the audio commentary. Maybe this just isn't the way art should be seen. One great piece of art should be enough to contemplate and digest over a day. So ...

I have chosen one painting for the day. It's "Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh.


Not very original I know but I liked the way it took a while to take in the full content of the painting. Initially, your eyes flicker over each of the exaggerated stars in the swirling night sky and then you realise there's a large, dark structure on the left that seems out of place with the quaint, cosy looking town below. Van Gogh painted this from memory in his room in an asylum. Maybe you could interpret this painting as revealing his sense of isolation on the fringes of society and despite all the beauty in the world, he still feels dark and lost - or else it's just a nice picture with some stars.

Below are the last 3 verses from the song "Starry Starry Night". Very melancholic, I know, but it's really a beautiful ode to a tragic man. These verses describe how even though he created beautiful works of art that would forever hang in "empty halls" they could never return his love so true ... cue throat clearing now.




Don McLean - Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)
For they could not love you,
But still your love was true.
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night,
You took your life, as lovers often do.
But I could have told you, Vincent,
This world was never meant for one
As beautiful as you.

Starry, starry night.
Portraits hung in empty halls,
Frameless head on nameless walls,
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget.
Like the strangers that you've met,
The ragged men in the ragged clothes,
The silver thorn of bloody rose,
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.

Now I think I know what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen, they're not listening still.
Perhaps they never will...

Music - Sasha

Went to see Sasha last Friday night in the The Savoy in Cork. Great crowd - 3/4 full with a capacity of about 1000. Dance floor was comfortably full from about 11:30 on. Warm up DJ was class (name?) playing an upbeat brand of tech-house and interacting well with the growing crowd. There was some good house in the front bar as well which unfortunately doesn't really have space for dancing. The venue itself is fairly big with an upstairs viewing area which is ideal for people to ease into the main dancefloor later. Sasha came on at about 12 to a very receptive crowd. The atmosphere all round was excellent (see vid) which peaked during the middle of his 2 hour set.



One of the tunes of the night was - Electronic Battle Weapon 8 by The Chemical Brothers


Overall, a very good set but you really need 3 to 4 hours to get the best out of his sets. Some of the tunes were a little too chilled for a 2 hour set. Some people were complaining about the 30 yoyo asking price prior to the gig but I think anyone that went to the gig felt it was worth it. The sound system is fairly poor but any dance club that has an open comfortable setup, decent talent and doesn't have hassle/scumbags etc. is worth a few bob more that DJ Smashey in some normal club that you feel like you've been to a million times.

Oxegen '07 Part III

Unfortunately, I started to feel progressively worse as the day rolled on. Luckily, the Bacardi tent managed to nurse me back to health with some sweet house music. The excellent MC, who also provided some drum beats to the DJ, created a real feel-good atmosphere despite the sheets of rain teeming down outside. The very cool Irish funksters "Disconauts" played at some stage in there as well. Eventually, I got going again but my enthusiasm for dabbling in the various musical genres had greatly diminished and so I got down to business in the Dance Arena. Missed out on some acts I really wanted to see like Babyshambles, The Kooks, Bright Eyes, New Young Pony Club, Klaxons, and Razorlight but seeing all of these even in the best of conditions would take a serious amount of effort. Leber 2 Mud 3

Erol Alkan and Deep Dish kept me entertained for the evening but I thought they were nothing special at the same time. I felt there was very little diversity between some of the Dance Arena acts with most of them playing electronica sets with very little deviation. Felix the Housecat finished the arena on Saturday night and I've never been more disappointed by a DJ. In short, he was a disgrace. Dance music has long been criticised for extending a reverence and respect for DJs, who often do not even produce their own music. Huge sums of money and matching crowds have been the norm for big name DJs, particularly in the 90s. Many of my best nights have been in clubs with a good atmosphere, tunes and crowd with relatively unknown DJs. FTH has produced some great tunes, but can't mix. At one stage, he played Tainted Love by Marc Almond (totally out of place at the time) and then brought in the next tune with practically zero mixing. He later played "Ready 2 Wear", a tune I really like but had no place in an electronica set.



He finished his set fairly early, around 12:45, and then mentioned something about shooting off because of traffic!! He must know at this stage what people put up with at these festivals and he starts on about the M50. Do not waste your time ever going to see this DJ. He is everything that is wrong with dance music - taking exorbitant fees to play a sloppy set with little regard for his audience. Rant over.

Luckily, my faith in dance music was restored with interest on Sunday. My first viewing of Daft Punk far exceeded my humble expectations. I'd heard all the criticisms of the gallic duo (same live set, lack of new, quality material, huge fees etc.) and hadn't really listened to them much over the last few years. Nonetheless, they put on the greatest live show I've ever seen. The whole thing seemed tailored to perfection - every beat, bass and musical nuance was in unison with the unbelievable light show. Their songs were intermingled and intertwined to a point where you didn't know where some songs started or finished. At one stage, I thought the set was beginning to wind down when this was played ...



Still getting goosepimples watching that. Criticise all you want but as Maximus would say "Are you not entertained?". The best show I've ever seen was spent ankle deep in mud and I loved it. At that stage, I think I was at one with the mud. If you want to enjoy a festival like this, I reckon you have got to love and embrace the mud. Leber 3 Mud 3

Oxegen '07

Well, it's taken the bulk of the week to recover from the weekend that was Oxegen '07. Either my powers of recovery have greatly diminished or my capacity to imbibe has greatly increased. I won't repeat the gripes (mud, lots of) and shortcomings ("Lord of the Flies" themed campsite) of the festival, which have been highlighted in the Irish media over the last week. I will try and provide some impression of how my weekend went or, at some stages, didn't.

It all started out bright, optimistic with an unquenchable thirst for the beginning of a musical odyssey. Well, that thirst was well sated on the Friday night in Dublin with a two hour Korean banquet complete with evil Korean rice wine, Soju. My hopelessly optimistic festival timetable had to be drastically amended when I arrived at 2:00pm on the Saturday and struggled badly with the ol' tent construction. Having to eventually resort to reading the instructions I had previously put aside, with the disdain all men possess for such things, I concluded hangovers and anything with labels A, A1, B and B1 do not mix.

Can of cider in hand, I laboured through the heavy muck which seemed determined to wrench the old Air Max runners (official Skanger footwear, I know) from my feet and propel me face forward and shoeless to the floor . I possibly didn't give the aforementioned can due attention but made it to the entrance proudly vertical. The realisation that a weekend-long battle of wits with the stodgy matter lay ahead was beginning to dawn. Leber 1 Mud 0.

My hopelessly optimistic festival schedule (surely an oxymoron in itself) had to be amended already as I was 4 hours late. The Cribs, The View, The Rumble Strips, Director, and The Twang would sadly have to missed this time (Worth youtubing these bands). I might have ambled over to Avril Lavigne as well, if I happened to be passing... the main stage at 15:30, apparently). I just can't dislike the Canadian minx despite her gawdawful adolescent, punk- wannabe yelpings.

Caught the last tune of French duo, Justice, who apparently rocked the Dance Arena.


Their sing along sign-off was the catchy old number by Rage Against the Machine "Killing in the Name of" which would be quite different from their hit tune " D.A.N.C.E"

Not too sure whether I love or hate this tune. Possibly hate... unless drunk.


Was none too impressed that I had missed the Justice hour and stayed on for Booka Shade, who a few of my friends rave about. The duo play keyboards, drums, sing vocal lines and mix live on stage. I wanted to like it. I didn't. Maybe it was just me, but I found them boring. I don't think their sound was suited to the hangar type feel of the "Arena". They rock in this clip in a smaller venue.

After about an hour in the Dance Arena, I was getting anxious to see a few bands but then the heavens opened and my Air Max lodged a sit-down protest. I was going nowhere. Ended up staying there for most of the night which I regret now but at the time it suited me perfectly. Caught glimpses of The Gossip performance which involved Beth Ditto shaking her considerable booty around the stage in suitably green underwear.

I did manage to make a few sporadic missions between showers to the Bacardi tent, which played some excellent house, funk and jazz beats throughout the weekend. I was delighted to catch one of the greatest covers of a classic song ever, earlier in the day. Enjoy!


Disappointed that I didn't make it out for Kings of Leon, Badly Drawn Boy and Air, but I suspected that I knew my early entrance to the Dance Arena was always going to put any wanderings around the vast site with mud underfoot and rain overhead in jeopardy. Leber 1 Mud 1.

More to follow tomorrow... God it's great to have a functioning(semi-functioning) brain, again.

Music - Ben Watt

Went to see house DJ Ben Watt (he of "Everything But The Girl" fame) last week in Fast Eddies, Cork. "Feddies" is a bastion of deep house in the deep south with resident DJs, Fish Go Deep (they of "Cure and the Cause"). Deep house wouldn't be my favourite form of dance music but had heard a lot of good things about Ben Watt.

I had braced myself for a lower tempo than I used to and some deep, rich vocals meandering over dissonant beats, but was very pleasantly surprised. The lolling breakdowns I associate with deep house didn't materialise, with Watt bringing the crowd with him from downbeat bliss to big bass lines to cheesy vocals to an unrelenting final encore.

1st tune on entering club
"Just a blip - Ben Watt"
Check it out

Mixed this next track later in brilliantly, let it play for a while and then brought in ...


a remix of a track I never liked but with an excellent remix that rocked the joint (can't find remix)







I always admire a DJ who is strong enough to play a bit of cheese without playing it for the sake of it. I think he rocked the place with a remix of
"You keep me hanging on"


A DJ mixing lower tempo music really has a lot more to do, with any flaws very evident. They have far more control over a crowd as opposed to a trance DJ where it almost exclusively has to be driven by high bpm's, crescendos, lasers and fast paced melodies. Vocals often veer to a very sickly of cheese e.g AVB "Black is the colour"??.

Some of the feedback from deep house aficionados wasn't very positive on Watt's set, but I found it a varied and skilled performance. Other forms of dance music definitely have a more euphoric and instantly gratifying effect - the culinary equivalent of a Big Mad - whereas Watt's set had a sense of journey and satisfaction at its finale.

Irish Artists - Luke Kelly

Feeling a bit maudlin' today. Must be the sheets of dreary, june rain peppering the kitchen window. Had my music set to random and Luke Kelly's voice echoed around the house, and what a voice it is. Brims with power and emotion. The Irish seem to love people who can make them laugh and cry within a short few breaths. Polished performers who have perfected their trade over years never seem quite as real as someone like Kelly who believed in what he sang. He recorded songs dealing with social issues, the arms race, workers' rights and nationalism while never appearing aloof from his audience, his people.


I don't know whether he resonates as powerfully with people from outside Ireland, but some of his songs never fail to draw me in and cause even a little throat clearing.

His version of "Raglan Road" came about when the poem's author, Patrick Kavanah heard him singing in a pub in Dublin city then called the Bailey. After some initial reluctance he came up with this.




And then there's this. One of the few songs that made my heart feel like bursting at the first listen.
Ireland
Songwriter: Phil Colclough

Lyrics:
Walking all the day, near tall towers
where falcons build their nests
Siver winged they fly,
they know the call of freedom in their breasts
Saw Black Head against the sky
with twisted rocks that run down to the sea
Living on your western shore,
saw summer sunsets, asked for more
I stood by your Atlantic sea
and sang a song for Ireland

Talking all the day with true friends
who try to make you stay
Telling jokes and news,
singing songs to pass the night away
Watched the Galway salmon run
like silver dancing darting in the sun
Living on your western shore
saw summer sunsets, asked for more
I stood by your Atlantic sea
and sang a song for Ireland

Drinking all the day in old pubs
where fiddlers love to play
Someone touched the bow,
he played a reel
it seemed so fine and gay
Stood on Dingle beach
and cast in wild foam we found Atlantic bass
Living on your western shore,
saw summer sunsets asked for more
I stood by your Atlantic sea
and sang a song for Ireland

Dreaming in the night I saw a land
where no man had to fight
Waking in your dawn
I saw you crying in the morning light
Lying where the falcons fly,
they twist and turn all in you e'er blue sky
Living on your western shore,
saw summer sunsets asked for more
I stood by your Atlantic sea
and sang a song for Ireland





But he was also some man for the craic, which just added to his persona and ability to connect with people.

Octopus jig - Encore!


Take her up to Monto

Love the last verse -
The Queen she came to call on us,
She wanted to see all of us
I'm glad she didn't fall on us, she's eighteen stone.
"Mister Me Lord Mayor," says she,
"Is this all you've got to show me?"
"Why, no ma'am there's some more to see, Pog mo thoin!"

Music - CSS

I know the initial hype about this Cansei de Ser Sexy has come and gone, but it's taken me a while to decide whether i love, or hate, their sound. It does veer occasionally to a cheesy, grating ;) sound, but it is damn funky.

Let's make love and listen to death from above



Put yourself in the crowd for this tune live. I think you would have to devoid of a lust for life if you didn't boogie your ass to this. This crowd of Dubs seem to loike id anyways, yanowhaimean.



And to cap it all, the band is led by a fiesty little minx calling herself "lovefoxxx". At the last show of one of CSS' tours, she went on stage wearing her entire wardrobe. As each song on the set list was played, she removed one piece until at the end of the night she was naked, then dived into the crowd. Yowzzers, my kind of triple x fox.