Some melancholy Indie Pop!

Indie/Pop

(Click images to download)

She & Him is an American indie folk band consisting of actress Zooey Deschanel (vocals, keyboards) and musician M. Ward (guitar, production). The pair first met in 2006 for a movie soundtrack project for the film ‘The Go-Getter’ in which they recorded a version of Richard and Linda Thompson’s “When I Get To The Border”. The first words on this album are "It's hard to be ignored." It's true. Volume Two cannot be given the slip. Its friendly and familiar sound will find you eventually. And although it may sound almost identical to its predecessor, it's the subtle changes that make this new endeavour so sweet. The perfect pairing of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward are back for more, and better than ever. They upped the production quality and the amount of mood swings, thus every ounce of sad lyrics and happy music they make is able to shine. Deschanel glows in 11 original songs and two covers, and you will know when Ward's voice and guitars gracefully decide to pipe up. Deschanel delivers the back-up female vocals. It took about a year to make the album in Los Angeles and Portland studios due to the two's busy schedules of movies, marriage and Monsters of Folk, but the wait has given us an album full of emotions ready for interpretation. Let's just hope this trend stays true for more volumes.

MGMT to tour Ireland

MGMT announced they will be bringing their 2nd album, Congratulations to Emerald shore in September 16th. It's sure to sell out fast but with 3 days free before their gigs in London, we could be looking at extra dates in Dublin :)

Tickets go on sale April 7th @ 9am on Ticketmaster.

Female Friday

Female Vocal / Indie Pop / New Rave



(click image to download)

The Optimist (2010)
01. Lost A Girl
02. Chaos
03. The Optimist
04. Stone
05. We Want To
06. Dolls
07. Before The Light
08. Oh Cherie
09. Rapture
10. Architect Of Love








New Young Pony Club (NYPC) is a four-piece electro band from London, inspired by LCD Soundsystem, provide a kind of tight and bass-heavy future discoid noise.

The band have returned with a triumphant LP which ceremoniously leaves the posturing behind, delivering a freer sound built on an exciting mix of crescendo, space and charm rather than quips clothed in layers of smut. Frontwoman Tahita Bulmer's vocals envelope the sound unafraid, cut loose from their quasi-spoken cage of pretence.

The range on this album is colossal, even though its influences are still more or less paraded; take the title-track's whirling, steam-engine keyboard parts, and the PJ Harvey-recalling sadness on the album's ballad, Stone. But there's far more than mimicry on offer here; colossal key-changes and an audible sense of excitement become the album's revelation.

The Optimist is a super-smart pop album at the top of its game.



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Electronic / Female Vocal / Indie Pop



(Click image to download)

Interpreting Masters Vol. 1 (2010)
01. Heard It On The Radio
02. I Can't Go For That
03. Rich Girl
04. Sara Smile
05. Kiss On My List
06. Maneater
07. She's Gone
08. Private Eyes
09. One On One






Inara George and Greg Kurstin, alias the Bird and the Bee, are an army of two. They listen to everything, and answer to no one. They started playing Jazz standards together, and when they were all out of covers, they wrote some songs of their own.

Renowned for their covers, it was pretty much inevitable that someday they'd put out a cover album -- in this case, "Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates." It's pretty much what you'd expect after their past covers: a string of Hall and Oates' hit songs, which have metamorphosed into sensual, delicate electronic pop with angelic vocals.

Inara Geoge has a beautifully flexible voice, which always seems to be wavering between huskiness and sweetness. And she sounds like she's having a lot of fun in this album, adding her own funky feminine flavor to time-honored pop songs -- it ends up sounding like the confessions of a strong-willed girl who's loved fast, hard and passionately, and has sometimes ended up with a heart that's been cracked rather than broken.

Catchy and sweet. (Amazon)

Music group EMI in dire straits

EMI one of the worlds leading music companies is battlings for survival and faces being taken over by its bankers after failing to clinch a deal to sell the North American distribution rights for its artists to Universal Music Group or Sony Music.

The collapse of talks leaves EMI battling to raise 120 million pounds by mid-June to meet its commitments on loans from U.S. bank Citigroup. Another source familiar with discussions said that Terra Firma will talk to investors about raising the necessary funding.

If funds can't be raised from investors and the loan goes into default, Citigroup could seize EMI and cause it to be sold or broken up.

EMI has been struggling to stay afloat since it was bought by private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners for 4.2 billion pounds on the eve of the credit crunch in 2007, saddling the company with debt.

EMI's music publishing arm is thought to be worth about £1.2bn, although its music recording business is more difficult to value given the departure of big-name artists including the Rolling Stones and Radiohead.
The recorded music division was responsible for 55pc of EMI's £293m of profits last year.
(The Associated Press)

Musings.

Think this sums things up pretty well!

Kele Okereke at the Academy

In advance of his upcoming solo album, Bloc Party frontman KELE Okereke will play a series of Irish dates in May. Tarnishing his copy with the Irish after shouting down the mic at Oxegen "delighted to be back in the UK" on their last visit to the country, hopefully this gig will be a chance to redeem himself!

Tickets currently on sale for the following gigs:

Friday 14th May – Dolan’s Warehouse, Limerick
Saturday 15th May – Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Sunday 16th May – The Academy, Dublin
Monday 17th May – Spring & Airbrake, Belfast




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Ticket Info Here

More bands announced for Oxegen!

Strokes Frontman - Julian Casablancas

Soul Icons - Earth Wind & Fire, 

Dance Superstars-  Groove Armada,

US rockers -The Black Keys,

 The Cribs,

Chase & Status,  
The Stranglers,
Laura Marling,
Jaimie T,
and Irish newcomers Fox Avenue.

Shaping up to be an awesome weekend! Think I might get a ticket now! 

Some fun for April Fools Day, an unofficial clip by Oblong Pictures for Fight Like Apes' 'Knucklehead'.

Irish Invasion

Wallis Bird – The Academy, Dublin

Review of 24th of March gig by James Hendicott (article from State.ie)
 
Wallis Bird is one of an increasingly rare breed of singers. The Wexford lass is the type who builds a name for herself through incessant touring, wins support though word of mouth more than online hype and slowly acquires a dedicated fan base who – in some cases at least – seem to trail along after her for city after city. Her slow-building career is perhaps the reason why when Wallis picked up a Meteor Award earlier this year – and with it a jump in national level recognition – she looked so shocked and excited she nearly hit the roof.

Energy is certainly a non-issue for the petite blonde. She might joke about sweating buckets throughout her set (even throwing in a story about a language error that led her to ask a German audience to put on their clothes), but it doesn’t stop Wallis from throwing herself about the stage, sporadically head banging, swapping guitars half way through songs and generally behaving in a way that suggests she prepares for gigs by mainlining Red Bull. As for the crowd, they’re so into tonight’s set that Wallis proclaims “I don’t feel like I’m playing to you, I feel like we’re doing this together”.

It is quite a performance: with a full band behind her, Wallis’ musical range is extraordinary. She starts in hippie territory, turning out an assortment of quirky, love-fixated ballads that take an odd alternative ‘Disney soundtrack’ direction with their bops and yeahs, and ending at all-out moshable rock that heavily resembles Yeah Yeah Yeah’s ‘Phenomena’. Tying together such a diverse selection is an achievement in itself, but Wallis well-practiced renditions of latest album New Boots seem natural and perfectly matched, with an exceptionally boisterous ‘LaLaLand’ and fan’s favorite ‘An Idea About Mary’ summing up the lady’s vivaciousness.

By the time the encore comes around Wallis has built a great camaraderie with the crowd, and rewards us with a sappy tribute song about how she’s recently, “luckily” fallen in love, one of only two tracks tonight she performs as an un-backed acoustic musician. A great thing it is, too. Mix Wallis’ sing-along vocals with the musical steroid injection that is her backing band and her ‘bundle of energy’ ethos, you get a charismatic jukebox of a singer whose finally getting just a small part of the hype she’s earned.

Photos by Sara Devine.

                   

Where's your dancing shoes?

(Two of my favourite albums of late)
Alternative / Indie / Experimental

Yeasayer
(Click image to download)
Odd Blood (2010)

1. The Children
2. Ambling Alp
3. Madder Red
4. I Remember
5. O.N.E.
6. Love Me Girl
7. Rome
8. Strange Reunions
9. Mondegreen
10. Grizelda.






Brooklyn kings of reinvention, Yeaysayer Who describe themselves as "Enya with Bounce") dish out the playful psychedelic pop on their second album, Odd Blood. It's an incredible sprawling, electro-heavy release from the three piece. Recorded in the state of New York during 2009,  Odd Blood received largely positive reviews from critics. Praise centered on its cohesive merging of genres, especially the pop-influenced rhythms.



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Big Beat / Electro / Pop

Passion Pit
(Click image to download)
Manners (2009)

1  Make Light     
2 Little Secrets            
3 Moth's Wings            
4 The Reeling            
5 Eyes as Candles            
6 Swimming in the Flood            
7 Folds In Your Hands            
8 To Kingdom Come            
9 Sleepyhead    
10 Let Your Love Grow Tall
11 Seaweed Song





Passion Pit's mode of operation on their debut album, Manners, appears to be to juxtapose the giddiest music possible with some truly dark and self-searching lyrics. It's a classic trick that will have you singing along happily to the sound of confusion, sadness, and the torment of one man's mind. You can dig below the sweet falsetto of vocalist/songwriter Michael Angelakos, the rollicking and joyful tunes, and the glittering, shiny surfaces that the group and producer Chris Zane painstakingly create and absorb the insights and feelings of Angelakos' words or not, because the record is satisfying either way -- especially if a record that combines Animal Collective's twee-est moments, Mercury Rev's most cotton-candied jams, the paisley-fied soul of Prince, and the synth pop hookiness of New Order sounds like a good idea to you. (Mog.com)

Zoey Van Goey supports Fred tonight in Whelans!

Indie-Pop

Download - The City is Exploding + We don't have that kind of bread  (2 tracks)

Glasgow outfit Zoey Van Goey or their debut full length, The Cage Was Unlocked All Along (iTunes Album Link). The twee-popping trio is a collection of ex-pats (of Canadian, Irish and English descent) that like so many other bands, started by chance at college and the rest as they say, is theirstory.

It almost sounds too typical on the surface – three nerdy kids meeting randomly while looking for the film library on campus – but when you digest the sounds and realize the talent the band exudes, you know you have found something special. I mean, how often would Stuart Murdoch or Paul Savage get involved with a debut record (both worked on the production) or how often do you find a trio of musicians with no real “band” experience playing with some of the most exciting bands in Europe (Frightened Rabbit, God Help the Girl)?

But as much as the trio will be lumped with the people that turned knobs on the record or the musicians they associate with, their take on summery pop for the thick horn rimmed, literary types has a bite. Sure, the beautiful melodies float along warming the hearts of all that hear, but The Cage Was Unlocked All Along is full of random noises and instruments that add that extra depth a lot of twee outfits neglect. Xylophones, ramshackle percussion and banjo add depth to the tracks, but so do the quirky, dark subjects Moore sings about.

Whether it’s a poppy ditty about people afraid to go outside in case some bad happens that they can’t afford or holing up in the basement instead of facing robots that should have taken over the world when the ball dropped on the year 2000, the band consistently offers more than lovesick tales and melancholic reflections. Bottom line, there's a reason the band is already on every critics lips across the pond and the members are being asked to fill the gaps when bands hit the road... they are talented and write songs you can't shake from your head. (Herohill)






On a different note. Stumble Upon was mentioned on Facebook, which brought me to remember Chatroulette, which was once described as "Chat Roulette is like some bastard child of Skype and StumbleUpon". Its really quite simple, you log on, you allow Chatroulette access to your webcam/microphone and off you go visiting living rooms of mostly young people and mostly with some sort of nudeness involved.
Chatroulette is definitely not for the shy or faint of heart.(in my opinion, it's weird, really weird, but great fun at house parties haha)

British granny takes French party scene by storm

News from Paris -- The latest party circuit princess to wow the night clubs and festivals of France with her DJ skills is a British granny who took a shine to the decks after going to a birthday disco for her grandson.

Clad in her leopard-skin shrug and dark sunglasses, 69-year-old Ruth Flowers has conquered French clubland from the Cannes Film Festival to the top Paris nightspots with a mix of old-school hits, electrobeat and bling-bling style.

"It started really when my grandson had a birthday party ... they always have a little disco, don't they, after the party," Flowers told Reuters, lounging on a white sofa in a Paris hotel in a green satin bomber jacket and trademark shades contrasting with her white hair.

"I went along quite late and the gentlemen at the door said, 'I don't think you want to go in there, Madame'. And I said, 'Well I rather think I do'," she said.

"I went in and it was very noisy and the lights were flashing, but there was an awful lot of energy and joy."

While Flowers, a trained singer, was more used to church songs, German lieder and classic pop, she was so taken by the party that she decided there and then to become a disc jockey.

"I had no idea at the time of electro music," she said.

However, as someone with interests ranging from history to theater and fashion, she was willing to learn.

A friend put her in touch with French producer Aurelien Simon who taught her how to spin and helped her to develop a style, sprinkling her techno sets with tunes from Abba, Queen and the Rolling Stones.

"In the beginning it was just a little joke but it became serious," Simon told Reuters by phone. "It took four years because she had to learn to use the machines. I explained the basics of electro music, and then she created her own style."

Eye-catching earrings and her sartorial style make Flowers a stand out when she works the turntables, nodding to the beat and clapping her hands above her head.

"It's a little glammy, a bit over the top, but it fits the bill I think," she said of her outfits. "I mean, if I appeared in a cardigan, a sweater and brogue shoes it wouldn't be quite the same."

Flowers is working on a single, due to be released this spring. Some of her friends in London were a little skeptical about her new career at first, but she has drawn encouragement from her family and fans.

She remembers how young people from all over the world came up to her when she performed at the Cannes film festival.

"They said, "you're awesome, we want to be like you'," she said. "I always say -- you don't want to be like me. You want to be you." (Reuters)

New releases

More Irish Music (no download-iTunes link)

Acoustic/Folk/Irish

Tracklisting:
1. All You Need
2. Another Broken Heart
3. Jack
4. It's Just Me













Introducing Cork born, London based, Maria Byrne. She releases her EP - 'All You Need'(Available from iTunes), produced by Karl Odlum (Gemma Hayes, Fionn Regan, David Kitt), this EP was recorded over a few days with a few microphones his living room in Dublin with Dave O' Callaghan on mandolin and guitar, Dave Brunton on percussion and Karl Odlum on bass. 

Covers

For Rachel: Florence and The Machine - Addicted To Love (Robert Palmer Cover)

Kaiser Chiefs - Flowers In the Rain (The Move Cover) 

Department of Eagles - Love Me (Elvis cover) 

The Morning Benders - Lovefool (Cardigans cover) 

Elliott Smith - Car (Built To Spill cover) 

Babyshambles - Janie Jones (The Clash cover) 

Citizen Cope - Karma Police (Radiohead cover) 

Franz Ferdinand - Mis-shapes (Pulp cover) 

M. Ward - Tom Violence (Sonic Youth cover) 

Final Fantasy - No Cars Go (Arcade Fire Cover)

Robbers on High Street - Cool It Now (New Edition Cover) 

Spoon - Rocket USA (Suicide Cover) 

The Fray - Heartless (Kanye West Cover) 


Click links below to listen to tracks or right click links + select "Save link as" to download
Ellie Goulding and Erik Hassle – Be Mine! (Robyn Cover)

Feist – Inside and Out (Bee Gees Cover)

Ben Gibbard - I Don’t Want To Get Over You (The Magnetic Fields Cover)(mp3)

Jónsi - Time To Pretend (MGMT Cover) (mp3)

Mumford and Sons – Cousins (Vampire Weekend Cover)

Yes Giantess – I’m Not your toy (La Roux cover)

Magnet & Gemma Hayes -Lay Lady Lay (Bob Dylan Cover)

Nouvelle Vague – Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division Cover)

Irelands most underated band, they're FAB!!

Irish/Alternative/Indie-pop



Go God God(2009)
Tracklisting
1.     "Skyscapers"
2.     "Running"
3.     "The Lights"
4.     "Keep Me Clear"
5.     "Good One"
6.     "Death Song"
7.     "Damn You Hollywood"
8.     "Evergreen"
9.     "We Should Keep On"
10.    "The Lights Are with Us"
11.    "Fear"
12.    "Just Because We Can"



Download The Lights

Because this band is Irish, amazing, and totally not as big as they should be, I'm only putting up a track download + youtube video, GO OUT AND BUY THEIR ALBUM!!! :)


"A five piece from Cork who take the anguish, angst and pain out of rock 'n' roll opting instead to just be really good. Beautiful, smart, and wealthier than most regular folk, FRED are the people's band, making music for the people, by the super-people. Imagine getting a face massage, that's what FRED's music does, it massages your face but nothing else, for its selective in its technique. It also takes you to the cinema and buys you Coke and a bag of minstrels" Says the band.

Their third album, Go God Go, is being received with such critical mass it is being honed as one of the strongest Irish releases of 2008 ("Startingly good music" - Hotpress, "Saviours of Pop" - State). With the first three singles. Running, Skyscrapers; The Lights, taking over the national airwaves simultaneously, their live reputation and fanbase has grown at a rapid pace, enlisting droves into the Fred army everywhere they go.

Musically the acknowledge legends as Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers and The Beach Boys as well as tipping their hat to such contemporaries as Wilco and The Flaming Lips.

Go God Go was recorded in Love Tap Studios, Cork and mixed by Mark Wallis who is one of the most experienced and versatile producers around regarded by his peers as having the best pair of ears behind any studio having worked with U2, Talking Heads,The Smiths, Iggy Pop, and The Stranglers.

"Fantastic alternative pop"
i-D Magazine

"Go God Go as one of the Irish albums of the year to date"
AU Magazine

"Beautiful, life -affirming, joyous pop music, brass 'n' all."
State Magazine

"Startlingly good music"
HotPress

"Fred are a breath of fresh air"
The Tribune

"This is terrific stuff"
Sunday Business Post

(Fred website)

LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR??

FRED (w/ Zoey Van goey) play Whelans, Wexford Street

Tue 30th March

Doors: 8pm

Tickets: €13

Lo-call 1890 200 078

WaV TicketBox, Camden Row, Dublin 2

Random

I came across this tonight, I think the Crystal Swing love just has to be shared.

How It Works......

Ok, so SOME people didn't really know how the blog( or atleast the downloading of music) worked, so this is a brief explanation.

Click the album image and you'll be brought to a page that will contain download links (eg below) just click the download buttons and there you have it, the album will start to download.

One site has an exception, you'll get a security box, where you have to put in the code to the left, into the box, on the right, then select "download file",and Bob's your uncle!

And to leave a comment, just click on the word "comment" at the bottom of each post and tada!

Angus and Julia Stone

Everyone should have atleast one Angus and Julia Stone album in their collection! (In my opinion)

Indie/Folk

(click image to download)
Down The Way (2010)
Tracklisting
01 - Hold On
02 - Black Crow
03 - For You
04 - Big Jet Plane
05 - Santa Monica Dream
06 - Yellow Brick Road
07 - And The Boys
08 - On The Road
09 - Walk It Off
10 - Hush
11 - Draw Your Swords
12 - I'm Not Yours
13 - The Devil's Tears


"Australian brother/sister duo Angus and Julia Stone return with the follow up to their 2009 critically acclaimed debut A Book Like This. This sophomore album gracefully navigates through 13 tracks, exploring themes of desire, lost love, self-discovery and beauty in the most unlikely of places. Down The Way was self-produced and recorded between England, New York and Australia--from an old sawmill on the riverbanks of Fowey, Cornwall to a studio in Brooklyn, to a water tank in Coolangatta to the streets of London and back to Queens. Stand out tracks include the Brad Albetta (Martha Wainwright) co-produced "and the boys," the dark and driving "Black Crow" and the rustic and dreamy "Big Jet Plane.""