tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20153421556144285332024-03-12T20:56:20.238-07:00Pensamiento AleatorioA list of random posts. Mainly Live Music, New Music and some gadgetsC.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-45961217112878543392023-12-31T10:30:00.000-08:002023-12-31T10:30:39.206-08:00 My Favourite Albums of 2023<p style="text-align: left;">This time only 4 years between posts... it's getting better! This year I didn't listen to as much new music as I normally do. The kids getting control of the music while driving, podcasts (although a lot of them are music related!) and an album of the week group that got me listening to all sorts of interesting, but old music. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Having said that, I did enjoy some new music this year and I am sharing my top 5 albums this year. I was lucky enough to see 2 of these artists live this year with another one from the list coming early in 2024.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">boygenius - the record</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbh2fpKSA27_anmWcHZk40wAsh8Rg658xuw-8AYUrfA8k5rmezkK3PpQBXkSG6MMFIuUGUi2GZ1j31nSN1TY0zDOEyJaC8fKyucwXdqxb2H783WQ1LfhwMsH3MGkvguu4MgviRI_rIYIpNcCVUj16B3wVe9uj2S-sbKPHcinEGfvGAi_iu1ZK275L0U19/s316/Boygenius_-_the_record.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbh2fpKSA27_anmWcHZk40wAsh8Rg658xuw-8AYUrfA8k5rmezkK3PpQBXkSG6MMFIuUGUi2GZ1j31nSN1TY0zDOEyJaC8fKyucwXdqxb2H783WQ1LfhwMsH3MGkvguu4MgviRI_rIYIpNcCVUj16B3wVe9uj2S-sbKPHcinEGfvGAi_iu1ZK275L0U19/w200-h200/Boygenius_-_the_record.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>First full length release after their 2018 EP from the group formed by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. Really good album from begining to end, but for me they are strongest when they meld their music styles together on songs like Not Strong Enough and Cool About It. Lucky enough to have seen them live. I hope they continue releasing music as a group alongside their solo projects<div><br /></div><div><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/0e9GjrztzBw8oMC6n2CDeI?si=mvzT9A29Rjqz2qXtTWiecw" target="_blank">the record on Spotify</a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We </h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUA722xh_foCC1XFinf5zj0TWBlif_BWQk5REg1Vvciee23TmKHih6GN2mhzy0byg0IzNMwN9tnYoSG_e2PBapEo1opMRgQFKDDZOHqdLUFEoCc4hEsh-zsn4YxW1sLoODVK8OIILib67pQ7g4nazs0jRbiJgbM41zI3iz4O_x7vRdNfwRDGJySQ6DXXj/s300/Mitski_-_The_Land_Is_Inhospitable_and_So_Are_We.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUA722xh_foCC1XFinf5zj0TWBlif_BWQk5REg1Vvciee23TmKHih6GN2mhzy0byg0IzNMwN9tnYoSG_e2PBapEo1opMRgQFKDDZOHqdLUFEoCc4hEsh-zsn4YxW1sLoODVK8OIILib67pQ7g4nazs0jRbiJgbM41zI3iz4O_x7vRdNfwRDGJySQ6DXXj/w200-h200/Mitski_-_The_Land_Is_Inhospitable_and_So_Are_We.png" width="200" /></a></div>If you have been following Mitski since the early days, you might not have expected an album like this one. Sonically speaking it is as far away from the noisy guitar and angst music from her early material, but no less engaging. I have been lucky enough to have seen her twice live during her last 2 tours. Can't wait for next year's gig. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2Cn1d2KgbkAqbZCJ1RzdkA?si=j9rJp9o0Qj239hMSlflEWQ" target="_blank">The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We on Spotify<br /></a><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Peter Gabriel - i/o</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaK_tdEwc5GOGjHR5qvCCS5fF5PboxNIJuaBnTaCRsPArXn2pbmbBXfmZ8Yz_Ewm029YKuV3BkTWkD7qWtFvYJRqj4mst9K9efnrxZcpAyoxmpc0K2ZwDtW6LFgu2eAAmZP4SkAB-HhFSekQbXaLKXouufi2CBryZh1lcDXDd-xef4iGZFidRHFoMR0P3H/s316/Petergabrielio.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaK_tdEwc5GOGjHR5qvCCS5fF5PboxNIJuaBnTaCRsPArXn2pbmbBXfmZ8Yz_Ewm029YKuV3BkTWkD7qWtFvYJRqj4mst9K9efnrxZcpAyoxmpc0K2ZwDtW6LFgu2eAAmZP4SkAB-HhFSekQbXaLKXouufi2CBryZh1lcDXDd-xef4iGZFidRHFoMR0P3H/w200-h200/Petergabrielio.png" width="200" /></a></div>First album of original material in 22 years. Released a track a month during the whole year and when we finally got the album, three different mixes to enjoy. Best one for me is the In-side mix when listening on headphones and Dark-side mix anywhere else. Well worth the wait. Lucky enough to have seen him during the i/o tour. His voice stills sounds as amazing as always after all this years!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/1mhuLKVEwZH4aTJXCLuhec?si=ffMnyRpuQaS0F3EYvLDplQ" target="_blank">i/o on Spotify</a></div><div><br /></div><div>In-side mix (Atmos) available in Apple Music or Amazon </div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Sufjan Stevens - Javelin</h4><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qreX4-jF8v2gq2C2L6vTndGyGQ9F6SAhDQ3kTp1JSOXcKsph1gpz7FdMa1SBflB5dR6T0DYIYe_s6vkEh90OsQaqe9qptYKXCZErzkhVNQrcZ9K4ESNm7NaQefqO5Hd2B-0FQV3koskOJrKn664GtBUYaM5AptEmH1Ug6jFaIRwH1bv5-qrJOnD2sVcL/s300/Sufjan_Stevens_-_Javelin.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qreX4-jF8v2gq2C2L6vTndGyGQ9F6SAhDQ3kTp1JSOXcKsph1gpz7FdMa1SBflB5dR6T0DYIYe_s6vkEh90OsQaqe9qptYKXCZErzkhVNQrcZ9K4ESNm7NaQefqO5Hd2B-0FQV3koskOJrKn664GtBUYaM5AptEmH1Ug6jFaIRwH1bv5-qrJOnD2sVcL/w200-h200/Sufjan_Stevens_-_Javelin.png" width="200" /></a></div>I jumped on the Sufjan Stevens bandwagon late. This is a well produced album full of raw emotions. I don't know much about Sufjan's music, but this album is worth diving into, and I am hoping I can spend more time with his music in 2024. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2KqSL3vLfyVO7rrZJL9tUs?si=EXh_w6PwS0qf1ahF_ho2Ng" target="_blank">Javelin on Spotify</a><br /><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRyPSbwME3VBc_8H5oD7Bm_-TnkSxwzSH97Wp2CLBJwHmMbPePO6rx3lsLZr_zaeyZ2E1dZqYw5WjHaR1vyKF-KPObA2qpUCEuF0eu4Zlj8v3ueNHTM8fr0pM4syDO_hnYTz9oN4G0c_WXyWcAnMuilWu4uqSpMovqedEGgh1CKn10tnrJWjeZjBTq0FR/s316/The_Harmony_Codex_album_cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRyPSbwME3VBc_8H5oD7Bm_-TnkSxwzSH97Wp2CLBJwHmMbPePO6rx3lsLZr_zaeyZ2E1dZqYw5WjHaR1vyKF-KPObA2qpUCEuF0eu4Zlj8v3ueNHTM8fr0pM4syDO_hnYTz9oN4G0c_WXyWcAnMuilWu4uqSpMovqedEGgh1CKn10tnrJWjeZjBTq0FR/w200-h200/The_Harmony_Codex_album_cover.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>The latest album from the Porcupine Tree frontman, but this is nothing like PT. Genre spanning album with touches of electronica, jazz, pop and even som prog rock, this is very difficult to describe but worth an in depth listen.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/0qEIPJU8WQdXpr3eIc6dHK?si=vGYvjMCRRJqE5fx0hZjdPA" target="_blank">The Harmony Codex on Spotify</a><br /><div><br /></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Other albums worth checking out are Laufey's Bewitched, Meshell Ndegeocello's The Omnichord Real Book and Cat Power's Sings Dylan. </div><div><br /></div><div>As always, I love a good pop tune. My favourite tracks of the year are:</div><div><br /></div><div>Not Strong Enough - boygenius</div><div>Cocoon - Holly Humberstone</div><div>No Caffeine - Marika Hackman (from her upcoming 2024 album)</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope the next instalment is not 4 years in the future!</div><div><br /></div>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-3632543607271536772020-01-02T02:16:00.000-08:002020-01-02T02:41:27.218-08:00My favourite albums of 2019It has been a while since I sat to write one of these blog posts, 7 years to be precise. A lot has changed in the way we listen to music, in the way I listen to music. I don’t even remember when was the last time a bought a physical copy of an album.<br />
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This year, while I listened to a lot more music than in the previous years, I didn’t listen to as many albums as I would have when I used to write these posts more regularly. My “listening” attention is being pulled between albums, streaming services, podcasts and why not, reading. Thankfully I can listen to some podcasts while I play the “occasional” game of Two Dots.<br />
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Looks like I have settled on a process to discover music that seems to be working. I listen to a couple of podcasts that recommend new music, then I listen to a few songs and albums from there on Spotify, and I let Spotify suggest more. Finally, what I truly want to listen to, gets added to my iTunes library for repeated listens.<br />
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There are a handful of albums that made me sit down and listen, sharing in no particular order:<br />
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<b>Better Oblivion Community Center</b></h4>
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Phoebe Bridgers was one of my favourite artists of the last few years (including boygenius). She teams up with Conor Oberst for a fantastic folk-rock album. I hope it's not their last one!<br />
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<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5622zSt4RLqNSPShdqmWpj?si=IsFNozehTC2POAN1ZmcUzw" target="_blank">Better Oblivion Community Centre on Spotify</a><br />
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Nilüfer Yanya - Miss Universe</h4>
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At only 24 years of age, her music sounds a lot more mature than that. I love the sound of her guitar and I hope this is the signal of many more good things to come.<br />
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<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/3cQu6qRAzmJla1JTJHHl4q?si=m7Eb0CbsR6O56GzVn3f8vg" target="_blank">Nilüfer Yanya - Miss Universe on Spotify</a><br />
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Marika Hackman – Any Human Friend</h4>
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Don't know how Marika Hackman has flown under my radar for so long. This is probably the album that I listened to the most. This is a strange one for me, I identify a lot with the melodies, but not so much with the words. The album tells the life of a twenty-something living in a big city... I am not that anymore. For younger people, it probably has a different meaning, for me it's all about the pop melodies.<br />
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<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/1MyAYzrDvFNjNY689PtpWF?si=RgATqCASSzOJX6HsNpG-0Q" target="_blank">Marika Hackman – Any Human Friend on Spotify</a><br />
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FINNEAS – Blood Harmony</h4>
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Finneas O'Connell is the lesser know of the O'Connell siblings, but I would say, the creative force behind her sister Billie Eilish. This EP is a small collection of finely crafted pop songs. For me "I Don't Miss You at All" is contender for the song of the year<br />
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<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/51V8Fme8o9GthQ3O1RNMtE?si=cuF6l384RmC01NWrK5js1A" target="_blank">FINNEAS – Blood Harmony on Spotify</a><br />
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No-Man – Love You To Bits</h4>
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I am not going to try to describe this one, from the "Art-Rock" duo of Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson. Pop Matters describes it as their Disco White Whale and most other reviews are in prog rock sites, well, you will just have to try it for yourselves.<br />
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<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/6BJX73xMimxz4OJtWWuO0u?si=Zi4j5PTbT0Kwh18wa8jZ9A" target="_blank">No-Man – Love You To Bits on Spotify</a><br />
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Other notable releases for me, include Big Thief's 2 albums, Angel Olsen's All Mirrors, Clairo's debut (Alewife is another contender for song of the year!) and Sharon Van Etten's Remind Me Tomorrow<br />
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Enjoy, and share your music!C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-37075675266444447412012-12-29T03:08:00.000-08:002012-12-29T03:08:06.669-08:00My Favourite Albums of 2012Another year has gone by, and although I didn't get enough time to blog about music, I was able to listen to a lot of new stuff, primarily thanks to iTunes Match and Spotify, that make music more accessible even for when I only had a few minutes to listen here and there.<br />
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The list this year seems a bit more mainstream than other years, not sure what it actually says about my music tastes, in saying that, the first entry in the list is not your typical pop record...<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_Corrosion" target="_blank">5. Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion</a></h4>
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This is a collaboration between Mikael Åkerfeldt, best known for his work in Prog Metal Band Opeth and Steven Wilson from Porcupine Tree, No Man, etc. Despite their background, this is not a metal or prog album. Although very difficult to label, this can possible be best described as experimental or avant garde. One thing is very definite, it has a very eerie feel to it and at times a bit disturbing. The video for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=manW5v-AR7U" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Drag Ropes</a> will help you understand what I mean by this.</div>
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Storm Corrosion is difficult to get into, but once you do, it is rewarding. Interesting orchestral soundscapes and excellent musicianship make this album a rare gem.</div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_Music" target="_blank">4. Field Music - Plumb</a></h4>
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Plumb is the 4th instalment from the Brewis brothers from Sunderland. This one was very anticipated and it certainly didn't disappoint. Contrary to previous albums by Field Music, this was full of very short songs which was viewed negatively by some critics who said the album lacked the cohesion of previous work by the band. I have to say that I particularly liked that. Short musical ideas, direct and to the point. Having said that the musical themes spread through the whole album and come back again and again giving this album a structure that perhaps escaped in the first few listens. I think this was the album I listened to the most in the first few months of the year.<br />
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<a href="http://www.juliefeeney.com/" target="_blank">3. Julie Feeney - Clocks</a></h4>
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I may have mentioned Julie once or twice before here. Her second album 'Pages', featured as one of my favourite albums back in 2009. Clocks is the long awaited difficult third album for Julie. It was crowd funded through irish website FundIt and self produced by Julie in a very busy year that saw her have a 10-night run at the Irish Arts Center in New York and 10 choral concerts around Ireland the that finished the week before the official album launch shows in Galway and Dublin in early December.<br />
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Clocks has won multiple accolades here in Ireland, and it is for good reasons. It is full of fantastic melodies and complex arrangements yet its simplicity is beautiful. I was lucky enough to see one of her 10 choral concerts back in November where the songs took a different life when sung accompanied by a choir. Stand out tracks for me are Galway Boy and Every Inch a Woman. I haven't had time to listen to this one again and again, I have a feeling that this album would have ranked higher if I had given it a few more listens.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiona_Apple" target="_blank">2. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords will serve you more than Ropes will ever do</a></h4>
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Or simply referred to as 'The Idler Wheel...', it is the long awaited 4th album from Fiona Apple. It only took 7 years to be released and it was worth the wait.<br />
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This is another difficult album to get into. Demanding, but it is definitely worth the effort as you come out on the other side feeling that you have experienced something that was carefully crafted and pull together but at the same time is full of the volatility and anxiety that have made Fiona Apple so successful since she first appeared back in 1996.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Van_Etten" target="_blank">1. Sharon Van Etten - Tramp</a></h4>
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I discovered Sharon Van Etten back in April through an eMusic article about women singer songwriters. I quickly fell in love with her music and this album in particular. I can listen to te melodies over and over again and I have often finished listening to the album only to start it again and again.<br />
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I find the combination of the melodies, her voice and the simplicity of the music beautiful. Give Out and Serpents are contenders for my song of the year.<br />
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I was delighted when a little later in the year, this album broke and was much talked about in the media. I think everybody should go and listen to Sharon Van Etten!<br />
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Other Stuff</h4>
Other albums that deserve a mention include The Temper Trap by The Temper Trap, Coexist by The XX, An Awesome Wave by alt-j, Shields by Grizzly Bear, Jack White's Blunderbuss and the Debut album of Django Django, to name a few.<br />
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As for the best Irish Albums, you can find an extensive list on <a href="http://swearimnotpaul.com/2012/12/list-best-irish-albums-of-2012.html" target="_blank">swear I'm not Paul</a>, although he is missing Clock's there! For me stand out ones here Kingdom by Heathers and Family by The Cast of Cheers.<br />
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As for the song of the year, for me it was Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men.<br />
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Next year, I will look forward to the new Villagers album as well as new songs from Birth of Youth.<br />
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Hopefully I will get chance to listen and write more about music. But if not, see you here next year for another eclectic collection of music.<br />
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C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-58077329716442481832012-06-12T05:13:00.001-07:002012-06-12T05:13:41.221-07:00Stream Fiona Apple's new AlbumYou can stream Fiona Apple's new album "The Idler Wheel" (to use it's short name) now. It didn't disappoint<br />
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<a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/06/10/154422085/first-listen-fiona-apple-the-idler-wheel?sc=tw&cc=twmp" target="_blank">http://www.npr.org/2012/06/10/154422085/first-listen-fiona-apple-the-idler-wheel?sc=tw&cc=twmp</a><br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-42843486478237109802012-04-02T16:11:00.001-07:002012-04-02T16:11:00.390-07:00This is it!<div><p>Here it is... It looks like the wait is nearing the end... Could this be the cover for the long awaited 4th album?</p>
<p>Published on Fiona Apple's Facebook page earlier today...</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zjMzfoKaL6Y/T3oyAetCnWI/AAAAAAAAAfo/DgM6COE_JZs/photo.png' /></div>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-11339848550080638062012-03-07T23:28:00.001-08:002012-03-07T23:29:20.752-08:00Fiona Apple's new album is coming<div><p>It looks like the 7 year wait for Fiona Apple's new album is finally close to the end. June, if the blogging guesses are to be trusted. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, we have to make do with the fantastic title:</p>
<p>"The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords will serve you more than Ropes will ever do."</p>
<p>By the way, haven't had a chance to write up a review of Field Music's latest album Plumb. It is fantastic, don't let those reviews saying that the short songs don't work out you off,  specially those who always tag artist with long prog like songs as too up their own arses. Who understands these people!</p>
<p>Meanwhile, I will leave you with this link to the review of <a href="http://www.state.ie/38708-album-reviews/field-music-plumb">Plumb in State Magazine.</a> Anybody that can use the word aubergine in an album review, deserves to be re blogged.  </p>
</div>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-42268126886924030332012-01-05T16:35:00.001-08:002012-01-05T16:35:25.548-08:00New Field Music album on the way<div><p>Just received a notification that the new Field Music album Plumb is available for preorder in iTunes. The release date is set for February 12th. Should be worth listening!</p>
</div>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-9911401567966780752012-01-01T01:19:00.000-08:002012-01-01T03:23:04.665-08:00My Favourite Albums of 2011Contrary to what I hoped at the end of last year, and as you can see by the very meagre output on this blog, I didn't get enough time to listen to new music. I still managed, however, to find a few gems here and there. As with the last couple of years, most of my music came in through eMusic. I didn't get enough time to trawl through sites like Bandcamp or even Twitter for new music. Bandcamp is high on my music searching agenda in 2012 as is <a href="http://www.kompoz.com/">Kompoz</a>.<div><br /></div><div>It seems to me that this year, a number of Folk bands on both sides of the Atlantic made it heavily into the mainstream media and had a bigger influence in music. I think this influenced my list this year a little bit.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girls_(band)">5. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost</a></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kphpQVLMGo0/TwAqyCY969I/AAAAAAAAAbo/q5mKjCP3FxE/s1600/FSHG.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kphpQVLMGo0/TwAqyCY969I/AAAAAAAAAbo/q5mKjCP3FxE/s200/FSHG.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692596968119725010" /></a>Girls is a an American indie group (more like a duo) that came into prominence with their first album back in late 2009. There was a lot of buzz around at the time and I dutifully checked their album. I remember thinking this is to raw for my liking and the sound is a bit off. It never grew on me.<div><br /></div><div>Much to my surprise, I really liked "Father, Son, Holy Ghost". It has a fuller sound, better production and it feels overall like a better thought out and more structured album. The record is divided in two parts. The first few songs are pretty up tempo and cheerful, while the second part turns more introspective. I'm sure there is more to get out of it if you pay attention to the lyrics, I never do! The single Vomit received a lot of praise from bloggers and established magazines alike when it came out. My favourite track of the album however is Forgiveness.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com/">4. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong</a></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OtTxk8792yM/TwAto9a2KkI/AAAAAAAAAb0/NeGbYm_ytf0/s1600/Belong.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OtTxk8792yM/TwAto9a2KkI/AAAAAAAAAb0/NeGbYm_ytf0/s200/Belong.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692600110701488706" /></a>The Pains of Being Pure at Heart took me by surprise when I discovered Belong as one of the featured albums en emusic back in April. Another American indie band, this time from NY, but with a very different sound. It took me back to the days when I was in college and I listened to music all the time, yet the sound was fresh and new to me despite the fact that you can hear the early 90's fuzzy indie scene influences all over it.<div><br /></div><div>I am not sure whether this is an album that will last the test of time, but in 2011, I listened to it over and over again.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I simply love Heart in your heartbreak.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.birdofyouth.com/">3. Bird of Youth - Defender</a></div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9UZsaWl9ANk/TwAxbGCZMSI/AAAAAAAAAcA/h7S1iFk6kIg/s1600/Defender.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9UZsaWl9ANk/TwAxbGCZMSI/AAAAAAAAAcA/h7S1iFk6kIg/s200/Defender.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692604270543188258" /></a>Bird of Youth is one of those folky acts I referred to at the top of the post. Not sure if this particular one has actually made it into the mainstream yet! I don't know anything about them except the brief bio on their website that mainly talks about Beth Wawerna's musical birth and not much else. The Album was released by Jagjaguwar records and produced by Phil Palazzolo along with Okkervil River’s Will Sheff. However it is not listed on the label's website except for a reference where they were supporting Okkervil River on a show back in December.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another emusic discovery, this is a pretty folksy album with good melodies and an overall feel good element to it, I had to listen to it over and over again. I couldn't get enough of it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope they don't fade into obscurity!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.swhq.co.uk/">2. Steven Wilson</a> - <a href="http://www.gracefordrowning.com/">Grace for Drowning</a></div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3bAl06K5eO8/TwA1Tg3tfnI/AAAAAAAAAcM/_ouZim2bEjk/s1600/Steven_Wilson_-_Grace_for_Drowning.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3bAl06K5eO8/TwA1Tg3tfnI/AAAAAAAAAcM/_ouZim2bEjk/s200/Steven_Wilson_-_Grace_for_Drowning.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692608538353696370" /></a>My list wouldn't usually include Grammy nominated albums. However, in early December, GFD was nominated for a Grammy in the Category of Best Surround Sound Mix.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think Steven Wilson is one of the musical geniuses of the 21st century. A very prolific artist with a number of different outlets primarily driven by Porcupine Tree. Despite this prolificness, GFD is only Steven Wilson's second album. For me, this was one of the most anticipated albums of 2011. Back in the summer, SW put out a teaser on his website with cuts from every single track of the album. From there, I knew that GFD was going to be something special. This is a complex album that is difficult to explain. I hesitate to call it a prog rock album for a number if reasons, but it definitely is one, it is more eclectic than that though. It has some pop elements but also borrows heavily from jazz. One of the biggest achievements in my mind is the fact that despite being a huge piece of work, it doesn't suffer from the over the top flamboyance very commonly associated with prog rock groups.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can see videos of some of the songs, including some live cuts on the album link above and judge for yourself. Simply beautiful.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.lisahannigan.ie/">1. Lisa Hannigan - Passenger</a></div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OM1_dBMIut0/TwA6Mm26ZkI/AAAAAAAAAcY/yiXglTsMFbs/s1600/Passenger.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OM1_dBMIut0/TwA6Mm26ZkI/AAAAAAAAAcY/yiXglTsMFbs/s200/Passenger.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692613917260015170" /></a><div>And from the expansive musical landscape that is GFD, I move to an album that used as a first sigle a song that starts with a Ukulele.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is no secret that I think Lisa Hannigan is one of the best Irish musicians out there. I simply loved See Saw when it came out back in 2008. It made it to my first <a href="http://pensamientoaleatorio.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-favourite-albums-of-2008.html">list</a> of albums of the year. I was a bit apprehensive about Lisa's new album. What if she turned out to be a one trick pony that only managed to get from under the shadow of one Damien Rice for a brief moment. I shouldn't have worried, I feel that with Passenger, Lisa Hannigan planted herself firmly amongst the leading group of Irish artists currently out there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Passenger is a beautifully crafted album that just begs to be listened over and over again. As with See Saw, this is one of those albums that I see myself going back to from time to time in the years to come.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Other Stuff</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Some other interesting albums included the third installment of one <a href="http://www.mattstevensguitar.com/">Matt Stevens</a>, mentioned a few times around here before. Also some new music by ASIWFA, The Aristocrats, Laura Marling and Adele.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Probably the most interesting discovery I made this year was the Australian brother and sister duo of Angus & Julia Stone and their related solo albums.</div><div><br /></div><div>The biggest musical disappointment was definitely the new Yes album.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for Live Music, this year I didn't go to as many concerts as I would have hoped and will forever be marked as the year I saw Justin Bieber live in concert! On a more serious note, over the summer there were a few good gigs, including Journey and Foreigner. I saw Rush with Geedy Lee play live (and they played La Villa Strangiato!). But the event of the year had to be Roger Waters' show The Wall.</div><div><br /></div><div>It might sound like a strange choice after you have read the full post above, but the track of the year for me was Adele's Someone Like You.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even if I don't get enough time to listen to all the music I want in 2012, I know I will discover some new and noteworthy music worth talking about at the end of the year.</div></div>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-27405365980937471722011-05-23T16:43:00.000-07:002011-05-23T16:44:28.784-07:00Roger Waters, The Wall Live at the O2 Dublin - May 23, 2011<div>Words are not enough to describe the show earlier today at the O2. It was the most technologically advanced show I have ever seen. Probably the best sound I have ever experienced and overall one of the most fantastic live experiences any rock concert goer will ever have. According to some critics, this is probably the most ambitious rock tour ever conceived.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had everything from the headmaster puppet to the walking hammers and even the now classic flying pig.</div><div><br /></div><div>Similar to the concerts in 1980, a wall is built during the first part of the show only to be brought down at the end of the show. The wall is used as a screen where a multitude of CGI graphics and cartoons from original movie are shown. I would like for someone to explain to me how it works. Every time a new brick is added, a couple of seconds later images start to appear on that brick. It is incredible. I'm sure there will be a DVD at some stage, and it will be worth getting. I suspect that, contrary to what happened back in 1980 where the band lost a significant amount of money, this tour will make a lot of Money for Mr. Waters.</div><div><br /></div><div>The only thing missing was the voice of David Gilmour on Comfortably Numb!</div><div><br /></div><div>The setlist is the same as the live shows in 1980, with a couple of extra songs not on the original album:</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Set one</strong></div><div>In The Flesh?</div><div>The Thin Ice</div><div>Another Brick In The Wall, Part 1</div><div>The Happiest Days Of Our Lives</div><div>Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2</div><div>Mother</div><div>Goodbye Blue Sky</div><div>Empty Spaces</div><div>What Shall We Do Now?</div><div>Young Lust</div><div>One Of My Turns</div><div>Don't Leave Me Now</div><div>Another Brick In The Wall, Part 3</div><div>The Last Few Bricks</div><div>Goodbye Cruel World</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Set two</strong></div><div>Hey You</div><div>Is There Anybody Out There?</div><div>Nobody Home</div><div>Vera</div><div>Bring The Boys Back Home</div><div>Comfortably Numb</div><div>The Show Must Go On</div><div>In The Flesh</div><div>Run Like Hell</div><div>Waiting For The Worms</div><div>Stop</div><div>The Trial</div><div>Outside The Wall</div><div><br /></div>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-10444910425507446002011-05-13T11:14:00.001-07:002011-05-13T11:14:39.575-07:00Rush live at the O2 Dublin - May 12, 2011<p>Yesterday I was given a masterclass on how to produce and perform a rock show. <a href="http://www.rush.com/rush/" target="_blank" title="Rush.com">Rush</a>, the Canadian power trio finally made it to Ireland. For me, it was a long wait... Over 25 years since I first discovered their music. It was either Tom Sawyer or Red Barchetta. Whatever song it was, it was from the album Moving Pictures. It was worth the wait! It couldn't have been scripted better. The Time Machine tour, is the tour where they are playing the whole of Moving Pictures, non-stop.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://pensamientoaleatorio.blogspot.com/2011/05/preview-rush-live-at-o2-dublin-april-12.html" target="_blank" title="Setlist">setlist</a> was exactly as expected, and for the people outside looking in, this might sound boring and predictable, but for most Rush fans is what makes the band so exciting to watch. While you may know what song is coming next, you still don't know what to expect. And when you get a chance to see performances of songs like La Villa Strangiato... There are no words that can quite describe the experience.</p>
<p>The attention to detail is extraordinary. The movies at the beginning and end of the show are just fantastic. The "Jesus Mary and Joseph" from O'Malley was received with a chuckle from the audience. The moving lightning rig was amazing. And even things like the sampling of Aimee Mann's voice in Time Stands Still, or Alex Lifeson playing the bass pedals for the keyboard solos in Subdivisions and Red Barchetta. Fantastic!</p>
<p>I have been playing the bass as a hobby for many years, so being able to see Geddy Lee perform live, was a treat in itself. Wow!</p>
<p>It wouldn't be a Rush concert without the drum solo. There are no words to describe it! I'm sure this will be released as a live DVD at some point, so my advice is to go an buy it.<br> <br>For those interested in the guitars, Alex played manly Gibson Les Paul's, many of them with tremolos. The PRS's are long gone, although he did use one for one of the songs. He used a 12 string acoustic (Martin I think) for the intro on Closer to the Heart. He also used a strat and a tele for a song each and finished the set with a white Gibson ES-335.</p>
<p>Geddy, used a couple of Fender Jazz Basses, both with maple necks. Not that common these days, but I have to admit that I much prefer maple over any other neck on my bass. It is incredible the sound that he gets out of that thing!</p>
<p>As for the chimpanzees, they played an Epiphone Les Paul, and a Squire Jazz Bass!</p>
<p class=""><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TczqnQhwzdI/AAAAAAAAAZw/Imsbke2cJgY/4093.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TczqnQhwzdI/AAAAAAAAAZw/Imsbke2cJgY/s500/4093.jpg" id="blogsy-1305309851662.24" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="333" alt=""></a></p>
<p>The picture is from Alan Moore's <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/audioaperture/" target="_blank" title="Somr cool pics!">Audioaperture</a> flickr's stream. </p>
C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-74404379224610389072011-05-07T23:15:00.000-07:002011-05-07T23:27:18.024-07:00Preview - Rush live at the O2, Dublin - April 12, 2011 Dublin<p>I've been a Rush fan for the last 25 years or maybe more. I've never had the chance to enjoy their live experience first hand. If their live albums, DVDs and hundreds of reviews are anything to o by, it is an amazing experience!</p><p>This will change on Thursday!</p><p>Here is the expected set list to wet the appetite:</p><ul><li>"The Spirit of Radio"</li><li>"Time Stand Still"</li><li>"Presto"</li><li>"Stick It Out"</li><li>"Workin' Them Angels"</li><li>"Leave That Thing Alone"</li><li>"Faithless"</li><li>"BU2B" (from Clockwork Angels)</li><li>"Freewill"</li><li>"Marathon"</li><li>"Subdivisions"</li></ul><p><strong>Intermission</strong></p><ul><li>"Tom Sawyer"</li><li>"Red Barchetta"</li><li>"YYZ"</li><li>"Limelight"</li><li>"The Camera Eye"</li><li>"Witch Hunt"</li><li>"Vital Signs"</li><li>"Caravan" (from Clockwork Angels)</li><li>"Love 4 Sale" (Drum solo)</li><li>"Closer To The Heart"</li><li>"2112 Overture / The Temples of Syrinx"</li><li>"Far Cry"</li></ul><p><strong>Encore</strong>:</p><ul><li>"La Villa Strangiato" (with polka intro)</li><li>"Working Man" (with reggae intro and Cygnus X-1: Book I outro)</li></ul><p>Just google and read any review from a blog to get the picture!</p><p></p>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-46836903255656458592011-03-16T02:33:00.000-07:002011-03-16T02:48:28.947-07:00Databases on the iPhone / iPod Touch - Updated!Back in August of 2008 I wrote a post about some database applications available for the iPod Touch / iPhone. You can find the original post in this <a href="http://pensamientoaleatorio.blogspot.com/2008/08/simple-database-on-iphone-ipod-touch.html">blog</a> somewhere.<br /><br />I think it is time for an update. As there have been a lot of new apps added to the App Store over the last 2 years, some of which are worth exploring.<br /><br /><ul><li>First of all a quick update. <a href="http://www.fmtouch.com">FMTouch</a> has come down in price significantly! It is now only €7.99. It makes it a lot more accessible. Still I haven't gone for it.<br /><br /></li><li>I still use <a href="http://web.me.com/simon_wigzell/Ozymandias/Home.html">CSV Touch</a> as it is a very simple way to carry data around. With good search capabilities. However, CSV touch forces you to have a essentially a materialized view of your data as you can not perform any joins between different tables. You can think of it as carrying a number of reports on your iPhone.<br /><br /></li></ul>Since I want to play around with SQL, I have looked at a few options. Note, there are a lot more options available these days, including things like HanDBase or AppCreator that let you develop more application like forms on the iPhone, or even clients that let you connect to corporate databases and keep copies of the data on your phone.<div><br /></div><div>So to choose, I ran a search for sqlite on the App Store, and after reading about the different app features I settled on <a href="http://blog.itopchiyev.com/products/sqliteeditor/">SQLite Editor</a> as it seems to have the most features available. I am only starting with it, but so far, so good.</div><div><br /></div><div>As always, comments are welcomed!</div><div><br /><br /></div>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-14494754203580625312011-03-03T11:48:00.000-08:002011-03-03T11:52:40.069-08:00Julie Feeney in New York 2011 - VideoJulie just posted this beautiful video on YoutTube. It has live excerpts of Grace and Love is a tricky thing as well as a fantastic live version of Impossibly Beautiful.<br /><br />Worth checking out.<br /><br /><iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EdYhG0pfb1I?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe><br /><br />Google Arbutus Yarns for some more fantastic videosC.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-36837679651809842532011-03-03T06:11:00.000-08:002011-03-03T06:16:48.604-08:00Justin Bieber.... seriously?After months of inactivity I am not so happy to report that the next live show I will have the pleasure to attend will be... Justin Bieber... seriously... imagine the reasons. Needless to say that I will not be posting a review or the setlist.<br /><br />Thankfully the summer is approaching with vintage shows like Foreigner / Journey, Rush and more importantly, The Wall.<br /><br />In the meantime, here is a link to an Interesting new track from <a href="http://www.swearimnotpaul.com/2011/02/download-asiwyfa-searchpartyanimal.html">And So I Watch You From Afar, directly through the Swear I'm Not Paul Music Blog.</a>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-5464900155191267442010-12-21T13:49:00.000-08:002010-12-25T13:36:31.533-08:00My Favourite Albums of 20102010 was a great year for music, although I wasn't able to listen to as much as I would have liked, here are my top 5 albums of 2010 in reverse order:<div><br /><div>5. <a href="http://www.field-music.co.uk/">Field Music - Field Music (Measure)</a></div><div><a href="http://www.field-music.co.uk/"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TRZVAqVcZbI/AAAAAAAAAX0/7MhWUZwT-ZQ/s1600/FieldMusic_300.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TRZVAqVcZbI/AAAAAAAAAX0/7MhWUZwT-ZQ/s320/FieldMusic_300.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554720660260677042" /></a><div>Third full length studio album from Field Music, English band led by the Brewis brothers. This one got me by surprise as I hadn't heard of the band or related side projects before. It was a suggestion from eMusic.com, and it hit the mark! A well thought out album well worth checking out!</div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div>4. <a href="http://www.pineapplethief.com/">The Pineapple Thief - Someone Here Is Missing</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TRZX4sIh2WI/AAAAAAAAAX8/uPB-utzeEJk/s1600/TPT_300.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TRZX4sIh2WI/AAAAAAAAAX8/uPB-utzeEJk/s200/TPT_300.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554723821839309154" /></a></div><div>I love prog rock, but lets be honest, prog rock is more often than not pretentious and self indulgent. And there are only a handful of groups that can pull it off these days. My favourite group of the new breed of prog rock musicians is Porcupine Tree. After I discovered them I went looking for similar artists and I haven't found many that come anywhere near. The Pineapple Thief do, and in my opinion, with Someone Here is Missing, they are finally standing on their own with their individual sound. A fine modern prog rock album and the best of 2010!</div><div><br /></div><br /><p></p><p>3. <a href="http://www.mattstevensguitar.com/">Matt Stevens - Ghost</a></p><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TRZaPMdff9I/AAAAAAAAAYE/0oRND2do7rY/s1600/MattStevens_300.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TRZaPMdff9I/AAAAAAAAAYE/0oRND2do7rY/s200/MattStevens_300.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554726407497547730" /></a>Matt is from a new kind of musician that does it for the love of the art (obviously selling his music is what allows him to keep going, so I encourage you to drop by his site to get some pay what you'd like music). He is very active on the social media (twitter, facebook, ustream, you name it) and is always available to engage on conversation. You can ask him about his techniques, chord progressions or even what he had for breakfast, if you are so inclined. What this really does is to make the music more personal and accessible. He plays solo guitar by looping parts of a song and layering more sections on top of each other.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ghost is a solo guitar album like you have never heard before. It is a must!</div><br /><p></p><p>2. <a href="http://www.arcadefire.com/">Arcade Fire - The Suburbs</a></p><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TRZePaZYxtI/AAAAAAAAAYM/-axNlIe9K_Y/s1600/ArcadeFire_300.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TRZePaZYxtI/AAAAAAAAAYM/-axNlIe9K_Y/s200/ArcadeFire_300.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554730809284937426" /></a>I came late to the Arcade Fire party. Having only bought Funeral earlier this year means that I haven't been enjoying their collective music as long as most people out there. When I saw their Glastonburry set (on TV only unfortunately) they really drew my attention. I saw there was substance to all that craze around them. I bought Funeral shortly after that and The Suburbs a few weeks later. If ou haven't yet, check this one out, you won't regret it.</div><br /><p></p><div><br /></div><div>1. <a href="http://www.suzannevega.com/">Suzanne Vega - Close-Up Vol 1, Love Songs</a></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TRZePm1uaiI/AAAAAAAAAYU/KFTzzvgyK5E/s1600/SVCloseUp1_300.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TRZePm1uaiI/AAAAAAAAAYU/KFTzzvgyK5E/s200/SVCloseUp1_300.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554730812625021474" /></a>In theory compilations are not allowed on a favourite albums of the year list, however this one is slightly different. As I have mentioned somewhere else on this blog, I have been a big fan of Suzanne Vega since I heard Luka for the first time back in 1987. The Close-Up series features re-recorded versions of some of her most memorable songs. What makes these recordings so powerful is the way Suzanne Vega has managed o make them more raw. They feel closer. You almost feel like she is playing in your living room. Volume 2, People & Places was released a few weeks ago, and it is also worth checking out. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Other Stuff</b></div><div>Some other good albums to check include:</div><div><ul><li>Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love</li><li>The New Pornographers - Together</li><li>Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart</li><li>Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back (still waiting for the second album!)</li><li>Eels - Tomorrow Morning</li><li>Villagers - Becoming a Jackal</li><li>Polar Bear - Peepers</li></ul></div><div>My favourite non-single track of the year is Crash Years by The New Pornographers</div><div><br /></div><div>My favourite Irish single of the year is This Is Goodbye by CODES</div><div><br /></div><div>The concert of the year for me was <a href="http://pensamientoaleatorio.blogspot.com/2010/06/julie-feeney-live-at-national-concert.html">Julie Feeney live at the National Concert Hall</a> back in February. Magical!</div><div><br /></div><div>And finally, the weirdest opening act has to be the acoustic set by French prog rockers Averse when opening for Lisa Cuthbert (another interesting album to check)</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope to have more time for more interesting music in 2011. Happy New Year!</div></div></div>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-27844849546188302762010-10-12T02:15:00.000-07:002010-10-12T02:18:34.215-07:00Porcupine Tree Live at Tripod in Dublin - October 11th, 2010 - SetlistFantastic show yesterday evening in Tripod. Just the setlist for now. I will publish a review later on.<div><br /></div><div><b>Set 1</b></div><div><div><ul><li>Even Less</li><li>Open Car</li><li>Lazarus</li><li>The Sound of Muzak</li><li>The Sky Moves Sideways (Phase One)</li><li>I Drive the Hearse</li><li>Anesthetize</li></ul></div><div><b>Set 2</b></div><div><ul><li>Occam's Razor</li><li>The Blind House</li><li>Great Expectations</li><li>Kneel and Disconnect</li><li>Drawing the Line</li><li>Blackest Eyes</li><li>Time Flies</li><li>Sleep Together</li></ul></div><div><b>Encore</b></div><div><ul><li>Trains</li></ul></div></div>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-29315210858992094722010-06-13T00:21:00.000-07:002010-06-13T01:20:17.222-07:00Suzanne Vega Live at The Village in Dublin - June 10th, 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TBSIBjNgCaI/AAAAAAAAAXU/doVoZYLefnQ/s1600/Suzanne+Vega+Dublin+20100610.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TBSIBjNgCaI/AAAAAAAAAXU/doVoZYLefnQ/s320/Suzanne+Vega+Dublin+20100610.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482156206629849506" /></a><br /><div>Despite the fact that I have seen <a href="http://www.suzannevega.com/">Suzanne Vega</a> live 6 or 7 times, I still get a sense of anticipation every time. I first listened to her when back in 87 on a rare day I stayed home from school and the local rock station had a feature on her. Her voice captured me instantly and I went on a quest to get her first 2 albums (not easy to get imports in Mexico back then!). I had become a true fan.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have seen her with a number of different backing bands, including 3 piece (guitar, bass & drums), 4 piece (keyboards, guitar, bass & drums) and even just herself and a bass player, usually <a href="http://www.mikevisceglia.com/">Mike Visceglia</a>. However this time she was joined on stage by Mike, and by Dubliner <a href="http://www.spookyghost.com/">Gerry Leonard</a> on electric guitar, giving her performance a whole new dimension.</div><div><br /></div><div>This tour is to promote Suzanne's new album "Close-Up Vol 1, Love Songs". the first in a series of 4 that are planned to be released over the next 2 years and are more raw re-recordings of Suzanne's songs. This tour also marks the 25th anniversary of the first album, so a good few old songs were included in the set, sadly no Undertow (I have never heard it live!), although she told me after the show that she still plays it occasionally. Here is hoping for the next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>The show started with "Marlene on the Wall", her voice sounding as good as ever, and the crowd of mainly seasoned fans enjoying every bit of it. She played the usual suspects of Luka, Gypsy, Left of Center and The Queen and the Soldier. She played some new ones for me live: New York is a Woman, Frank & Ava and a rare gem for me Some Journey. The setlist also included the DNA version of Tom's Dinner which was fantastic!</div><div><br /></div><div>She was more talkative than I have ever seen her before, telling stories before every song, and not the same ones I have heard before! This time I learnt that the guy behind Gypsy was the Arts and Crafts councilor in the boys camp... which brought a chuckle to the audience. There was no reading before Neighborhood Girls, which thankfully didn't skip like on my original vinyl. (Well, I couldn't travel back to the States to return it so I had to leave with it... to this day 23 odd years later, I still expect the CD to skip when I am listening to the song!) </div><div><br /></div><div>I got the setlist from stage, if you are wondering what are the numbers beside every song, it is for Suzanne to know where to place the capo on her guitar. I then went to the the merchandise stall to buy her new CD (well worth a listen) where I was told that she would be coming out to sign autographs in 5 minutes, so I decided to stick around and she kindly signed my setlist.</div><div><br /></div><div>If Suzanne Vega plays anywhere near you, go and see her. I hope she keeps coming back to Dublin tour after tour. I will keep going to enjoy what has always been a great night!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Setlist</b></div><div><ul><li>Marlene on the Wall</li><li>Small Blue Thing</li><li>Caramel</li><li>Frank & Ava</li><li>New York is a Woman</li><li>Pornographer's Dream</li><li>Gypsy</li><li>Harbor Song<br /></li></ul> Intermission</div><div><ul><li>Tombstone</li><li>Left of Centre</li><li>Blood Makes Noise</li><li>Solitaire</li><li>The Man Who Played God (A <a href="http://www.sparklehorse.com/">Sparklehorse</a> song)</li><li>The Queen and the Soldier</li><li>Neighborhood Girls</li><li>Some Journey</li><li>Luka</li><li>Tom's Diner<br /><br /></li><li>Calypso</li><li>Rosemary</li><li>In Liverpool (it was on the setlist but it wasn't performed!)</li></ul></div><br /><br /><a href="http://pix.ie/granbajo/1729780" title="Autographed setlist! by granbajo"><img src="http://photos5.pix.ie/EC/C4/ECC4E73CA69D40E5A0D8A306A2E571CF-240.jpg" alt="Autographed setlist!" width="240" height="180" /></a><div><br /></div><div>Live picture of Suzanne from the flickr photostream of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gintaras_v/">zoomzuzaki</a></div>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-20140672433645941742010-06-02T13:11:00.000-07:002010-06-05T12:31:35.273-07:00Julie Feeney Live at the National Concert Hall - May 29th, 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TAa71Q6ajzI/AAAAAAAAAXM/SLAj0OwvrW4/s1600/JulieFeeneyNCH20100529.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/TAa71Q6ajzI/AAAAAAAAAXM/SLAj0OwvrW4/s320/JulieFeeneyNCH20100529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478272520490225458" /></a>When I was telling people that I had tickets to see Julie Feeney at the National Concert Hall, I was always asked: What kind of music does she play? Answering the question is not straightforward. Julie's style can best be described as "classical pop". <div><br /></div><div>For last Saturday's concert, Julie was accompanied on stage by the Pages Orchestra, a 20+ piece orchestra with piano, strings (violins violas, cellos and a double bass!), winds, harp and percussions. Julie played the piano, recorder, accordion and her trusted harmonium.<div><br /></div><div>She played a selection of songs from '13 Songs' and 'Pages' in full. As always, the arrangements are very different from the album versions and really emphasize her beautiful melodies and harmonies. She also added a couple of covers, including a great version of Halleluja, and excerpts from Philip Glass' Songs from Liquid Days.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was lucky enough to get 2nd row tickets despite the fact that I only bought them 5 days before the concert and it was fully sold out by Saturday. And the acoustics of the National Concert Hall really made for a fantastic show.</div><div><br /></div><div>Aching sounded beautiful with the full orchestra, as opposed to last year in Crawdaddy when she sang it with the harmonium only. One More Tune is a favourite of mine live, she gets the crowd really engaged clapping and singing. Myth went down very well as Julie walked around the theatre while interacting with the crowd. And of course the encore of Love is a Tricky thing, followed by Impossibly Beautiful finished what was a fantastic night and a very different concert. </div><div><br /></div><div>Julie's songs, interwoven harmonies and poetic lyrics are truly beautiful. I hope that she releases a live album to enjoy the experience over and over again.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Setlist</b>:</div><div><ul><li>Autopilot</li><li>Monster</li><li>Alien</li><li>Grace</li><li><del>Instrumental Interlude</del> 1,000,001 (instrumental version)</li><li>Valentine's Song</li><li>Stay</li><li>Nothing to Declare</li><li>Knock Knock</li><li>Wind Out Of My Sails</li><li>Myth</li><li>Excerpts from Songs from Liquid Days</li><li>Fictitious Richard</li><li>Mr. Roving Eye Guy</li><li>Aching</li><li>You Broke The Magic</li><li>Life's Nudge</li><li>Hallelujah</li><li>One More Tune<br /><br /></li><li>Love Is A Tricky Thing</li><li>Impossibly Beautiful</li></ul><b>Update, June 5th, 2010 - </b>I received a message from Julie yesterday where she kindly told me that the first instrumental was a special arrangement of 1,000,001 that she prepared for the show, so I have changed the setlist accordingly!</div></div>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-74751220385596196342009-12-31T08:21:00.000-08:002009-12-31T08:39:38.976-08:00My Favourite Albums of 2009This is becoming a tradition now! For the second year, here is my list of favourite albums of this year. Again, somewhat different from all the other lists out there. Here are my top 5:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.porcupinetree.com/">Porcupine Tree</a> - The Incident. Long awaited follow up to Fear of a Blank Planet<br /></li><li><a href="http://www.juliefeeney.com/home.html">Julie Feeney</a> - Pages. You can read my reviews <a href="http://pensamientoaleatorio.blogspot.com/search/label/Julie%20Feeney">somewhere</a> else on this blog</li><li><a href="http://www.godhelpthegirl.com/">God Help The Girl</a> - God Help The Girl. Simply brilliant!<br /></li><li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/And-So-I-Watch-You-From-Afar/25571011322">And So I Watch You From Afar</a> - And So I Watch You From Afar. Cracking debut of this instrumental rock band from Northern Ireland</li><li><a href="http://www.swhq.co.uk/index.cfm">Steven Wilson</a> - Insurgentes... aptly names after a very long avenue in Mexico City</li></ul>As always all comments are welcomed!C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-83682869845258222642009-12-06T06:21:00.000-08:002009-12-06T07:08:16.725-08:00Lisa Hannigan Live in Vicar St, Dublin - December 3rd, 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/SxvB6UPHdZI/AAAAAAAAAW8/KRjTFvW42bk/s1600-h/Lisa+Hannigan-2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/SxvB6UPHdZI/AAAAAAAAAW8/KRjTFvW42bk/s320/Lisa+Hannigan-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412132584824468882" /></a><br />Musically, Lisa Hannigan is about the complete opposite from <a href="http://pensamientoaleatorio.blogspot.com/2009/12/yes-live-at-olympia-dublin-november.html">Yes</a>. Barely a week later after seeing them I was treated to the perfect week for a Thursday evening. I discovered Lisa a while back through her work with Damian Rice but I became a big fan after the release of her Mercury Price nominated album <a href="http://pensamientoaleatorio.blogspot.com/2008/09/lisa-hannigan-see-sew.html">See Saw</a>. I don't know the full story behind the break up with Mr Rice, but nothing in the set made reference to her musical past. Having seen him opening for Leonard Cohen and then Lisa's show earlier this week. I am firmly on Lisa's camp.<div><br /></div><div>The set started with a fantastic version of Pistachio, and was made up of most of Lisa's debut album. She complimented it with a couple of covers and she was brave enough to play 3 or 4 new songs. For me the highlights of show where "I don't know", "Teeth", "Lille" and the closing song, which was a fantastic version of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus".</div><div><br /></div><div>The simplicity of Lisa's music accompanies her voice perfectly. The beauty of the arrangements and the energy and happiness of the musicians made for an incredible gig. I imagined myself going back to Vicar St to see her over and over again for the next 20 years as the memories build up of her incredible music.</div><div><br /></div><div>Setlist:</div><div><ul><li>Pistachio</li><li>Sea song</li><li>Blurry</li><li>Ocean and a rock</li><li>My Pirate disco</li><li>Braille</li><li>Venn diagram</li><li>Courting blues</li><li>Passenger</li><li>I don't know</li><li>Just like tom thumb</li><li>Couldn't love you more</li><li>Teeth</li><li>A Sail</li><li>Lille<br /><br /></li><li>Blow the wind southerly</li><li>Keep it all</li><li>Personal Jesus</li></ul><div>Lisa's live picture is from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kdamo/sets/72157622809278177/">kDamos's flickr Lisa Hannigan Live Set</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-51449569182314460862009-12-06T01:49:00.000-08:002009-12-06T02:36:02.676-08:00Yes Live at the Olympia, Dublin - November 26th, 2009Nearly 8 years to the date after I saw Yes for the first time as part of their Symphonic tour at The Point in Dublin, I had the opportunity to see them again. The fact that Jon Anderson is not with them doesn't bother me, but don't et this the wrong way, I understand the importance of Jon Anderson in the history of Yes, but 2 things: The fact that he is not with them on this tour means that they played a couple of Drama tracks, and more importantly, right around the Union tour I remember him making a comment that Yes was like an Orchestra, where it didn't matter who was playing as long as the Spirit of Yes was kept alive. Indeed it is!<br /><br />The crowd in Dublin was fantastic, like me, most of them didn't seem bother with the fact that Benoit David was singing or that Oliver Wakeman was on keyboards, although lets face it, the number of keyboard players in Yes over the years is rather large.<br /><br />First to Benoit, I think he did a fantastic job. He was able to hit all the notes ad he had lots of energy, even if his dancing was a bit dodgy. He gave the show a different vibe. The guys were having fun on stage, and I think he was the main driver behind that.<br /><br />As for Oliver, he is a really good keyboard player, although his timing was not impecable like his father's. A lot of the previous reviews pictured him as a bit cold, I felt he was really involved in the show.<br /><br />Alan White played a good set with a a solid and fun drum solo. I think his playing is a bit understated, and to be honest I wasn't paying to much attention to him as I spent most of the time enjoying Steve's playing.<br /><br /><div>Chris Squire played a fantastic show, although he was about to collapse at the end of it! It still gets me how he can sing background vocals while playing Roundabout, if you have a bass, try playig it, let alone singing at the same time. A highlight for me was the bassline for Tempus Fugit.</div><div><br /></div><div>But to me, the star of the show was Steve Howe. I have seen him with Yes a couple of times and with Asia a couple of times, and this was by far his most fun performance. He was dancing around and improvising in some of the soles, which is unheard off! In true over the top prog rock mode, at some stage he had his Gibson ES, while playing the Line 6 Variax on a stand, beside the Fender Dual Pro Steel and changing between the three. Fantastic!</div><div><br /></div><div>For his solo set, I wanted to see him play Mood for a Day, which he played the last time I saw him with Asia, but instead he played Classical Gas... it was superb! </div><div><br /></div><div>As I mentioned before, the highlights of the show where the two Drama songs, and the fact that there were no 20 minute epics didn't bother me. Easy for me to say because the last time I saw them they played Gates of Delirium and Close to the Edge. The other song that is worth mentioning was Siberian Khatru. So the opening was exactly like the start of the famous Yessongs. All in all a fantastic show, from a fantastic band, and yes, if they come back again, I will go and see them. Doesn't matter who is playing what instrument, as long as the spirit of Yes is alive, I will continue to support them.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Setlist:</div><div><ul><li>Firebird Suite</li><li>Siberian Khatru</li><li>I've seen all good people</li><li>Tempus Fugit</li><li>Onward</li><li>Astral Traveller (with Drum Solo)</li><li>Yours is no disgrace</li><li>And You and I</li><li>Steve How Solo<br />- Classical Gas<br />- Cactus Boogie</li><li>Owner of a lonely heart</li><li>South side of the sky</li><li>Machine Messiah</li><li>Heart of the Sunrise</li><li>Roundabout<br /><br /></li><li>Starship Trooper</li></ul><br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/SxuIovut4ZI/AAAAAAAAAW0/siDqpa_xO7k/s1600-h/Yes+Live+2009-0.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/SxuIovut4ZI/AAAAAAAAAW0/siDqpa_xO7k/s320/Yes+Live+2009-0.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412069610804339090" /></a>C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-49781157646328740142009-10-28T14:32:00.000-07:002009-10-28T14:43:31.835-07:00Cats and Cats and Cats - Oh Boy!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/Sui6PuCiL4I/AAAAAAAAAWs/x0KIiRiwtRU/s1600-h/C%26C%26C300x300.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E9at6bl9mtA/Sui6PuCiL4I/AAAAAAAAAWs/x0KIiRiwtRU/s320/C%26C%26C300x300.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397768932623003522" /></a><br />On the way back from work this afternoon, I was listening to the latest BBC Introducing Podcast. The featured DIY Label of the Week was <a href="http://www.robotneedshome.com/site/">Robot Needs Home records</a>. One of the bands they showcased was the fabulously named Cats and Cats and Cats as they have a new download only double A single out. It is available on iTunes and emusic.com.<br /><br />I immediately logged on to emusic and used my remaining credits for this month to download the few songs they have released. Real high quality indie rock, specially their newest release. Worth checking out! I do hope they make it big!<br /><br />Check them out on their <a href="http://www.myspace.com/catsandcatsandcats">myspace page</a>.<br /><br />Enjoy!C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-13284800281374863822009-07-26T08:12:00.001-07:002009-07-27T15:15:43.991-07:00U2 Croke Park, Dublin - July 25th, 2009<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/satsuma7/3753072671/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2452/3753072671_a46d5f8188_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0.9em;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/satsuma7/3753072671/">Pics from U2 360 Tour</a><br />Originally uploaded by <br> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/satsuma7/">Michelle Kenna [satsuma7]</a></span></div><br />Yesterday I saw U2 for the 4th time, but it had been a while since the last time in Slane in 2001. U2 have been known for a while as the masters of Stadium Rock but in recent years they seemed to have lost some of that spark that made them so popular in the late 80's and early 90's. And certainly "No Line on the Horizon" hasn't helped much to improve that image. But was I in for an amazing show!<br /><br />The concert started promptly at 6:30 with a short set from Republic of Loose who to me where a bit disappointing. In all fairness, the place was less than half full. I things in the pitch may have been a bit better for them. They finish their set with their most well known song Comeback Girl.<br /><br />They were followed by a slightly longer set from Kaiser Chiefs, who rocked the place. They were fantastic! Highlights for me where Ruby and Oh My God. Ricky Wilson said at some stage that his job was to get us moving, and he did it very well. I hope they regain the momentum from their previous albums. I would like to see them headline one of the summer festivals soon.<br /><br />Finally at 8:50 U2 came out and started with 4 new tracks, which worked much better on a live setting than on the album. From the new songs I really liked Magnificent, Get on Your Boots and I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight. Despite the fact that they played many new songs, they brushed up a few classic tracks, and although I missed I Will Follow and New Year's Day which they had played every time I had seen them, they played Angel of Harlem, In a Little While and The Unforgettable Fire, which I had never heard live.<br /><br />The first time I saw them in Mexico City for the Zoo TV Tour, I remember an interview with Bono who said that he had heard that Mexican crowds where the only ones that were as loud as the Irish. I think he was wrong and Ireland is still the best place to see U2. One of the highlights of the night yesterday was when they started I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Bono stopped singing and the crowd took over until the end of the first Chorus. It was something incredible.<br /><br />The setlist changed significantly from Friday to Saturday to make it worthwhile to go to all the gigs. Now I am thinking if I should get tickets for Monday.<br /><br />Here is the full setlist thanks to <a href="http://swearimnotpaul.blogspot.com/2009/07/live-setlist-u2-croke-park-25-july-2009.html">swearimnotpaul</a>:<br /><br />Breathe<br />No Line on the Horizon<br />Get on Your Boots<br />Magnificent<br />Beautiful Day<br />Mysterious Ways<br />I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For<br />Angel of Harlem<br />In A Little While<br />Unknown Caller<br />The Unforgettable Fire<br />City of Blinding Lights<br />Vertigo<br />I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight<br />Sunday Bloody Sunday<br />Pride (In The Name of Love)<br />MLK<br />Walk On<br />Where the Streets Have No Name<br />One<br />---<br />Ultraviolet (Light My Way)<br />With or Without You<br />Moment of Surrender <br /><br />By the way, can anybody tell me if Adam Clayton's hollowbody bass is a Jack Casady, a Rivoli or an EB2?C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-52886814759905896272009-07-13T10:43:00.000-07:002009-07-13T10:56:27.256-07:00Bruce Spingsteen Live in Dublin - RDS, July 12th 2009 - Review and SetlistAbout 20 years ago, a friend told me to make sure that if I ever had the opportunity to see Bruce Springsteen, that I should take it as it would probably be one of the best concerts I would ever go to. He did this while bragging over the fact that he had been on the concert in LA that ended up<br />as most of the last album in the Live 1975 - 1985 retrospective. It took a long time but finally yesterday I was able to see The Boss play live in the RDS Stadium in Dublin.<br /><br />I wasn't disappointed!<br /><br />We got to the stadium at around 7:00 PM, the concert was scheduled to start at 7:30, but it didn't start until just after 8:00 and in typical Irish fashion after a short shower, but even the rain couldn't dampen the excitement from the crowd. Thankfully that was the last of the rain we saw for the evening, in contrast with the Saturday gig where it poured over Dublin for most of it.<br /><br />The stage was quite plain. And as for gigs this size (I read somewhere that it was 40,000 people, can anybody confirm it?) it was lacking a lot of flair. It had two screens on either side, and a big screen behind the stage which would come on and off from time to time. Lights were fairly basic and most off them were to illuminate the crowd. A couple of times during the show they even turned on the floodlights! The show is obviously about the music, and no better man than Bruce himself to carry the show for the 3+ hours that the show lasted.<br /><br />Springsteen is well known for his changeable setlists, where he throws surprises and takes on requests from the crowd. The full setlist is below, but let me give you some of my highlights and lowlights first. I was bitterly disappointed that he didn't play The River, he had been playing it<br />for the last few shows so I had high hopes. The River is up there with Billy Joel's Scenes from an Italian Restaurant as one of my favourite story songs. I have seen Billy Joel play that song live a couple of times, and I was really hoping to hear my other favourite, but it didn't happen. He<br />played other great tunes, including No Surrender, Darkness on the Edge of Town (which he has played only a handful of times during this tour), Jungleland, 41 Shots (which according to <a href="http://blog.nj.com/springsteen/2009/07/bruce_springsteen_plays_41_sho.html">Stand Goldstein</a> is the first time he plays it since 2003!) and Born to Run.<br /><br />The show started with Nil's accordion solo which morphed into the Irish song Fields of Athenry and after 3 hours it ended with a bang with Rosalita, Glory Days, Dancing in the Dark and Twist & Shout, where he also had us singing La Bamba for a little while.<br /><br />You could see the smiles on the faces of the people as they left the stadium. It was a night to remember for a long time.<br /><br />Full setlist:<br /><br />Intro: Nils accordion solo - Fields of Athenry<br />No Surrender<br />Badlands<br />Night<br />My Lucky Day<br />Outlaw Pete<br />Hungry Heart<br />Working On A Dream<br />Seeds<br />Johnny 99<br />Youngstown<br />Darkness On The Edge of Town<br />Raise your Hand (Instrumental)<br />Spirit In The Night (Request)<br />Sherry Darling (Request)<br />Proud Mary (Request)<br />Prove It All Night<br />Trapped<br />Waiting On A Sunny Day<br />Promised Land<br />Radio Nowhere<br />American Skin (41 Shots)<br />Lonesome Day<br />The Rising<br />Born To Run<br /><br />Encore:<br />Jungleland<br />American Land<br />Rosalita<br />Glory Days<br />Dancing In The Dark<br />Twist & Shout (with a little bit of La Bamba!)<br /><br />Please let me know if you have a goo picture of the gig that I could use for the post!C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015342155614428533.post-19989360989176853482009-07-01T10:56:00.000-07:002009-07-01T11:07:46.630-07:00Yeats to Music: Mike Scott at the National Library Dublin - June 30th, 2009So I caved in to the pressure of my adoring fan base who were asking for a review of yesterday's poetry reading. Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, I said poetry reading. Yesterday was the final event of the summer programme that the National Library of Ireland had dedicated to the work of Irish Poet <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Butler_Yeats">W.B. Yeats</a>: Yeats to music by Mike Scott.<br /><br />If you don't know Mike Scott, he is the lead singer, and the main force behind <a href="http://www.mikescottwaterboys.com/">The Waterboys</a>. Check out one of my <a href="http://pensamientoaleatorio.blogspot.com/2007/10/old-post-to-start-with-midlands.html">first posts</a> for a review of the Midlands Festival a couple of years ago where they were on the bill. Mike Scott has already recorded a few songs with Yeats' words, most notably Love and Death (on the album Dream Harder) and A Song of the Rosy-Cross (with Sharon Shannon). Mike is also working on a full stage production of Yeats' songs that will be on stage next March in the Abbey Theatre.<br /><br />The "gig" was an hour long event where Mike read Yeats' poetry for the first 30 minutes or so, focusing on some more obscure poems, and then he was accompanied on stage by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wickham">Steve Wickham</a> on the fiddle and John McCullough on keyboard.<br /><br />For the musical part of the event, they played five or six "musical adaptations" of Yeats' poems. I particularly enjoyed the last two songs as they reminded me more of the Waterboys sound:<br /><br /><ul><li> Politics, which happens to be the last poem on the last poetry compilation... not necessarily the last poem he ever wrote! I hope this song gets released at some stage.</li><li> Let the Earth Bear Witness which was inspired by the current events in Iran. Mike explained that he took the lyrics from two poems that seemed appropriate for what's going on over there at the moment. And composed the music around them.</li></ul><br />WARNING: The video has some very strong and violent images of the events in Iran<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEoEUdOKhsA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr>v=kEoEUdOKhsA</a><br /><br />I have to say that all in all, it was a very interesting event from the National Library of Ireland well worth attendingC.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07855047783883711507noreply@blogger.com0