Happiness Machine

Foals - 15th November 2010 - Set List

2010-12-08T10:44:00.003Z

So for anyone out there whose interested I thought I'd put up a few set lists of gigs I'd been to recently as I'm nerdy and like to make playlists of live gigs. First up is Foals.

Foals - 15th November 2010 - Set List

Blue Blood
Olympic Airways
Total Life Forever
Cassius
Balloons
Miami
Afterglow
2 Trees
Spanish Sahara
Red Socks Pugie
Electric Bloom (Extended)

Encore:

The French Open
Two Steps Twice

You Make Me Sic.

2010-06-01T01:52:00.004+01:00

hello children,

Cowboy X put up a new track on their myspaz today...

It's called "Sic".

There is only one word I can use to describe it at this moment and that word is IMMENSE

It has been a live favourite for about a year now and every time I heard it at a gig it made me long for a studio version of my very own, such is the beauty and intensity of the track as a whole. The tender vulnerability of Karen McCartney's vocals over an intricately layered synth pop riff that builds and builds into an epic electro-rock stomper of a finish.

This is a seriously special track which only serves to prove yet again that Cowboy X are a band that deserve far more recognition and success than they are currently recieving. No plans for a release date as of yet but here's hoping they at least stick it up on itunes at some point... pweeze?

an electro cover of Nirvana's Heart Shaped Box: not as bad as you might think.

2010-05-14T13:12:00.003+01:00

Hello there my pop compadres,

It has been a looong while. I must apol quite heavily for this as there is much musics I must tell you about that have been circulating in my iPod space for quite some time...

I shall begin with a recent discovery (as recent as yesterday in fact) called BAKER. He appears to basically be the male equivalent of Lady Gaga which is no bad thing really. He has yet to create a truly epic banging tune but what he's got so far, a brand new track called "Echo" and some very special electro covers of Nirvana's Heart Shaped Box and George Michael's careless whisper, is quite enough to be getting on with methinks. Here is the video for "Echo". It's quite camp but serves its purpose well.

Here is the aforementioned Heart Shaped Box cover...

You can get the downloads for both of these tracks plus a few more on the ol' myspaz

LCD Soundsystem Tripod Gigs Postponed!

2010-04-19T10:54:00.005+01:00

A little bit of news for anyone going to see LCD soundsystem in Tripod tomorrow or Wednesday. Due to the flight cancellations as a result of that damn volcano the gig is to be rescheduled. No announcements on dates yet but it seems that the best place to get updates is here.

To tide you over until then here's North American Scum.

Foals - This Orient

2010-04-01T13:57:00.007+01:00

Right! Its been quite a while so I thought I'd post something to get us back in the swing of things.
This song has been popping into my head quite regularly since hearing it for the first time a few days ago. Something of a change of direction for Foals who seem to have mellowed their usually frenetic math rock for this single and their previous 'Spanish Sahara'. Their new album 'Total Life Forever' is released on May 10th and the band have a string of dates all over Europe in support of it. If you are, (like me) from the Emerald Isle your only chance to catch them will be as part of the Heineken green spheres gigs. If you haven't already applied for tickets you can do so here up til the 28th of April.

Without further ado here is the new single 'This Orient'.

Placebo Tonight!

2009-12-16T11:35:00.002Z

I'm off to see Placebo tonight so I thought I'd post a classic video to get in the mood.

Placebo - Pure Morning

We're a Godless Army.

2009-12-10T00:29:00.005Z

In true Cowboy X style (i.e. a couple of months after the song was released natch') the brand spanking new video for Analogue Droids has finally been unleashed upon the world... or more specifically, premiered on RTE's new music show "When Under Ether" ( Tuesdays @ 11.50pm) which is attempting to fill void left by the excellent Nightshift, which disappeared when Channel 6 went tits up sometime last year, but which does a pretty good job of the whole thing.

Here is the video in question...

anyone else reckon they must have had some EPIC light sabre fights inbetween takes with all those awesome lazer deelys?

New Live Talulah Does The Hula Choons Alert.

2009-12-04T19:32:00.004Z

Happiness Machine favourites and personal chums Talulah Does The Hula have posted some new choons up on the ol' myspaz page which you may find quite rather pleasing to the ears...

The girls did a 2FM session there a couple of nights ago (which I missed due to being in the throes of a massive essay for college... boo) and recorded live versions of so far un-released but firm live favourites "Secret Lovers" and "Hells Bells" along with newer choon "Lovesick Losers".

The girlies (and guy) will be playing out the year at the Phantom New Years Ball at The Academy, Middle Abbey Street on the 31st of December (obv') so make sure to check em' out if you haven't so far this year!

can't make it to the cinema this weekend?

2009-12-01T04:58:00.001Z

The Moment When R n B ate itself.

2009-11-30T18:37:00.004Z

Witness, gentle listeners, the lyrical and musical monstrosity before you...

This is not a joke people. R Kelly wants to get YOU pregnant. Take it all in...

...the gentle sighing of the girl with the "unbelievable booty" but who is also "a cutie" at the beginning...

...the "knock you up" refrain which insists on smacking you in the face straight after the initial horror of discovering that Mr. Kelly would like to impregnate you, just to rub it in...

...the featured artist Tyrese, who refuses to let you forget that he has something he wants to put in you, clearly not realising that even Electric Six "Gay Bar" manages to render such a line in a more appealing manner than he can...

...the astonishing couplet which I now realise can only have been written by Josef Fritzl himself...

"Put that girl in my kitchen
Lock you up, knock you up"

I am genuinely reeling from this discovery ladies and gentlemen. I really did think that nothing could truely top the dizzy heights of turd-dom set by Jeremih's recent hit "Birthday Sex"...

But no, oh no, we did not count on the astounding subtlty of the great R. Kelly to come and completely dis-regard and obliterate the good name of metaphor for years to come.

Mr. Kelly has clearly decided there is no need for such faffing about and that it is far more important to cut down on the crap and get down to business...

Amazing.

Ballroom of Romance - Joycut, Clockwork Noise

2009-11-27T11:41:00.014Z

Ballroom of Romance presents Joycut, Clockwork Noise, The Walpurgis Family and Pearse McGloughlin. Tonight in The Lower Deck in Portabello. Adm €10. Doors at 8.30. Free Mp3 compilation with admission. If a sexy women standing in front of a flag with a hula hoop doesn't get you there maybe the read more will.

Joycut:

Joycut hail from Bologna in Italy. Named in reference to Nick Drake and Rodge Waters lyrics they give Britrock/ post punk angst a uniquely Italian spin, adding urgency and energy to melancholy. Recently they have toured with The Editors, and having firmly established themselves at home they are venturing abroad to tour.

http://www.joycut.com/

Clockwork Noise:

The story of Clockwork Noise could well be the story of a ton of other Irish bands. It’s a tale of great enthusiasms, band members coming and going, lengthy breaks between releases and gigs and a lot of hanging around waiting for things to happen.

The members of Clockwork Noise will nod in recognition at that list. A debut album If I Wanted, I Could was released in 2005, but it’s taken until now for the next release, the very fine Yes and No and Everything Inbetween EP to appear. Band members have come and gone and some have even come back again. In between all of these minor dramas, they’ve supported The Kinetiks, Angel Pier, Heritage Centre and Story of Hair.

But Clockwork Noise stand out from the pack because their music is a cut above the usual indie-rock standard. As the new EP shows, they really do know a different way around the department where you’ll find sweeping vocals, hooky guitars, moody strings and tipsy electro beats. Tracks such as Egoeccentric (band member Rob Maguire contributes to the Irish music blog of the same name) hint at a band prepared to go all epic when the mood takes them. The clock is ticking.
-The Ticket, The Irish Times.

The Walpugis Family:

The Walpurgis Family is the two piece chamber pop group comprised of Jeroen Saegeman (guitar, vocals, Belgium) and Wil McDermott (bass, keys, vocals, Ireland), recieving additional hands from Ruan Lovebeach (drums). The Dublin based Family plays lovely quiet songs about moving to other countries, the shower, the kitchen, public transportation and even about a mysterious island. Some of this stuff is even autobiographical!

Pearse McGloughlin:

Pearse McGloughlin is a gifted song writer from Sligo, based in Dublin. In his own words:

"To date, Walkperson has served as the nom de guerre for my songs and the musicians who have played with me. I first played with a group called 'Socialite' in my hometown of Sligo. That was immense fun and I have very fond memories of it. Subsequently, I spent time in France and Montreal, learned French, got hooked on songwriting and recorded a short EP in cold Québec city. My next group was 'Thy Swan Army' in Galway. I took a lot from this band, recorded songs and played some really good gigs. People liked us. The group splintered eventually and members went to work on separate projects (Ghostwood Project, John Terrors) I next lived in London, played with more musicians and gigged the indie scene as Walkperson. Most of the songs I wrote during this period I've let go but there are several I've held on to, of which I'm still proud. Since coming back to Ireland I've recorded and released 'Desired Effect EP' with Andrew Deacon, Ales Bagart and James Yearn. My new solo album 'Busy Whisper' is out now. The songs are somewhere on the indie/folk rock/alternative spectrum but you can decide for yourself. I hope you like them"

"soft-focused, mellow tunes delivered with quietly assured authority" Jim Carroll, The Irish Times>

Two Door Cinema Club - I Can Talk

2009-11-16T14:32:00.005Z

'I Can Talk' is the new single from Northern Irish trio Two Door Cinema Club, whose expertly formed indie floor fillers are establishing as one of this years bands to watch. The track is officially realeased on November 23rd.

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Saturday 14 November Crawdaddy Dublin

2009-11-10T11:48:00.007Z

Its a rare breed of band that can create sweeping soundscapes while retaining the essence of an indie-pop song but Cymbals Eat Guitars fuse together delay soaked guitars with electric piano, brass and xylophones to do just that. Receiving plaudits from NME and a recommendation from Pitchfork for their debut album 'Why are there Mountains?' the New York groups star is on the rise. The band have crossed the channel for a few solo shows after touring with Wilco and The Flaming Lips. First stop is Crawdaddy in Dublin this Saturday 14th followed by Auntie Annie's in Belfast on Sunday.

Tickets for Crawdaddy are €12 and are available from the usual outlets. Doors at 8.

'What's most admirable about this sophisticated self-released debut is Cymbals Eat Guitars' willingness to think big with gestures that shouldn't fly in the hands of a young band, instrumentally or thematically.' - Pitchfork.com

the greatest electropop song of the last 10 years finally gets it's own video.

2009-11-04T00:52:00.003Z

At the request of Tim Sinnot of Ranticular.com, I promise to attempt a full review of the new album by the end of tomorrow.

Hurrah!

Acapella Storm

2009-10-28T23:57:00.008Z

Ok I know it may seem like I'm posting a lot of videos but if you watch this video from the beginning to just after 2 minutes in and don't want to keep watching then I will eat my hat (and think that you have no taste in music).

Who knew a Concept Album about Cricket would work so well?

2009-10-28T15:30:00.003Z

Duckworth Lewis Method - Meeting Mr. Miandad

...and the curse of the X Factor is broken with one EPIC performance.

2009-10-27T01:43:00.004Z

After the recent shambolic performances from so-called "musical legends" such as Whitney Houston and Robbie Williams these past couple of weeks on the X Factor, it was a genuinely pleasant surprise and downright relief to hear an astoundingly breathtaking performance courtesy of Tesco Soul favourite, Michael Buble on last Sunday's results show.

Buble completely OWNED the X Factor stage with a rousingly Bond-style arrangement of Julie London's classic tear jerker "Cry Me A River" and utterly wiped the floor with any of the young upstarts attempting the obligatory (and typically chronic) "Big Band" night...

Epic stuff.

Watch out for the classic comment from Dermot O' Leary at the end...

Clockwork Apple Present: Something To Do On Saturday

2009-10-22T15:51:00.007+01:00

For those of you who haven't heard me going on about this, the lovely people at Clockwork Apple (they put on gigs you know) have put together a marvellous line up to entertain you this Saturday 24th upstairs in Whelans. Kicking the night off are Powered by Springs. Followed by Clockwork Noise(my band) who will be debuting a few new tracks which I'm rather excited about.

And then finally, fresh from their appearance at Electric Picnic and having just released their debut album 'With All Your Friends', 8 ball will be taking the stage with their brand of quirky electro indie, (I was going to put outlook is good or some other magic 8 ball related joke here but decided against it).

Doors at 8. Admission €10.
Hope to see you down there!

Extremely Bizarre But Awesome Marina and the Diamonds Video.

2009-10-21T11:44:00.003+01:00

Anybody know how they did the whole paper arms and legs thing? Amazing.

Stephen Gately: 1976 - 2009

2009-10-11T11:47:00.002+01:00

He was always such a sweet person with an even sweeter voice...

...but more importantly, only he could have ever pulled off something like this:

Goodbye Stephen.

New Talulah Does The Hula Official Video Alert.

2009-10-08T19:58:00.004+01:00

Typical. You wait for one Talulah Does The Hula video to come along and two come along in one week...

Hot on the heels of the unofficial video for "Brick For A Brain" that came out earlier this week, now comes the official video for recent single "Bad Boyfriend" that was shot earlier this summer.

Bad Boyfriend - Talulah Does The Hula from jessie ward on href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo.

They're so damn pretty aren't they?

I'd hate them if they didn't also happen to be really lovely people and possess the uncanny knack for making catchy pop choons... *sigh*

New Cowboy X Choons Alert / Shameless Plug

2009-10-07T17:59:00.004+01:00

After a painfully long (for me) few months tucked away in the studio, Cowboy X have FINALLY announced the release of their brand new EP "Analogue Droids" which is out Friday October 9th...

Amazing.

To whet the appetite, the guys have thrown the title track up onto the ol' myspaz for your listening pleasure which also contains similar levels of amazing-ness. The even better part is that the entire EP is now up on iTunes for those of you with credit cards. Woot!

Now I know what you're thinking: "this just can't get any more amazing right?"

WRONG.

The band will be playing upstairs in Whelans, Wexford Street this Friday to launch the EP and none other than your devoted Happiness Machine bloggers Sally and Chris shall be playing support in the guise of our humble band Candy In My Heels... (Scroll down the page and click onto the link for our myspaz if you wanna check us out...)

See ya down the front hopefully!

There's Always Some Fat Guy In Your Way.

2009-10-02T02:49:00.004+01:00

In the world of Happiness Machine favourites Talulah Does The Hula, there is only one other song that i love more than "Those Girls"...

...and that song is "Brick For A Brain".

The very first Talulah track i ever heard, it contains the immortal lyric "Move ahead can't move ahead, there's always some fat guy in your way"... and I think we can all relate to that really can't we? Anyhoo, much to my delight I have just discovered a new unofficial video that the girls have thrown together to accompany the demo, made up of retro clips and footage and the like. Rather jolly don't you think?

Check out their myspace as the girls have some upcoming gigs this month (including a slot on this year's Hard Working Class Heroes Festival) and as always are well worth checking out:)

Best Just To Avoid Looking AJ's Balding Head.

2009-09-29T22:03:00.006+01:00

This is the new Backstreet Boys choon...

Despite the video encompassing a bizarre mixture of True Blood and the JLS "Beat Again" video and AJ's balding head, its nice to see the lads abandon the mature but crashingly dull man band sound with hook-less ballads like Inconsolable and Unbreakable (basically anything ending in "-able") and instead embracing the euro pop boy band fromage of old...

YOU KNOW YOU LOVE IT.

Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work

2009-09-27T17:27:00.003+01:00

Can't Stop listening to this tune!

Review - 500 Days of Summer

2009-09-22T15:52:00.023+01:00

'This is not a love story, this is a story about love'. Its rare that a tag line really summarises the feeling of a film accurately but this line describes this film perfectly. Our hero and hopeless Romantic Tom(Gordon Levitt)works in a greeting cards company writing slogans. Growing up with the messages of Joy Division and The Smiths Tom believes there is a one true love for every person and when free-spirit Summer (Zoe Deschanel) joins the company as his bosses new secretary they bond over music and start what can only be described as a romantic entanglement.

Pros:

- Gordon Levitt is extremely likeable as Tom playing a character that any guy can relate to and any girl can feel sympathy for
- Good soundtrack featuring tracks by The Smiths, Regina Spektor, Doves, Feist and a variety of other alternative hits.
- Mark Webb provides us with some very nice shots and transitions
- The films non-chronological timeline keeps you interested and avoids the common rom-com predictablity
- By eschewing the stereotypical storyline about unrequited love becoming requited and everyone living happily ever after, the film gets to takes a fresh look at what happens after the initial sparks
- Zoe Deschanel is very very pretty

Cons:

- Although initially likeable as an always in a good mood free-spirit, Summers indecisiveness can prove frustrating and doesn't leave you with much sympathy for the character
- By revealing the end at the beginning the film suffers from a lack of a climax and fizzles out rather than bangs
- Not necessarily a major con as the film is most definitely based on the story of the two main characters but I felt like some of the supporting characters could have done with a bit more fleshing out

It seems that unconventional indie romantic comedies have been popping up a lot more recently and with that one could expect a lapse in quality however 500 Days of Summer strives to keep the bar high and succeeds. It portrays all stages of a relationship perfectly from the naiveity and innocence of the new couple right down to the bikering and petty fighting of a pairing whose sun has already set. As is the case with most romantic comedies it may not leave you with much food for thought, but at least it leaves you with a smile on your face.

Score: 4 out of 5

If You Enjoyed: Nick and Norah's infinite playlist, Juno, High Fidelity, Almost Famous

The New Dolly Rockers Choon: Considerably Better Than Their Current One.

2009-09-15T19:48:00.006+01:00

The Dolly Rockers are a rather jolly new all girl trio who tasted fame briefly during the boot camp/judges houses stages of X Factor 2006 where they were, quite frankly, a bit lame really...

But sure they were only babies then. Nowadays they've re-invented themselves as somewhat of an antidote to the sudden influx of overly coiffed UK girl bands such as The Saturdays, Girls Can't Catch, Bubble G and Louis Walsh's as yet unnamed (and crashingly dull) forthcoming new girlband. Their current extremely witty and cutting debut single Gold Digger rode surprisingly high in the charts recently but still in my opinion suffered a little from not really having much a tune to speak of. However their next single Boys Will Be Boys rectifies that issue more than sufficiently while still maintaining the refreshingly sharp lyrics and pointedly English accents.

P.S. When listening to this choon, does anyone else get the urge to sing "they're so FUCKING boring" as opposed to the original lyric "they're so FRICKIN' boring"?
Just me then?
Ok.

Things I Learned On Tuesday Night.

2009-09-14T01:49:00.031+01:00

Ok, first of all my apologies at only getting around to writing up a round up the events that occurred on Tuesday, 8th of September in the Old Crown Public House, otherwise known as the 2009 Twenty Quid Music Prize, now but I was combatting a lack of internet until Friday, and a lack of arsed-ness til just now...

However, I shall not leave you in the dark any longer. Here is a quick round up/blow by blow account of interesting stuff that happened/that I learned/that left me thinking wtf?!/etc...

THE EVENING BEGINS:

1)Frankmusik is knocked out WAAAY too early.

2) ...but really the wrong Frankmusik song was nominated.

3) There are a vast number of judges with occupations involved in the music industry in some way, shape or form.

4) ...however their influence amounts to nothing in the face of an extremely loud, and very annoying civil servant.

5) ...and an extremely opinionated Tory

6) ...this is also the point where everyone realised that Methods Of Modern Love really DOES sound like The One by Kylie Minogue.

7) During the FACE-OFF OF DOOM between Tinchy Stryder and Girls Aloud, Nicola from Girls Aloud takes it upon herself to just saunter in, completely unannounced.

8) Cue open-mouthed staring...

9) More staring.

10) ...and yet more staring.

11) All the while, the research scientist from Slough (whom I am relying on for a much needed picture with my idol as I have no camera of my own) becomes progressively more pissed next to me.

12) ...between the staring and pissed-ness, we become less and less likely to be candidates for a photo op with Nicola.

13) ...which is completely understandable.

14) Smokers break yields some fascinating conclusions.

15) Conclusion 1: they would prefer Calvin Harris' I'm Not Alone to be played at their funeral as opposed to La Roux's In For The Kill. Obv.

16) Conclusion 2: STOP EVERYTHING. One of the judges is wearing Dougie from McFly's actual shorts.

17) Everyone in the room pauses to take in the enormity of the above mentioned revelation.

18) At this point, Pet Shop Boys come up against JLS for another FACE-OFF OF DOOM.

19) Unfortunately JLS's lyrical message of emotional blackmail fails to top that of PSB's desire for equal opportunities shagging.

20) ...understandably enough.

21) JLS v The Saturdays.

22) Actually, this one takes quite a while...

23) The civil servant attempts to take on the scouser. Bad move. Evils are exchanged for rest of evening.

24) Still arguing over JLS v The Sats.

25) The decision comes down to Nicola.

26) Scoop of the evening: JLS are better drinking buddies than The Saturdays! Juicy!

27) As a result of their hard drinking ways, JLS finally knock out The Sats. The gay guy from Wales next to me mourns.

28) Quick check of the live tweets. One of the judges warns that it is pointless buying Dumper (the work experience robot) drinks as he is not good for reciprocation.

29) Judge to the right of me gets a picture with Dumper. Life goal is achieved and hugs are exchanged.

30) Girls by Sugababes is voted worst song of the past year.

31) ...I voted for Pixie Lott. Nicola votes for The Loving Kind... wait, what?!?!

32) Little Boots New In Town is knocked out.

33) wait, LITTLE BOOTS HAS BEEN KNOCKED OUT?!?!

34) JUST LIKE THAT?! BASTARDS!! *runs away crying*

35) I request a moment of silence for Little Boots untimely demise. Peter Robinson looks at me as if I have two heads. Moving on...

36) Calvin Harris v Lily Allen in GRAPH DRAWING FACE-OFF OF DOOM.

37) Judging panel feel Lily Allen graph drawing may have been rigged due to graphic artist's preference for Calvin.

38) Considerably trolleyed research scientist from Slough attempts to analyse graphs. Fails miserably. Lily is out.

39) The Saturdays v Girls Aloud. OH GOD.

40) Cue tactful arguments for and against Girls Aloud for the benefit of Nicola. Welsh gay guy becomes more and more agitated. Things are getting a little too political for his liking...

41) The Sats are knocked out fairly quickly. I blame the Tories.

42) Alesha Dixon is drawn. FINALLY!!!

43) Alesha song is played. Trolleyed research scientist launches into hilarious dance. All observe the scene before them in awe...

44) ...but the dance cannot save Alesha. She is trashed quicker than you can say Strictly Come Dancing.

45) THE FINAL SHOWDOWN: Calvin Harris v Girls Aloud.

46) Becomes quite obv who is going to win as Nicola's presence becomes ever more potent... "its just not... appropriate!!" opines gay Welsh guy in frustration... I feel his pain.

47) Dumper fan states that The Promise blatantly rips off the Blankety Blank theme tune.

48) Strong air of resignation in the air. Strong swell of support for Calvin towards the end, purely out of defiance at this stage...

49) Alas however the Tories win out yet again and GA take the prize for the 5th TIME IN 7 YEARS!!

50) "I really wanted a guy to win this year..." opines Welsh gay guy. "22 vaginas have won in the past 7 years. Did you know that?"

51) ...I did not know that. Maybe it is time for a penis... But we'll have to wait until next year to find out if that will ever happen.

All in all readers, a very productive and drunken evening was had by all. The power of pop still remains the most uniting force in music and that it will always stay, no matter how the musical landscape may change in the years to come that we can be sure.

A word of warning however: If any one of you humble readers ever find youself lucky enough to take part in the wonder that is Popjustice 20quid Music Prize in years to come, please be aware of the following things...

Peter Robinson, though he is my idol, is still at heart a somewhat opportunistic git who will have no qualms about making you look like an absolute tit in front of legendary pop producer/general all round genius Richard X.
Before launching into a detailed, mainly negative critique of a pop song produced by Richard X, please make sure you are not ACTUALLY babbling away to Richard X himself as you are doing it... *cringe*

Oh, and I did get my pic wit Nicola in the end...

(The girl in the middle is the above mentioned research scientist... what a legend.)

Its Only Pop Music But I Like It.

2009-09-07T19:37:00.003+01:00

Happiness Machine readers may remember me giving a cryptic clue a couple of weeks ago to something very cool and pop related that I will be taking part in tomorrow night. Make no mistake people, this is nothing short of epic...

my whole life has been leading up to this point...

Loyal subjects, I have chosen to be part of the prestigious (prestigious? really?... - Ed) ok maybe not prestigious but certainly supremely awesome judging panel for...

the 2009 Popjustice 20 Quid Music Prize!!!!!

Yes readers, tomorrow night I shall be in the presence of the great Peter Robinson and 34 other assorted die hard pop fans such as myself in a random pub in London for a night of pop, booze and over-priced pub grub... but mostly pop.

Forget the Mercury Music Prize people! In these troubled times, debating the merits of Bat for Lashes sophmore effort over Florence and the Machine patchy debut is not nearly as life affirming as arguing the toss about whether JLS's Beat Again is a pile of poo or a modern pop triumph!!!

Anyways, I must leave you now as my internet is about to run out in the hostel... Expect a full report on the night's proceedings when I return! its gonna be a good un'!

Picks of the Picnic

2009-09-01T17:22:00.056+01:00

For those of you heading to Stradbally this weekend I thought I'd put together a quick list of what I think you should be going to see with a track from each to get you in the mood. This is only a small cross-section of what I hope to see over the weekend but it'll hopefully give a taste of what's to come.

Click below to get the track list

*Note - Tracks removed due to DMCA complaint

Friday:

Jeffrey Lewis and The Junkyard - To Be Objectified

Jeffrey Lewis comes to EP with his brand of lo-fi anti-folk. Although he doesn't possess the strongest voice his poignant, introspective and sometimes extremely funny lyrics make this an act not to miss. He also throws a bit of art into the middle of his shows.

Black Ghosts - Any Way You Choose to Give It (Boy 8 Bit Remix)

I know its technically not a Boy 8 bit song but it gives you a taste of the bit crunched sound he'll be displaying.

Dark Room Notes - Shake Shake My Ceiling

Dark Melodic Electro-Indie from this Dublin four piece. Catch them on Friday or Saturday in this Thisispopbaby area/tent.

Japanese Popstars - Delboys Revenge

Having only heard this track fairly recently it has taken up residency on my iPod. This is the what I will be going crazy to at 1 in the morning in the Little Big Tent.

Villagers - Meaning of the Ritual

Ex-Immediate Conor O Brien will take to the stage in the body and sound on friday evening. Whether it is an acoustic or full band set make sure you don't miss this (but if you do they're also playing on sunday on the Crawdaddy stage round 1.10

Saturday:

Lisa Hannigan - I Don't Know

This is the 'hit' song from her debut offering 'Sea Sew'. Get down to the main stage to see the full breadth of this songwriters talent before she blows up even more.

The XX - Crystalised

A lesson in minimalist indie songwriting. Everyone take notes.

Jape - Phil Lynott

Cracking tune from 'Ritual'. All that needs to be said is 'Look. at. the. fucking. moon'

Explosions in the Sky - Catastrophe and The Cure

Delay drenched guitars combine with powerful drumming to write moving instrumental music that could soundtrack your life.

Marina and The Diamonds - The Shampain Sleeper

If you haven't heard of her yet your missing out. Steadily gaining in popularity this half-greek songstress writes quirky piano pop with a smidge of synthy-electro bleeps thrown in for good measure.

Sunday:

Basement Jaxx - Raindrops

New single from a duo who just can't seem to write a bad song. Vocodered brilliance throughout.

Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work

This three piece from Northern Ireland came to my attention through a friend and it baffles me that they aren't huge already. One of the catchiest indie-pop songs I've heard in a long time.

Florence and The Machince - Cosmic Love

Possibly the artist I'm most excited about this weekend, Florence and The Machine take to the stage in electric arena round 17.15. Having slowly been gathering interest from the media, realeasing an excellent debut album and having a song (this one in fact) soundtrack an O2 ad, Florence Welsh's star is most definitely on the rise.

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt.1

This song has a soft spot in my heart as its the song that introduced me to the Floaty-pop-noises of The Flaming Lips. Will Wayne Coyne zorb his way around the crowd? I'll just have to go down and find out.

Passion Pit - Moths Wings

One of my top picks from the groups debut album 'Manners'. I hope they can live up to my expectations live.

The full Stage Times are available in PDF here – Friday Saturday Sunday

More Recommended Forthcoming Pop Choons #736453: Now With Added Reality TV.

2009-08-31T11:39:00.002+01:00

Well, well, well... look who has crawled out from underneath the pop woodwork after a quiet period of post reality TV reflection...

Some may remember The Ordinary Boys (no? Ok.)from 2 or 3 years back when lead singer Preston (in a last ditch attempt to save the band from being dropped) somewhat ill-advisedly entered the Celebrity Big Brother of 2006, fell in love with love-able dimbat/Paris Hilton look-a-like Chantelle Houghton whom he soon married, and was suddenly thrown into a world of Heat magazine covers and OK! wedding photo deals before dumping the above mentioned dimbat in order to return to the fiance he left her for in the first place. The Ordinary Boys themselves did experience a brief re-heating of their chart success in the wake of CBB publicity and subsequent tabloid whore-dom of their outspoken and mis-guidedly cocky frontman. However, this success was short lived, particularly in the aftermath of the messy divorce that followed between Chantelle and Preston approxiamately 5 minutes after they married.

Now after a couple of years away from the media spotlight, Preston appears to have ditched the lame and anodyne "ska" band of old and is attempting to launch a solo career. Taking on a new image which seems to resemble what the love child of a young Morrissey and Frankmusik would look like, he is also venturing down the ol' electropop route which can only be a good thing in my opinion! His forthcoming debut single "Dressed To Kill" (which is out this month) takes the best part of Siouxie and the Banshees "Happy House" and weaves it into a dark but playful pop song about a ruthless maneater with plenty of cheesy vampire metaphors and such to boot. I think its damn catchy too! Pity about the unfortunate Lost Boys inspired video... I am still unclear as to whether it is SUPPOSED to look quite eighties and cheap just to add to the hammy-ness of it all. Although Preston's own views on the video would suggest otherwise in this extremely good interview on Popjustice.com. Here is the video...

Hello Daddy! Hello Mom!

2009-08-30T02:06:00.005+01:00

There is to be a new film biopic released in 2010, telling the story of the hugely influential teenage all girl punk band The Runaways entitled... "The Runaways".

Clever title, that.

The band's brief but glitteringly tempestuous time in the spotlight spawned the future careers the likes of Joan Jett (the band's ferocious rhythm guitarist) Cherie Currie (the band's barely legal but awesomely bad ass front woman) and have continued to influence bands to this day such as Hole and The Donnas as well as pave the way for other successful female led rock acts over the last 3 decades... their influence on late seventies feathered hair cuts also must not be overlooked.

The band went through several line up changes during their 4 year career, going through bassists in particular like Spinal Tap go through drummers... However Currie and Jett, alongside lead guitarist Lita Ford and the late but great Sandy West on drums are considered to be the definitive line up overall.

Some may already be aware that Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame (bleh) will portraying Joan Jett (who is herself executive producer of the film)but some may be surprised to find that the vaguely interesting but by no means bad ass Dakota Fanning of Various Other Non-Badass Film Roles fame will be rocking out on screen in a corset and stockings as the 16 year old, drug addled Cherie Currie. Hmmm...

Well, I guess we'll have to wait another few months or so to find out how that casting works out! In the meantime lets have a look see at the original grrrls doing their thang on a Japanese TV special from 1977...

so this is the new Alexandra Burke single...

2009-08-25T14:19:00.006+01:00

Anyone who is aware of my X Factor obsession will know that from very early on I was pushing for the tear stained yet loveable Alexandra Burke to plough on through to victory in the competition last year. This she eventually did to my delight following a battle of the lungs performance with queen bee Beyonce during the final... it was quite the epic moment I must say.

And so I have been waiting with baited breath for the new material which she has been busy working on over in America (obviously as a result of the Leona Effect) and finally the new single has leaked...

eh... hmmm.

Its ok I guess... its not the most mind blowingly original choon of this genre I've heard recently... there's something missing.

There are good qualities I suppose. Its quite early Whitney-ish in parts which is good because there is no point wasting a voice like Alexandra's on shit like some of the stuff Ciara has been churning out these days that she can barely even sing herself. So yes, overall there is substantial use of the voice. I suppose its just that even that substantial voice usage still doesn't quite convey the full range and general amazing-ness of her voice as a whole. I'm not saying we need another god-awful bombastic Mariah/Whitney/etc type ballad of vocal histrionics with no discernable tune of any kind... just something a bit more distinguishable. Its also not the most immediate of hooks either - I've listened to it 3 times so far and it hasn't quite stuck in my head yet. And of course there is the obligatory "middle eight rap by useless and inarticulate rapper" bit, this time provided by Flo "apple bottom jeans song" Rida, which isn't the worst I've heard but certainly doesn't add to the song. It merely serves as a profile booster.

In conclusion, I suppose as a pop/ r nb song in 2009 it fits the mould fine and I don't hate it or anything... but I don't see any repeat listenings in the offing either...

I am of course hoping she will score a top 10 with it however! She definitely deserves it with a voice and work ethic like hers. Lets just hope she gets a chance to grow into and improve upon her sound once she finds it...

Woo! 100 Hundred Posts!!!

2009-08-21T12:50:00.001+01:00

Technically this is post 101 but I thought I'd celebrate none the less.

Best Radio 1 Live Lounge Cover In AGES.

2009-08-20T19:20:00.004+01:00

...and no I am not biased because it involves HER.

In other news, the original version of this song (by X Factor rejects/phenomenally popular new boyband JLS) is, along with 11 other songs, going to be part of something really, exceptionally cool that I will be taking part in on the 8th of September... I'm still not entirely sure whether I'm allowed to reveal what it is just yet but when I do Happiness Machine readers will be the first to know!!

Remember Their Names; Fame 2009...

2009-08-14T21:41:00.004+01:00

The Next Inevitable Worldwide Pop Smash.

2009-08-09T00:51:00.003+01:00

This is Eva Simons.

She is Dutch.

She has epic hair.

She has just released a single entited Silly Boy which for some time was erroneously claimed on the net to be Rhianna's big comback single featuring Lady Gaga...

...this was recently proved not to be the case.

Here is the choon.
(embedding has been disabled cos youtube is being a gimp)

Basically this is an advance warning to prepare yourself for the choon that will inevitably invade your ears for the next couple of months at least when the rest of the world (and daytime radio) finally gets wind of it...

This of course does not make the choon any less epic and generally amazing though so enjoy it now people while you still have the chance!!!

More Recommended Forthcoming Pop Choons #37465

2009-08-07T14:27:00.005+01:00

Have a look see at this here band from Denmark known as "Private"...

As you can see, nice Adam's Family/The Horrors style goth look going on, moody expressions, hailing from Scandinavia, home of various goth / metal bands and the like...

Now lets a have a listen to their forthcoming single, "My Secret Lover" which is out next month...

Weren't expecting that were you?

This song is quite clearly the best song Prince never wrote featuring a young Michael Jackson and N Sync on vocals... plus extra points for the synchonized side to side dance moves and effective use of keytars. Epic win.

Review: Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew

2009-08-05T19:46:00.020+01:00

Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew

This is the first album I've reviewed here on The Happiness Machine so it may take a while to settle on a consistent format but for the moment I'm going to work from the outside in and look at cover art then go through the tracklist.

For many, having physical copies of a CD is becoming increasingly less important, however I find there is still no greater joy than opening a brand new CD and analysing the artwork and inlay. Depending on how much effort the artist has put into their inlay this can sometimes be a let down, however 'Sea Sew' feels like it has had hours of thought and care poured into it. The sleeve and many of the images within are all sewn and knitted by Lisa and Frances Hannigan giving a DIY/homemade feel to the whole thing. Although it may be said a picture is worth a thousand words, the inclusion of all the lyrics (Also sewed) is a welcome bonus.

Having been in the public eye (or at least ear) providing vocals on several Damien Rice tracks, Hannigan struck out on her own after an unfortunate incident while on tour forcing her to part ways with the singer. 'Sea Sew' is a clear indication that this was a great career move whether intentional or not. 'Ocean and a Rock' is a strong opener that sets the tone of the album with its tender vocals, lush instrumentation and off kilter time signature. The second track 'Venn Diagram' is a mid-paced folksy number which is once again invigorated by the quality of the instrumentation. However on track three things really kick up a gear, 'Sea Song' is a highlight of this album, using a flamenco twist to great effect and providing welcome change to a slightly darker tone. Jump on two tracks and its hard not to smile at jaunty soon-to-be-single-if-not-already 'I Don't Know'. Another quick change brings the album into to its second half with the slightly sinister sounding 'Keep it all'. A haunting version of Bert Jansch's 'Courting Blues' follows, turning the originals upbeat guitar into melancholy strings and ethereal vocals that wash over the listener. 'Pistachio' and 'Teeth' are both nice, well-crafted songs but seem to lack some of the spark that comes through on the rest of the album. The gentle tinkling of the xylophone (or glockenspiel, I'm not quite sure which) combined with the dreamy lullabye-esque rhythm of lead single 'Lillie' brings the album to close.

Overall:

This album is one of the best buys I've made in quite a while. Coming in at an average 40 mins its easy to listen to it through then flick back to track 1 and start again. Hannigan avoids the usual trap of the singer-songwriter genre by making nearly every song sound unique and different from the rest of the album while still maintaining a signature sound. Well placed tonal changes ensure the listener doesn't get bored. Although a nod must be given to the many accompanying musicians such as Vivienne Long for her excellent cello work, the songs still feel like they could work in a solo capacity. An excellent debut from a soon-to-be-huge musician.

4.5 Handsewn Dice out 5

Also if you want to catch her live she's playing at Electric Picnic (4th-6th September) and there's another string of dates here

Lisa Hannigan - Sea Song

U2 - Set List Croke Park 27th August 2009

2009-07-30T11:22:00.006+01:00

I was originally going to do a review but a lot of time has passed and I've done nothing so instead here's the set list.

Set List:

Breathe
No Line on the Horizon
Magnificent
Get on your Boots
Beautiful Day
New Years Day
Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Moving on Up)
Stay (Faraway, So Close) - Acoustic
Unknown Caller
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight (Remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Pride (In the name of love)
MLK
Walk On
Message from Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Where the streets have no name
One
Bad

Encore:

Ultraviolet
With or Without You
Moment of Surrender

It's songs like these that make you feel like you never want the summer to end...

2009-07-27T05:40:00.005+01:00

This has been out for about a month now but I've only recently come to realise what a TUUUNE it is...

There is an official video for it... but it's not suitable for the kiddies cos it's got boobies in it.

*all the men suddenly clear the room & leg it to the nearest computer*

Can't wait for Electric Picnic!

If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear triangles in your hair...

2009-07-24T14:15:00.002+01:00

Beastie Boy's Adam Yauch Has Cancer

2009-07-22T19:35:00.006+01:00

In what will come as a disappointment to any Beastie Boys expecting a tour after the upcoming release of Hot Sauce Committee Pt 1., they may have to wait as Adam Yauch has been diagnosed with cancer. It seems to be treatable so don't panic just yet but it will be a set back for the group who have cancelled all upcoming tour dates. See the message from the band in full below.

Forcing pop music down the throats of people who wouldn't normally know anything about it.

2009-07-21T21:30:00.006+01:00

In what I'm hoping will become a weekly feature on this blog, I will be plucking one or two soon to be released pop choons that people who mostly keep their nose out of the charts or the radio will probably never stumble upon themselves...

The aim of this venture being that these particular people might discover something they wouldn't normally listen to, either out of musical snobbery or just purely being unaware of the music's existance in the first place.

First up is Mini Viva with their forthcoming debut single "Left My Heart In Tokyo". This all-girl duo are the brainchild of the infamous Xenomania, the production team most notably associated with Girls Aloud. These girls were also highly rated in the radar section of this week's NME (although this is probably due to the fact that it was temporarily hi-jacked by Popjustice editor and cut throat pop music aficianado Peter Robinson. Genius.) "Left My Heart In Tokyo" is a deliciously hooky and kooky pop ditty which I do hope will be afforded some decent chart success alongside the usual, more forgettable chart fodder!

People should really use more celestes these days.

2009-07-21T01:23:00.003+01:00

Here is legendary composer John Williams filmed discussing the various themes from the Harry Potter score.

It would be supremely awesome if he came back to do the score for the final films.

It has been confirmed that he may return to score the final films pending his schedule so fingers crossed... He has been the only composer to truly capture the magic within the films.

Legend.

Review - !!! (Chk Chk Chk) at Whelans

2009-07-09T11:02:00.016+01:00

Whelans was turned into a sweat box yesterday night when Brooklyn dance punk band '!!!' (Pronounced Chk Chk Chk) packed the venue on one of the first dates of their european tour.

After arriving at Whelans early to catch whoever was supporting on the night, we were informed that there was no support and Chk Chk Chk would be starting at 9.15. After a few pints in the front bar with Rob and Bob of Egoeccentric we headed back into the main venue, squeezing our way through a jam packed crowd to find a suitable viewing place.

The lineup for the night seems to have been whittled down from their sometimes eight strong touring band to a more conservative six. Having only heard their their outing 'Myth Takes' and a few assorted other tracks I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of set for the night. However, this wasn't an issue as the band used the gig to showcase several new tracks. For a lot of bands this can be a risky maneuver, but for Chk Chk Chk this poses no problem. Chk Chk Chk make music you can dance to and soon have the crowd going. After playing three promising new tracks, they break into what I consider the standout track on Myth Takes 'Must Be The Moon'. Throughout the gig, Nic Offer proves to be a charismatic frontman. Spending his time strutting around the stage, diving into the crowd and throwing some (sometimes questionable) shapes. It proves hard to imagine him as the frontman of a hardcore band (He previously was in Hardcore band Yah Mos). Bass/Guitar/Electronic bleeps are handled by Tyler Pope, who has previously played with fellow New York Dance-Punk band LCD soundsystem. Pope's funky but solid basslines are what hold these songs together while guitarist Mario Andreoni's delay soaked lines add experimental textures to their sound.

After another new song, the band announce that they only have two songs left and break into eight minute epic Bend Over Beethoven. The band finish with another stand out track from Myth Takes 'Heart of Hearts'. After a minutes break and cries of one more tune, the band return to the stage for the encore 'All my heroes are weirdos'. Sensing that end is near the band manage to put even more energy into this closer, getting the already exhausted, sweat-drenched crowd back on their feet. Time is called and the band leave the stage while the crowd flood out into the street to cool down.

Basically this was one of the best gigs I've been to in quite a while. If you have the chance to see them on this tour, get up and go!

9 out of 10

Tony Blair with a black eye.

2009-07-06T13:11:00.003+01:00

...and about bloody time too.

The New Sugababes Single.

2009-07-06T12:05:00.002+01:00

Well, you can tell they've been to America.

The jury is out on this one.

Glastonbury Pics

2009-07-01T12:30:00.003+01:00

Over at Boston.com they have some pretty amazing photos of Glastonbury and you can view them here.

There are no words.

2009-06-26T02:17:00.005+01:00

Goodbye Michael.

Messed up but totally awesome Yeah Yeah Yeahs video

2009-06-25T15:49:00.004+01:00

microKORG alert!!!

the song is awesome too.

Tim Burton achieves new levels of creepiness... Hurrah!

2009-06-24T02:46:00.010+01:00

I have just stumbled upon some pictures on the Guardian website from the forthcoming live action Alice in Wonderland movie as directed by Tim Burton and it looks AMAZING...

...don't you think?

The Most Unlikely Shakespeare Sister Cover You'll Hear All Year.

2009-06-21T15:28:00.006+01:00

If you cast your mind back to about 18 years ago you may remember this little early nineties ditty...

Yes, I know... its quite insane isn't it? It's still quite a stirring song though when you remove the video from your head. Ham Sandwich have obviously thought the same thing as they have done a rather lovely cover of it for the recent Sparks N Mind charity album in aid of Irish Depression charity Aware. The best bit is definitely when guitarist/vocalist Podge McNamee sucker punches the listener in the face with the "you better hope and pray" bit... cracking stuff.

Here is a performance of said cover filmed last week in Tower Records for the launch of the album.

The rest of the album contains some nifty covers by the likes of Cowboy X, Le Galaxie and Lisa Hannigan amongst others and only a tenner so well worth buying.

Dirty Epics Get Raw!

2009-06-19T02:15:00.006+01:00

Like me you may be following The Raw Sessions on RTE 2 at the moment - a sort of alternative X Factor where a select group of up and coming Irish bands are sent into various studios to write and record a song from scratch, with the winning bands going forward into a live grand final to become Sony Ericssion Artist of the Year in the Button Factory on the 26th June. I think this has been an inspired idea and while some of the songs have been a bit hit and miss, there have been a few diamonds in the rough such as the entry from garage punk rockers Dirty Epics. Their track "White Out" is a pulsing,synth driven guitar rock anthem,the sound of which i can only hope will have a significant influence on their next album.

Click here to have a listen to the track in question.

Songs I Really Shouldn't Like #67534

2009-06-19T01:54:00.003+01:00

Remember dance group Cascada? The staple of all anti-social twats who play the music on their phones OUT LOUD on the bus...

Well, this is their new single "Evacuate The Dancefloor".

One could initially dismiss this as a complete Lady GaGa rip-off, which it kind of is...

But then again, if it WAS actually by Lady GaGa, wouldn't we all be saying how freaking awesome/catchy it is?

Excuse me while I go get my groove on!

This Appeals to Me

2009-06-16T11:09:00.002+01:00

This greatly appeals to my inner nerd and the psychologist in me (Although I suppose they are both technically nerdy pursuits).

Please Investigate it here

Stop Motion of a Stop Motion

2009-06-15T00:38:00.002+01:00

New 'Talulah Does The Hula' Choons...

2009-06-11T16:08:00.008+01:00

Sunny, 60's inspired indie poppers Talulah Does The Hula have just posted up a couple of new choons on their myspace... The choons in question, 'Bad Boyfriend' and 'Those Girls', will be released as a double A-side on physical and digital formats (i shall be acquiring both... natch') on Friday 26th of June with a launch gig in The Twisted Pepper on Middle Abbey Street the night before that. I shall be there myself if anyone wants to join me!

I personally would like to wish Talulah the best of luck with single as they're lovely girls (and guy) and myself and Chris had a great time playing with them last month supporting Cowboy X. Plus its also just really important to keep supporting our homegrown talent, of which we have lots!

See ya at the front! x

Little Boots - 'Hands': THE ULTIMATE REVIEW.

2009-06-08T04:01:00.012+01:00

So this is it people. The mothership has landed. the Little Boots album has finally leaked into the hands of the common folk after being kept under the best lock and key since the "Who killed JR?" storyline.

But seriously though, if you're anything like me you'll know that to finally hear this album in full is like climaxing after the world's longest foreplay session... (1 year to be exact) but has it all been worth the wait? Worth all that torture of dangling limited edition 7" singles and 'US only' EPs in front of our noses while scouring the Hypemachine for some semblance of an mp3 that WASN'T the five hundredth remix of Meddle or New In Town? In the words of Lil Mama on America's Best Dance Crew, did Ms. Victoria Hesketh 'bring it'?? well, in a lot of ways she has... but is it enough? and so, here is my ultimate, no holds barred, track by track analysis of the entire album from start to finish...

TRUST NO OTHER REVIEW!

*deep breath* here we go...

Track 1: New In Town (3. 19)

This is the controversial one. Many long time Boots fans were appalled at the decision to release New In Town as the official debut single to launch the Little Boots juggernaut. To be fair i vaguely felt the same way as i always felt a re-release of Meddle or Stuck on Repeat wouldn't go amiss, though i was extremely fond of the leaked demo I'd been listening to since January... this is also the re-jigged version with an additional middle eight , shinier sounding synths and re-recorded, slightly over-treated vocals. However after a few listens this glossy makeover melts into the brain like vanilla ice cream melting over warm apple pie - the production is literally THAT delicious. some may say the production gets a little too busy towards the end and i can definitely hear a bombastic hook in the background of the last 2 choruses that could've done with being brought to the foreground a little but overall this is definitely a confident and sassy opener with a dark edge, if a little un-representative of what she can really do when she puts her mind to it.

Track 2: Earthquake (4. 04)

Earthquake is one of the sampler demos Little Boots posted up onto her Myspace last October which i managed to nab from a blog on hypemachine so this one has been on rotation for a while. .. a huge synth heavy pop song about holding desperately onto a relationship that's going down the toilet and meekly taking all the constant fighting and hurtful words on the chin, hoping if u hold on a little longer it'll somehow get better. thankfully, apart from some polishing, it has been left largely untouched from the original demo and so its emotional resonance and huge, soaring late nineties trance style production has not been compromised in any way... much to my delight.

Track 3: Stuck on Repeat (3. 22)

No. No no no no no no no. NO. this, THIS is my MAJOR contention with the album so far. WHY HAS THE RADIO EDIT BEEN PUT ON THE ALBUM AS THE DEFINITIVE VERSION OF THIS SONG? This is all very, very wrong... and i wont accept any guff about needing to make the album as accessible as possible to the general music buying/Tesco soul public and so adding the extended version of the song would put people off blah blah blah... PLENTY of pop albums have longer versions of singles in the past and nobody's complained. the original sprawling, hypnotic, seven minute version would have been a beautifully epic album closer to round the whole thing off. they have missed out on a brilliant opportunity there and the aural and emotional impact of this normally stellar tune, now tucked away very randomly as track 3, has been completely lost amidst the rest of the album. very disappointing...

Track 4: Click (3. 16)

Click is probably my least favourite Little Boots track I've heard so far... the somewhat predictable lady pop lyrics are unfortunately quite clunky and while the main hook is moderately catchy, the whole song still suffers from being quite un-engaging as a whole - and i NEVER say that about a Little Boots track. She has pretty much been infallible up until this point... it is a perfectly fine song, but really nothing special.

Track 5: Remedy (3. 19)

CHEESE ALERT! Wow. This... THIS is clearly the centrepiece of the whole album. It really is a bit of a TUUUNE! a massive, epic and perfectly judged pop song produced by producer of the moment, RedOne (responsible for the recent Enrique/ Ciara cheese-fest 'Takin Back My Love' as well as Lady GaGa's recent output) who's trademark fizzy, abrasive synths weave in and out without over-powering the song as a whole or grating on the ear as they have on previous work. the chorus is HUGE as well, latching onto the brain and refusing to let go for hours after you've finished listening to it... really first class fromage pop. completely faultless.

Track 6: Meddle (3.16)

This track really needs no introduction. It is the track that, along with Stuck on Repeat, infected the blogosphere for months and introduced Little Boots into the big leagues, although it was never officially released other than a limited edition 7" and on the US only Arecibo EP.
Now here it is in all its original, percussion symphony style glory... and it certainly has not lost any of its initial spark and oddball genius. It is a perfect synergy of the pop sensibilities of producer Greg Kursten (Lily Allen, The Bird and the Bee) and the attention to detail displayed by Ms. Hesketh and her obsession with various blips and bleeps and the synthesizers that produce them. Plus the song has weird monk style choral "aaahs" during the middle eight. MONK STYLE CHORAL "AAAHS" PEOPLE!! Intricate, weird and big... pop song of the decade. no contest.

Track 7: Ghosts (3. 03)

This is the dramatic, moody number - The album's idea of a ballad if you will...Vaudeville style. Evocative lyrics over a commanding military style drum beat which takes the listener on a mysterious death march through "black air under the trees" while Boots' "skull is full of dreams" and other such romantic, vaguely emo imagery. You could say this track has something of a Gothic edge to it... goth with Brechtian/Wiell-esque lolloping synths galore running through it obviously. Not perfectly executed but gorgeous stuff all the same.

Track 8: Mathematics (3. 26)

This was released as part of the Little Boots EP back in January and so yet again has been on rotation for a while. It is an icy Goldfrapp-esque, unflappable slab of electro pop where Boots muses on the mathematics of love and how nothing can “divide a heart plus a heart” and other such pun-tastic matters... it builds from a fairly chilled, too cool for school verse into a dizzily arresting chorus where again the synths envelop the listener into euphoric submission... its SO damn good.

Track 9: Symmetry (feat. Philip Oakey) (4. 30)

Being the ear tease that she is, Boots very cruelly sent a tiny 30 second clip of this song to Popjustice.com as a taster for the forthcoming album back in February. So intrigued was I with this snippet, and so enamoured I was with the precious few seconds i heard of it, that I proceeded to play the clip as often as possible in lieu of the full track which could not be found ANYWHERE. Now it arrives... and it is just as delicious as i thought it would be. Featuring Philip Oakey of The Human League, it is basically "Don’t You Want Me Baby" : The Prequel – the honeymoon period just before the relationship went tits up... before the bloke told the bird that he put her where she is now, and that he can put her back down too. The moment where they were equals, in perfect symmetry... the synths are somewhat sparse but all the more haunting for it and Oakey’s commanding vocals compliment Boots’ little girl lost tones beautifully... love it love it LOVE IT.

Track 10: Tune Into My Heart (3. 42)

We’re getting into Kylie territory here... sort of a strange juxtaposition between stock, aiken & waterman kylie and fever era kylie minus the sexy bits... a bit of an odd combination really. its a really sweet song with cute, trinkling synths and delicate vocals that really grows on you after a while but it doesn’t have the immediate chutzpah of the previous tracks. Its probably one of the more purely pop moments on the whole album... not a bad thing by any means but just lacks a little something to give it more of a punch. It is innocently romantic though which only adds to its more understated charms...

Track 11: Hearts Collide (3. 45)

This is another very low key track that also once again takes a trip down kylie territory, though more on the side of moody, x era kylie... It is again quite an understated track but becomes quite lush sounding as the chorus hits and boots’ ethereal vocals swirl in amongst the main synths as she swoons about when “hearts collide” as “stars align” and such like... in my opinion it one of the hidden gems on this album and definitely worth repeat listens.

Track 12: No Brakes (4. 03)

And so we come to the final track on the album... and this track is an oddly underwhelming choice for such an honour. Again it is another winsome love song describing the feelings that overwhelm one when falls in love etc... but while it is sweet and charming on the outside, it lacks any real solid hook that locks it into one's memory, therefore making it somewhat of a weak album closer... all it does is appear and then quietly pootle off into the sunset leaving no real impression behind. hmmm... yet again I whine: where is the extended version of Stuck on Repeat???

AND SO IN CONCLUSION...

...despite some hiccups here and there, my 21st century pop idol Ms. Victoria Hesketh has really outdone herself for the most part and produced the kind of pop album that I've always wanted... it really is a girl's album as she side steps the pitfalls of most aspiring pop tarts by avoiding the cheapening effects of purring about sex and drunken partying, instead choosing to speak to our more innocent, naive emotions through her starry-eyed and quixotic lyricism. This wordplay, coupled with her incomparable knack for spellbinding melody and hook, come together to make the kind of pop music that the modern day charts have been missing for some time now...

Many snobs may bitch and complain about the pure commerciality of the tracks on the album, strongly at odds with the mysterious, anonymous ice queen who first turned our lives upside down with that first listen of the distinctly un-commercial Stuck on Repeat... but anyone who has observed Hesketh's relationship with music like I have will see that she makes no claims to be anything other than a girl who just loves good pop music and that she merely wishes to emulate her own idols in terms of the kind of music she makes herself. She doesn't wish to cut off her nose to spite her face and hold her music hostage from the general public because they're not "cool" enough - she wants to be a proper popstar and makes no bones about that fact... it shines through all of her music. In fact, it is her innate un-pretentiousness that only makes me love her all the more...

She basically just a big legend really. :D

Video: Fight Like Apes - Something Global

2009-06-04T11:10:00.003+01:00

Directed by Eoghan Kidney, the video aimed to splice together over a hundred different cameras worth of fan footage and professional video camera shots to create a music video. The video was shot in Whelans and You can see the result below. The video also has an appearance by me as one of the mask wearing suit people in the background.

Fight Like Apes - Something Global from ξοgΙιαη κιdηεγ on Vimeo.

Extreme Sheepherding

2009-05-28T00:48:00.002+01:00

Ok I know this is not music related and I don't plan to make a habit of these kind of posts but I just thought this was too good to pass up.

I don't know about you but...

2009-05-26T03:45:00.005+01:00

...this really looks to be the moment that Guy Ritchie may have jumped the shark.

Tesco Soul.

2009-05-21T00:49:00.010+01:00

So, the new Passion Pit album is now on sale in Tesco of all places. To be honest, this doesn't bother me all that hugely as I was never really caught up in the whole Passion Pit hype apart from "Sleepyhead" but it does raise a question I've pondered alot recently - Why do we become so much less enamoured with a band once it becomes apparent that they are slowly but surely making their towards mainstream ubiquity?

Or, in my case, why do we become almost panic-y about the whole thing? Ever since the Little Boots media assault went into overdrive a couple of weeks ago in preparation for the release of her first proper debut single "New In Town" I have found myself staring at the radio in horror every time the song comes on SPIN 1038 & thinking desperately to myself "NO!! SHE'S MINE!! THE PLEBS WON'T LOVE HER LIKE I LOVE HER!!! like some quasi-lesbian stalker person and becoming more and more aware of the fact that this amazing secret little internet genius I discovered almost a year ago is now becoming a fully fledged popstar whose current audience will probably never know the beauty of of the full, 7 minute glory of the extended version of Stuck On Repeat because she's only put the radio edit on the final cut of her forthcoming debut album (WTF?!?). Don't get me wrong - I am most definitely not begrudging Ms. Hesketh the opportunity to fulfil her dreams of becoming, in her words "a proper popstar" and she completely deserves all the positive attention she is recieving and I will still worship her no matter what. What I am merely trying to point out is that it can be a sad feeling coming to terms with losing what once felt like a more personal relationship with a band you first discovered from the beginning... you start to feel more like a nameless face in a sea of a growing number of new fans that came late to the party. It sounds ridiculous I know but sometimes you just can't help these feelings no matter how trivial and dumb they seem!

Does anybody else ever feel this way?...

In Bb 2.0 - A Collaborative Music/Spoken Word Project

2009-05-17T23:56:00.005+01:00

Getting users to play ambient pieces in the key of Bb then upload the video of their recording to YouTube they created this awesome musical collaboration.

Check it out here http://www.inbflat.net/

Very Important Eurovision Notice: If This Song Doesn't Win I Will Eat My Hat.

2009-05-16T19:10:00.004+01:00

This below is the Norwegian entry for tonight's Eurovision song contest.

It's by a dude called Alexander Rybak and its called Fairytale.

As you can see, it is quite mad yet somehow strangely compelling and brilliant.

And that fiddle riff...

WOW.

You see, THIS is the kind of song Ireland needs to be writing for the Eurovision! It's got that OTT trad feel to it while also incorporating that all important minor key to give it an Eastern European flavour. It also has a bit of an epic chorus goin' on. (We won't focus too much on the clumsy verse lyrics...)

Anyway, NOTE TO NEXT YEAR'S IRISH ENTRY: write something that sounds like this song!!!

Shameless Plug

2009-05-12T12:04:00.007+01:00

For those of you who don't know, Sally (sodthemachine) and I play in a band called 'Candy in my Heels'. We have been very kindly asked to support the awesome 'Cowboy X' at their forthcoming Academy 2 gig on May 31st. For those who didn't bother to read the poster the other support comes from ex-The Chalets and Neosupervital members 'Talulah Does The Hula'. Doors at 7. Tickets available for €10 from Ticketmaster.

Come one come all and enjoy a night of electro rock/indie!

Reasons Why Ukuleles Rock #67254: Priscilla Ahn.

2009-05-06T15:05:00.003+01:00

So pretty...

...and I thought it couldn't get any better than the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.

Lego Guitar

2009-05-04T11:39:00.004+01:00

Being the big music nerd that I am (especially when it comes to guitars) I just had to post this. Although there are no strings in the picture it is listed as being fully functional but the truss rod can only hold the string tension for so long so you have to take the strings off when your not playing it.

Les Paul Standard body, a nice dogear P-90 pickup on the bridge for light distortion and a vintage tone and then a more modern humbucker at the neck. Unfortunately its already been sold on Ebay.

More pictures here.

Gettin' Down With One's Bad Self.

2009-04-30T16:17:00.003+01:00

As dedicated Happiness Machine followers will already know, I have been under house arrest with the mumps for the last 15 million years or so, including on my birthday a few days ago. On the plus side, I was given a huge boxset of all 7 series of Scrubs for said birthday and have been immersing myself ever since...

...which brings me to one of the more chuckle-inducing moments I have encountered during my recovery; Turk Dancing to Bell Viv DeVoe's "Poison"!!!

And just for the craic, heres the full track itself in all it's early 90's, groove-tastic glory...

Bell Biv DeVoe -Poison

Wait...They Don't Love You Like Duke Special

2009-04-27T17:05:00.005+01:00

I've never been hugely into Duke Special but just a few minutes ago I received an email from his record label (apparently I'm on their mailing list, I was not aware) with a free download to a track called 'Maps' which turned out to be a rather good piano version of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's song of the same name. So here's the link

http://zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/reg/reg.pl?id=3596-81362.

Yes I know it means you have to sign up but I think its only fair for a free track.

And just because it was the next thing that came on iTunes afterwards and made me happy here's a bonus track of Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing.

*Bonus*
Marvin Gaye-Sexual Healing

NOFX - They Don't Suck Live

2009-04-26T00:48:00.009+01:00

I originally planned to just do bullet points for this but 40 minutes later I seem to have a full review on my hands so here is the review and the set list for NOFX's April 25th show in the Olympia.

I arrive at the venue about 7.20 doors having opened at 7. I go into the already crowded Olympia and find myself a prime spot at the front. The first band Pour Habit kick off the night at an unusually early 7.50. The energy filled 25 minute set comprises of fairly standard punk with the odd bit of ska, done with the musicianship of a metal band. The singer slam danced his way around the stage while the guitarists provided an extremely heavy but happy sounding backing. However, technical issues prevent the full extent of their sound being communicated effectively.

Second on are Fat Wreck Chords The Flatliners. Fronted by a guitarist/singer that has a sense for melody but can scream with the best of them. the band start with a few strong opening punk/ska numbers but as the set progresses each song blends together to produce a wholly underwhelming set. This is once again due in part to technical problems, with the guitars becoming an indistinguishable wall of noise. The band wrap things up and leave the crowd in anticipation, ready for NOFX's first gig in Ireland in 5 years.

The set kicked off with an instrumental intro followed by classic 'Punk In Drublic' opener 'Linoleum' and progressed through a varied and unpredictable mix of songs from the majority of their albums/Ep's and 7". Highlight of the gig was the inclusion of a near flawless performance of the track 'The Decline', the bands 18 minute opus. The band have vowed to only play the track once in each major city they play and never again so for those of you who knew it I salute you and for those who didn't you missed a once in a lifetime (as long as you don't go see them in another country) opportunity.

Evidently the band know which side their bread is buttered on and the only track to appear from their new album 'Coaster' is Fat Mikes ode to his recently deceased parents (who both died in 2006) 'My Orphan Year'. The track is let down by poor sound and unfortunately being unfamiliar with the song, I wasn't able to fully appreciate it.

In what is becoming a rare event at gigs these days (at least the ones I've been going to) the band are conversational throughout the performance which adds a certain simple but inexplicably satisfying sense of showmanship. Jokes are made at the expense of the Mexicans, Jewish and others but all in a lighthearted tone (The guitarists El Hefe and Eric Melvin are Mexican and Jewish). A few sincere moments of thanks are given to the crowd and the other bands but back In the spirit of tomfoolery the the set is finished with a can-can across the stage to Avenue Q's 'Everyone's a Little Bit Racist'.

5 Liqourice Pizzas out of 5!

Set List:

Intro
Linoleum
Stickin' In My Eye
Franco Un-American
Mattersville
The Decline
Radio (Rancid Cover)
Arming the Proletariat with Potato Guns (Instrumental With Jokes)
Fleas
Murder The Government
Pharmacists Daughter
Kill the Bloody Queen (New Kind of Made Up Song)
My Orphan Year
Seperation of Church and Skate
Jesusland
Eat the Meek
Bob

Encore:

Bottles to the Ground
Whoops I OD'd (Fast Version)
Kill All the White Man
Everyones A Little Bit Racist (Avenue Q)

The Lost Art of the B-Side Part 2: Now with added mumps.

2009-04-20T17:54:00.002+01:00

So I've been struck down with the bloody mumps of all things at the moment so really this should be the perfect opportunity to catch up on my blogging since I'll have nothing better to do trapped inside the house for A WHOLE WEEK MAYBE EVEN TWO WEEKS.

So I'll start off with the relatively new discovery known as Rochelle. They do be a London based electro outfit who have released a couple of fairly low key singles so far such as "Fer De Lance" which I found vaguely interesting but not exactly earth shattering. However they appear set to change all that by releasing "Chin Up", a rockin' party choon if ever there was one...

...HOWEVER! There is also an astonishingly awesome b-side called "In The Night" which is probably even more worthy of being checked out then its a-side buddy. In fact I believe it to be so astonishingly awesome that it could have quite easily slipped into the guise of an a-side its that damn good. Plus I'm a sucker for anything in a very obvious minor key and that sounds like something that Buffy Summers would listen to if she was an electro fan.

Rochelle - In The Night

Songs To Fall Asleep To... #256534

2009-04-17T14:45:00.011+01:00

She is the bloggers darling at the moment which is usually something I like to avoid with this blog (with the exception of She Who Must Not Be Named) but I cant help but give Bat For Lashes some attention at the moment because her new album "Two Suns" really is some epic stuff and definitely a step up from the lo-fi efforts of her debut "Fur and Gold"....

Here is a gorgeous acoustic version of the current single "Daniel" recorded for the BBC Live Lounge recently. It takes the original's disco ballad sound and seamlessly transforms it into an even more immense and haunting sound. I feel like I should be wandering around a forest at night listening to this...

Bat For Lashes - Daniel (BBC Live Lounge Version)

Here is the original version, if you're interested...

While we're at it she also recorded a beautiful cover of Kings Of Leon's "Use Somebody" which competely strips back the stadium rock bombast of the original, merely leaving behind the loneliness and longing of the lyrics to shine through.

Bat For Lashes - Use Somebody (King Of Leon Cover)

Lovely stuff.

Splitting Hairs - Story of Hair to Break Up

2009-04-16T18:59:00.002+01:00

Its with a heavy heart that I wave goodbye to Noise-popsters Story of Hair. Yesterday afternoon I received a farewell email stating that the band have decided to split. No reason in particulater is stated and the brief message just gives thanks to Steve Shannon and Ruth Kennington from Experimental Audio where the band recently completed their debut album 'Cheap Rate' and to all the bands they played with.

The Hairs will be playing their last gig this Saturday 18th April in Tower Records at 1:30pm as part of International Record Store Day. If you can please go along and give them a proper farewell. We at 'The Happiness Machine' wish them the best in their future endeavors.

Full farewell email after the jump.

Splitting Hairs...

It is with sad faces we are announcing our perm-anent parting of ways :(

We'd like to thank everyone we've worked with, all the great bands we've played with and everyone who has listened to our songs. As a goodbye we've uploaded a brand new song, Hold on Holden, which we finished today to our myspace and website and which is free to download. It was recorded at Experimental Audio with Stephen Shannon and Ruth Kennington.

We'll be playing our last gig this Saturday 18th April in Tower Records at 1:30pm as part of International Record Store Day.

It was fantastic to be part of such a thriving music scene in Ireland, we enjoyed every minute of it. One big "highlight" you could say!

All the best

Hairs

omg. omg. omg. omg. omg. omg...

2009-04-07T19:57:00.006+01:00

...the new artwork for Little Boots' forthcoming album "Hands"...

*literally faints with excitement*

Little Boots - Album Mini Mix

whine Whats taking so looooong... jumps up and down impatiently

2009-04-07T00:55:00.006+01:00

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-ie&amp;amp;amp;amp;playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:c01c84ae-38f0-4e3e-8ea4-44a03382875d&amp;amp;amp;amp;showPlaylist=true&amp;amp;amp;amp;from=none&amp;amp;amp;amp;fg=gtlv2" target="_new" title="Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"&amp;amp;gt;Video: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

If You Buy This Album You Have No Respect For Music As A Force For Good And General Awesome-ness.

2009-04-04T04:32:00.010+01:00

THIS my friends, is the new album by X Factor 2008 runner-up/tween hysteria inducing antichrist Eoghan Quigg. Now as you can see there are many flaws regarding this album - it's general existance being just one of them. First of all, lets take a closer look at this art work. When did it become acceptable to allow album artwork as piss-poor as this to enter the public domain?No matter how shit the contents of an album, I will always respect a decent album cover(that is why I forgave X Factor 2007 runners up Same Difference)

The next major flaw in this album is the quite frankly rather camp selection of dead-eyed covers on offer - ABBA's "Does Your Mother Know" and Michael Jackson's tribute to the cuddlier side of the bubonic plague, "Ben", to name but a few. These bizarre covers coupled with depressingly half - arsed Busted-Lite style pop rock ditties only serve to highlight the inescapable lame-ness of money-grabbing ventures such as these.

It is laziness like this that gives pop music a bad name.

Ugh.

Metric - Gimme Sympathy

2009-04-01T15:29:00.002+01:00

Here is the video for what I'm assuming is the new single from the album 'Fantasies'

Metric- Gimme Sympathy

In Loving Memory of...The Chalets

2009-03-31T23:03:00.009+01:00

In what may or may not become a regular feature here, every now and then I want to put up a track from now defunct bands that I think should never have split up/killed themselves/overdosed on a drug of their choice.

First up is Irish Indie-pop with the odd synthesizer thrown in band 'The Chalets'. The Chalets formed in 2001 at All tomorrows parties, released a handful of singles, released the spectacular 'Nightrock' Ep in 2004 and the brilliant debut album Check-In on Setanta in 2005 and then combusted for reasons unknown to me (apparantly lack of money being one though). So in tribute to the deceased i'm posting my favourite track from the Nightrock Ep 'Kiss Chasing'. Although it may not be their best song and the closer 'David Boring' is a close second in terms of my favourites the pure and simple pop genius of this song gets me every time.

And you can get it here The Chalets - Kiss Chasing

I can't tell how many but at least one of the guys participates in the the madness that is the 'Warlords of Pez'.

And in a more recent discovery for me (I found out today) Paula and Caomhie a.k.a. Pee Pee and Pony have formed 'Talulah Does The Hula' with a Jessie, a Lauren and a Michael. I haven't quite managed to place the style enough to describe it so head over to their myspace to check out the two tunes available. The 5 piece play Whelans April 26th, tickets €10 are available from WAV box office.

The New Annie Single Sleeve - Very Cute & Girly (songs not bad either)

2009-03-23T21:01:00.006Z

The lovely Annie has finally posted a clip of her first (post-Island Records) single "Anthonio" on her Myspace which will be released on May 4th on Richard X's new label "Pleasure Masters".It really is rather gorgeous, following on from the "Songs Remind Me of You" aspects of the (unreleased) Don't Stop era rather than the Xenomania tinged tracks such as My Love Is Better. This is not to knock Xenomania's efforts in this regard but at times their style of production seemed a little too harsh next to Annie's gentle, breathy vocal style. Richard X will always be Quincy Jones to her Michael Jackson I feel...

80's style back combing makes a comeback.

2009-03-18T00:42:00.004Z

Alex Roots do be a sprightly young thing of 16 who's debut single "Fake" is coming out at the end of this month. The song is pretty epic in my opinion and despite being so young she already encompasses the spirit of a young Cyndi Lauper with a healthy dose of "Girlfriend" era Avril Lavigne. Have a look see for yourselves...

Carrying the jail bait pre-school punk theme, Daisy Dares You is a similarly sprightly young thing of 15 who currently has a fab choon up on her humble lil myspace by the name of "Number 1 Enemy" which has just been bestowed with the prestigious Popjustice song of the day.

I Get All The Girls (And Boys)

2009-03-14T10:18:00.006Z

After losing the race for the position of Student Union president in my college I was somewhat disappointed. So I used the only cure I know for disappointment ELECTRO DANCE HITS!!!

So while trawling the internet and rediscovering some awesome dance choons I found a gender-balancing cover of Calvin Harris' 'The Girls' by Dragonette so in the the spirit of equality I present...

'The Girls'

Calvin Harris - The Girls
And 'The Boys'

Dragonette - The Boys

Shameless guilty pleasure alert #2

2009-03-06T04:06:00.008Z

The Veronicas are awesome.
I mean really, really awesome.

Imagine if Heathers decided not to take themselves so seriously, slapped on too much eyeliner, added some electric guitars into the mix, and wrote really nonsensical lyrics about lust and love that don't make any sense but you don't care anyway because the choruses are THAT BLOODY AMAZING AND EPIC.
That is basically the Veronicas summed up in a nutshell.
They do be twin sisters from down under and have previously released a debut album full of pop rock nuggets back in 2005 called "The Secret Life of The Veronicas". This June they shall be releasing their 2nd album entitled "Hook Me Up" which has seen the girls move into a more dance pop/rock direction with a lot more synths thrown into the mix which can only be a good thing in my opinion. In fact, sometimes i think i like synths so much im gonna turn into a big giant synth... *thinks "awesome" quietly to herself*

The Veronicas - 4ever
The Veronicas - Hollywood (b-side)

VV Brown - v.v. good

2009-03-06T01:30:00.003Z

VV Brown is a self-styled doo-wop indie pop starlet that has been grabbing my attention of late. She released her debut single "Crying Blood" ( essentially a total rip off of monster mash - but a bloody brilliant rip off!) towards the end of last year and released the follow up "Leave" this week.

Its a real grower of a song and VV's ability to convey genuine emotion through the chirp and bounce of a happy melody is something to be admired. On top of that the b-side to the digital download is, in my opinion, a really amazing cover of The Smith's "This Charming Man" which is transformed it into a thoughtful electro number with VV's vocals complimenting the production perfectly. In fact it has to be one of the best b-sides/covers I've heard in ages.

There is also a really awesome remix/cover by She Who Must Not Be Named...

VV Brown - This Charming Man (Smiths Cover)

VV Brown - Leave (Little Boots Mix)

Metric - Fantasies Update

2009-03-05T03:05:00.008Z

ilovemetric.com has just opened pre-order stuff on the 'Metric' album 'Fantasies'. The album will be released in its digital form on March 31st and subsequently will be shipped in its physical form between then and April 14th. Album formats will include the digital download for in or around the equivalent of €7 for the thrifty music buyer, a hardcover digipack with digital download, a vinyl + digital, a hardcover digipack+ Vinyl with digital download, and then a super-duper ultra pack with everything and lots of exclusive signed stuff etc., which is what I hope to get once I get the €50 necessary, are also available.

The site is currently streaming the extended version of the lead single 'Help I'm Alive' and what will undoubtedly be its second single the amazing 'Gimme Sympathy'.

Go here for streaming and here for purchasing.

Villagers in The Stables, Mullingar 28th February 2009

2009-03-01T16:57:00.015Z

Yesterday myself, Blathnaid and Rob of Egoeccentric went on a bit of a trek down to Mullingar to see Villagers play in the Stables. Apparently all gigs there start late so there was time for a quick pint in Dun Laoghaire before the drive down to the midlands.

Click on the read more for a review of the gig.

This being my first trip to The Stables I didn't know what to expect. What I found was what looked to be a converted stable. The venue, whose capacity I couldn't guess but would assume to be quite small, was laid out with long benches. Minimal lighting was provided by the candles resting on each bench, which served to increase the air of intimacy in the venue. The walls and ceiling were plastered with gig posters which created a nice juxtaposition between the old world charm of the Stable and the modern edge of the music scene it houses.

Arriving slightly late at about 10.15 we were just in time to see the first act, 'The Ambience Affair' a guitar and drum duo that make heavy use of loop pedals to create expansive soundscapes. The pair took to the stage about 22.20 and launched into a 30 minute set of quietloudquiet acoustic tracks with a shoegazy edge. One of the pitfalls of using loop pedals is the tendency to fall into the same patterns and to rely too heavily on the amount of layers you can create so that the basic song suffers. Unfortunately The Ambience Affair's set suffered from this and the resultant effect was that no single song stood out. Then again that might be the point. Despite these minor quibbles I enjoyed the performance a lot. In much the same way as I listen to 'Massive Attack', The Ambience Affair's hypnotic loops provide an soundtrack that can either be used as ambient background music or can be fully attended to for maximum enjoyment. I'd be interested to see how this band progresses if they harness some of their soundscapes and turn them into slightly more accessible songs.

Second to take the stage were normally three piece Arrow in the Sky who were short a member for the evening. For most of set the pair made use of acoustic guitar and mandolin to produce fairly standard singer-songwriter fair with a few odd instruments thrown in. Listenable but but not exactly innovative. Poor crowd interaction didn't exactly help and the performance would have benefited greatly from some eye-contact with the audience and a bit more energy from the performers.

This could not be said of Villagers who somehow mananged to produce a set that was both a quiet and intimate affair while still using walls of guitar feedback and unbounded energy. The Brainchild of Ex-The Immediate Conor O' Brien, Villagers recorded output is a completely solo project however they're live performances are a collaboration between various musician friends of Conor's. With a constantly rotating line-up (which at one gig point of Richie Egan of Jape) one would expect some level of sloppiness in the playing but Villagers set is as tight as that of a band who have been on the road for years. The line-up consists of Conor on acoustic guitar, Berkely guitarist Tommy McLaughlin on electric guitar, (I think) David Crean on Keys and two other members, whose names I unfortunately did not take down, on Bass and Drums.

The 12 song set soared from quiet to loud, integrating tracks from their 'Hollow Kind' EP. Conor O' Brien filled his lyrics with a rare passion and conviction that makes the listener believe in what he's saying. Tommy McLaughlin seemed to be channeling the spirit of The Bends/Ok Computer era Johnny Greenwood, with intricate melodies and minimalist playing giving way to chaotic distortion and acres of feedback. A solid performance from every member made you believe that this wasn't just the work of one man and that every musician felt as much the part of the music as any other.

Although it may seem like the press are holding Villagers up on a pedestal the heights of which they can never live up to, performances like this make you feel like you've witnessed something special and makes you believe that this band could go far. So if you have the chance go see Villagers now before they take to the cities and stadiums.

Snow Patrol Actually Good?

2009-02-27T23:19:00.006Z

Ok I know many people will tune out the moment they see the words 'Snow Patrol' but they shouldn't, they really shouldn't. I don't advocate the attitude of 'lets write the poppiest song we can manage that will sell millions but annoy anyone who actually liked the proper songs off our first 2 albums' a lá the six note dirge that was 'Chasing Cars', but there are a few gems that they have and for me those songs are always worth digging for.

The best example of this is 'Somewhere a Clock is Ticking' from their 2003 album 'Final Straw'. This song is something of a what-could-have-been song for me as it showcases the potential they have to write absolutely epic 4 and a half minute rock songs. The song starts off with a quiet introspective guitar, the odd electronic click and the songs main refrain, but it slowly builds and as the song progresses, creates a huge wall of crashing guitars and violins that assaults your eardrums with chaotic noise.

Songs that actually make me feel like I felt when I was discovering bands for the first time are few and far between, but this is one of them and for that Snow Patrol have earned some forgiveness in my eyes.

Snow Patrol - Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking

New Frankmusik video alert!

2009-02-27T19:30:00.005Z

the delectable Frankmusik is releasing his next single "Better Off As Two" on April 13th.

of course it is not nearly as gloriously euphoric as "3 Little Words", but then only about 6 songs are.... still it is a sweet little emotive pop ditty of the kind which Mr. Musik is so bloody good.

the album is set to drop in June and is one of the my most anticipated releases this year, after Cowboy X and She Who Must Not Be Named (you know who im referring to :P)

Frankmusik - In Step

Frankmusik - Rehab (Amy winehouse Cover)

Shameless Guilty Pleasure Alert.

2009-02-27T00:02:00.006Z

Oh god...

i REALLY shouldn't like this song...

...they look like twats dont they?

But ykno what? iv had a shitty day today yet this song has single handedly made me giddy as an emo school girl inspite of myself!!

see thats what i LOVE about pop music...

Metro Station - Shake It

Enjoy the cover version.

2009-02-26T01:39:00.009Z

My fave independant girl band Red Blooded Women will be releasing their long awaited follow-up to last summers (criminally over-looked) "You Made Your Bed" in the form of a cover of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence" next month. The Designer Drugs remix is currently doing the rounds on hypemachine in order to whet our appetite and its not bad really - basically a raved up version of the track with a smidge of donk for good measure.

It got me thinking about an observation I had made recently about how covers of Depeche Mode songs were invariably more enjoyable than the originals. well, at least to me anyway.. *narrowly avoids tomatoe lobbed at head by purist Depeche Mode fan*

But seriously! I mean, listen to the symphonic Lacuna Coil version of "Enjoy The Silence," the intense Shiny Toy Guns boy/girl duet of "Stripped" and the swaggering Marilyn Manson take on Personal Jesus...

Red Blooded Women - Enjoy The Silence(Designer Drugs remix)
Lacuna Coil - Enjoy The Silence
Marilyn Manson - Personal Jesus
Shiny Toy Guns - Stripped

Of course, i will admit there are some exceptions to my rule...

*sigh* Oh The Saturdays... you were doing so well & everything... :(

Beautiful Dancing Loner Robots - Update

2009-02-21T02:16:00.003Z

It is official:

"Untouchable" will indeed be the third single to be taken from the current Girls Aloud album...

huzzah!

no word on a possible radio edit though...

yet.

hmmm...

The Brit Awards Last Night

2009-02-20T02:44:00.004Z

Last night the annual "lets-award-the-most-mainstream-and-predictable-artists" awards occured last night in Earl's Court, London.

Here is my blow by blow analysis of the evenings events:

James Corden, Matt Horne and Kylie Minogue opening the show by taking the piss out of the "Cant Get You Out Of My Head" video: Those boys aren't bad dancers! They even kept time & everything!

U2 performing their new single "Get On Your Boots" which is a fairly brainless but generally listenable song until the part where Bono utters the word "sexy" and it all goes terribly wrong: Well, Bono looked like a bit of a plank in that deus ex machina position at the beginning waving his arms and legs around but on the whole i guess it wasn't bad... they are starting to look a bit status quo-like though.

Girls Aloud finally winning a Brit Award after 7 years in the business: In the words Sarah Harding (the short haired blonde one who pretends to be indie sometimes) when the girls went up to accept their award... "Its about time!!" Too right Sarah. GA4EVA!

Kings of Leon performing "Use Somebody" interspersed with with shots of the celebrity section of the audience not really giving a shite: as one youtuber commented, they should've just played down the local pub to a real crowd. DAMN those boys are looking fine these days though... and Caleb Followill... just goes to show what a decent hair cut can do for a guy.

Girls Aloud performing The Promise with giant pink feathers: Too many feathers. Just got annoying after a while... vocals didn't sound too bad though. Kimberly is still my fave though...

The Ting Tings and Estelle duet of Shut Up and Let Me Go/American Boy/Thats Not My Name aka the wierdest combination for mash up but yet it still works: "Shut Up..." and "American Boy" work oddly well together... the two lay-deez were a weensy bit flat though.

Duffy winning best album while Elbow look on utterly unimpressed as they had clearly expected to win: Rockferry is a distinctly average supermarket soul album with only one or two striking tracks so why it ended up winning is a complete mystery. But it was really sweet when Tom Jones who was presenting the award , a fellow welsh person, gave her warm congratulations before giving her the award. ah bless...

Tom Jones's hair: Talk about the silver fox!!

Pet Shop Boys closing the show with an extended medley featuring Lady Ga Ga in some sort of wedding china inspired ensemble and an awkward looking Brandon Flowers from the Killers wearing some feathers on the back of his jacket: A bit stilted in parts but overall a fairly deadly performance and keyboardist Chris Lowe's pink Andy Warhol hair was somewhat epic. Am v. excited about the new album too, if new single Love Etc is anything to go by!

Well there ya go sports fans! Hope you found all this very informative... Looking forward to next year's Tesco soul awards!

Beautiful Robots Dancing Alone...

2009-02-19T19:58:00.004Z

So according to Popjustice, the third single to be taken from Girls Aloud's current album Out of Control is to be announced fairly soon. Hurrah!

PJ have already expressed their rejection of a possible of a radio edit of the epic "Untouchable" which i kind of agree with cos it is a pretty spectacular, swirlingly amazing 6 minutes and 43 seconds of electro loveliness which contains the timeless couplet,

'Without any meaning, we're just skin and bone,
Like beautiful robots dancing alone'

...and would lose any emotional impact by being chopped and changed into a neat, 3 minute and 30 second package.

There has been talk of "Love Is The Key" or "Rolling Back The Rivers in Time" making the cut, but in my opinion that'd be a bit of a step backwards after the heartbreakingly beautiful, Pet Shop Boys produced "The Loving Kind".

In my opinion it's gotta be either "Turn To Stone", or MAYBE "Miss You Bow Wow" despite the idiotic title, simply because i will now always associate the song with the drag show at The George and the fact that the DJ there played Little Boots, Annie, Frankmusik AND Girls Aloud one after the other therefore making him/her the GREATEST DJ IN THE WORLD.

Fact.

Girls Aloud - Untouchable

Amanda Palmer, Amanda F**king Awesome

2009-02-17T10:27:00.010Z

Ok considering I'm a huge fan there's no point in me trying to review the gig so I'm just going to give a bit of a summary of the night with review like sections. Click the read more for an overview of the night.

I arrived at the sugar club without a ticket. This is usually a bad start when trying to attend a concert but I pressed on regardless. After many walks up and down the queue calling out for a spare ticket I was eventually rewarded by a kind man whose 3 friends had cancelled on him last minute. I got my ticket cost price for €16. Bargain.
Going up and down the queue I had discovered a few people who didn't have tickets so I informed them of the spare tickets down the line and got rewarded by getting a place at the front of the queue and some company for the night.

Anyway, doors opened a little bit later than listed (This delay was due to a lack of a working piano as we discovered later) and everyone piled in to try get good seats. For those who haven't been in the sugar club the seating arrangement for this kind of gig is odd but provides an intimacy rarely found in any other venue. The tiered seating means everyone can see and the comfortable seats make for a nice break from the usual 3 hours standing up being bumped into by some drunk who insists on singing the lyrics to different songs at the top of his lungs (its always a guy) whenever there's a break between songs. Bonus points must be given for the merchandise on the night. T-Shirts were an extremely affordable €10 which left plenty of money for drink/food etc.

The support came from a gravel voiced undertaker by the name of Rohan Kriwaczek. Having had a falling out with the rest of his band, he performed a solo show consisting of songs that reminded me of Swordfishtrombones era Tom Waits meets Danny Elfman. The few tracks that really stood out were 'Big Shot', a venomous ode to the big bankers and major company heads, Who would have known, a bittersweet part-love song to the singers ex-wife and the closer 'The Undertaker's Ball' which was a tongue-in-cheek tale about the goings on at undertaker's parties. The set was short and sweet but made its point perfectly.

A short break and then Amanda Palmer took the stage. Clothed in an antique dress she proceeded to open the show with an unaccompanied version of 'The Wind That Shakes The Barley' by Robert Dwyer Joyce. Swiftly ripping off the dress to reveal a t-shirt and stockings she burst into a blistering performance of 'Astronaut' the lead track off her solo album 'Who Killed Amanda Palmer'. Unfortunately Zoe Keating, who provided support and played cello on a few tracks at the previous Academy gig, was not in attendance and this particular song suffered somewhat but the energy with which it was performed did help make up some of the ground lost.

The gig was a slightly more laid back affair than her previous performance with more tear jerkers, slow burners and covers however this matched the feel of the venue and resulted in an incredibly memorable night. A few technical difficulties during the set, namely 'Bad Habit' and forgetting the lyrics to one verse of her newest song did little to damage the strength of the performance and were dealt with with an endearingly self deprecating sense of humour. The highlight of the night was the closer 'Half Jack' from the Dresden Dolls first album. The encore came in the form of a leap offstage into the crowd for a solo acoustic ukelele performance of the Radiohead classic 'Creep'. The capacity crowd was encouraged to sing and sing they did. This was one of those moments when the crowd feels truly connected with one another and even when it was over everyone left with a smile on their face.

Anyway for another dose of Amanda Palmer and a Book signing by Neil Gaiman head down to Chapters on Parnell Street today at 5. I will most definitely be there.

Set List:

Wind that shakes the barley
Astronaut
I Want You But I Don't Need You (by Momus)
Bad Habit
My Favourite Things (from the Sound of Music)
Mrs O.
I Google You (Lyrics by Neil Gaiman)
Guitar Hero
Trout Heart Replica (New Song)
Runs In The Family
House That I Grew Up In
Poem (An actual poem not a song called poem)
Oasis (I think this was here but I can't be sure I neglected to take it down)
Colorblind
Half Jack
Creep

PS - In a testament to how nice Amanda Palmer's fans are, when I missed my last bus I was given a floor to sleep on and a sleeping bag to sleep in by a very nice guy called Dean who I'd been talking to when I was looking for a ticket. I even got breakfast! So I just want to say an extremely big thank you and to anyone who reads this if you end up in a similar situation in either role please follow this guys example.

Transformers, Because We all Love Big Stompy Robots

2009-02-17T10:19:00.002Z

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen from Bay Films/Michael Bay Dot Com on Vimeo.

Honey meddles with Little Boots.

2009-02-15T01:26:00.005Z

You may remember a recent post i did on a charming 15 year old fledgling singer/songwriter simply named "Honey" and her somewhat rough around the edges but very cute "kate nash meets the ting tings" indie pop sound...

anyhoo, she has now posted up an mp3 of her charming acoustic cover of Meddle by Little Boots and i believe it to be most agreeable.

Honey - Meddle (Little Boots cover)

right, i SWEAR i will not mention Little Boots again for at LEAST another week... *determined face*

Road Records may be saved! Hurrah!

2009-02-15T01:19:00.005Z

According to last friday's Irish Times...

There may be light at the end of the tunnel for independent music outlet Road Records. The shop, opened in 1997 on Fade Street in Dublin 2, had been scheduled to close in the coming weeks. Owners Dave Kennedy and Julie Collins blamed a shortage of footfall and an increase in illegal downloads, among other factors, for its demise.

However, plans for a “Save Road Records” investment club – involving members of the Irish music industry and others buying shares in the company – are currently being finalised.

“I can’t say too much about it yet, but yes, it’s true,” said Kennedy. “It’s a distinct possibility that we will carry on at this stage. I’m relieved, more than anything else.”

“It’s just brilliant news,” said regular Road customer Sean Kenny. “In a time of doom and gloom, it’s like a little fairytale. And I think it’ll teach a lot of people that that they should get out there and support their local indies before its too late.”

Mr. Kenny is right, it IS like a little fairytale...

*starts welling up*

This Little Boots obsession of mine has reached a new peak of pathetic-ness.

2009-02-15T00:15:00.004Z

...as the title suggests, this little boots obsession of mine has... (yeah, yeah get on with it - Ed)

I find myself checking out whatever music she says shes been listening to on her blog cos iv been noticing that whatever she happens to love, i seem to end up loving too. and while that may seem a bit sad...

...i dont really give a crap cos iv discovered some amazing music because of it!

case in point:

Telepathe

"So Fine"

awesome yes?

the Tin Man - The next generation.

2009-02-13T09:56:00.003Z

my cowboy x obsession continues with the brand new video for Japanese Toy (about 4 or 5 months after the actual single was released - see chris? if cowboy x can do things in a random order like that why cant candy in my heels?lol;)

as u can see, the video is quite bizarre but happily following on from the starship trooper theme (now with added samurai swords!)

amazing.

have a look see for yourselves...

you should also click here to check out new single Break Me which carries on the tradition of general excellent-ness.

Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaimen A Winning Combination

2009-02-10T13:11:00.005Z

This coming monday the 16th of February Amanda Palmer (Frontwoman of the punk cabaret duo 'The Dresden Dolls') will be taking the stage at the Sugar Club for the second Dublin date of the 'Who Killed Amanda Palmer' tour. Doors open at 7.30 and tickets are...sold out. Which I only just found out.

However, for those of us who did not manage to get a ticket if you head down to Chapters on Parnell street at 5 o clock the following day she will be doing a small acoustic performance and Neil Gaiman author of 'The Graveyard Book' and many many other books will be doing a book signing too.