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
Showing posts with label electric picnic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electric picnic. Show all posts
Tuesday 1 September 2009
Picks of the Picnic
Wednesday 5 August 2009
Review: Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew
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
Monday 27 July 2009
It's songs like these that make you feel like you never want the summer to end...
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!
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