Xiu Xiu (pronounced shoo-shoo) is an experimental indie band. The band is the sonic brainchild of singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart. The band's name is taken from the 1998 Chinese film Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl directed by Joan Chen. Xiu Xiu's music draws heavily from several disparate genres including punk, noise rock, ambient noise, modern classical, and folk.
Xiu Xiu's sixth full-length, Women as Lovers, was released a few days ago below is the first video taken from it
Xiu Xiu "I Do What I Want, When I Want"
Xiu Xiu also have a new video magazine called "I Do What I Want When I Want" feating Greg Saunier of Deerhoof talking about something very close to my own heart click here
heres Deerhoof's video for "The Perfect Me" from their album, Friend Opportunity
Deerhoof - The Perfect Me
New Xiu Xiu video and other stuff
Video Of The Day
...is the kickass (and, sadly, no more) Dark Star live on Jools Holland way back in 1999. The band recently reiterated their intention to eventually release their second album which was buried by EMI in 2001, causing the breakup of the band. I, for one, wait with baited breath, as their first album '20-20 Sound' was a whole pile of amazing. Here's 'I Am The Sun':
Cadence Weapon For Crawdaddy
Cheers to Nialler9 for this one- The Canuck Rapper is returning to Dublin on February 22nd to do a late show in Crawdaddy with support from Ebony Bones (who describes herself on her myspace as 'Like Harry Potter with a vagina'- nice). Tickets are 14 euro.
Here's Cadence performing the excellent Sharks with a little help from Final Fantasy:
Check out Cadence Weapon on Myspace
Check out Ebony Bones on Myspace
First Big Glastonbury Name Revealed
And it's... Neil Diamond?
Hmm.. Interesting. There's one Glastonbury act I won't mind missing.
Death to Scientology
SO it was inevitable I suppose that those crazy fuckers in the Church of Scientology would one day meet their nemesis (or nemesi. Not sure which) in some form or another. Somebody out there has taken exception to having our celebrities become confused and incoherant (click here for more of that) and giving away just too many free personality tests. An organisation with no leaders and no doctrines has risen in protest. Look below for their declaration of intent:
Confused? Me too. Try the follow up video where it all becomes clear(er):
Bullshit or no, I might just take up solidarity with these "Anonymous" folk and maybe I'll see you on Abbey Street on the 10th of February.
Reasons To Emigrate No.214
James Blunt has declared his intention to retire in Ireland. Which leaves me torn between my desire for James Blunt to stop making music & by equally powerful wish for him to stay as far away from me as possible. Imagine bumping into this slimy bastard in the pub? Shudder..
Click for story
Jameson Film Festival back. No goddamn Season pass for me.
Once again the Jameson film festival rolls around and year by year actually gets better and better. Contrary to many previous years this crop of flicks aren't just rejects from other larger festivals nor are they all due to be released within days of the festival closing.
I was going to list every film thats being shown and I was a quarter of the way through doing so until I realised just how bloody many of them there is so you can go here to see just what there is to offer.
Top of my 'to-watch' list is Michael Haneke's remake of his own Funny Games which itself is one of my favourite films, plus also there's always the surprise film shown on the last night of the festival where you buy a ticket and show up not knowing what its going to be, except that it will be one that hasn't been released. Previous surprise films have been Buffalo Soldiers, Starsky & Hutch, The Jacket, The Squid & the Whale and 300.
It is however doubtful if I'll go at all. Last year I got a call after I had correctly guessed that 300 would be the surprise film telling me that I had won a season pass for this year. Have I seen hide nor hair of it yet? Have I fuck.
Have a gander at the trailer for the new Funny Games starring Tim Roth, Naomi Watts and Micheal Pitt. Anybody who's seen the original will know that the film itself is far darker than the trailer makes it seem.
Eric Clapton supposedly playing Malahide Castle
So on the front of the Evening Herald today I find the announcement that Monsieur Clapton is going to be bringing his bluesy stylings to one of the few venues in the country to which I have never attended a performance of some kind or another.
It is true that the evening Herald has never been reknowned for its quality journalism, normally preferring to languish so comfortably in the middle of the road that its a wonder its not roadkill, and a quick scan of the net reveals no offical announcement, however, it does state that he will play 2 weeks after Radiohead play the same venue and checking Claptons site I see that he is playing Hyde Park at roughly around that time so I'd say its more than just idle bullshit.
Now to those of you who think that Eric the Clapton has shared some remarkable similarities to black coffee for the last 30 years* this tidbit may not be particularly interesting but for all of you who worship at his altar (literally if you've ever seen Tommy) then you won't notice the, no doubt, ridiculous price that you'll end up paying for what will undoubtedly be a display of some fine guitar playing peppered with some random sessions of vigorous masturbation. Fun for all.
*they're both shit without Cream
Kooks Lose Bassist
The Kooks bassist, Max Rafferty, has left the band. The rest of the band will carry on though, with their second album due to be released on April 14th.
Here's Lily Allen performing a rather good version of the Kooks track 'Naive':
Click for mp3
Ride the tiger You can see his stripes but you know he's clean Oh don't you see what I mean
My metal(hard rock , heavy music what ever you want to call it) beast (thats him in the picture above) has been aching to get out and infect the blog, after letting him do a little in the wake of britneygate he now wants more so i had to give in
heres some track he wanted you to hear.
MP3 - Melvins - The Bloated Pope
MP3 - Lightning Bolt - Captain Caveman
MP3 - Daughters -Feisty Snake-Woman
MP3 - BOTCH -Rock Lobster
MP3 - The Post Office Gals -No Patent Leather Shoes For Catholic School Girls
Mp3 - rolo tomassi -film noir
MP3 - Horse The Band -Taken By Vultures
and some vids he though where rocking
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN - Milk Lizard
part chimp - war machine
dio - holy diver
Dethklok- Bloodrocuted
Normal blogging will now resume
NME Awards Nominees
There's a few winces & groans in here as usual, the perpetual worship of Pete Doherty being the one that irks me most. How does being a junky equate to being a hero? What kind of message is that sending, NME?
Arctic Monkeys seem sure of some awards, as does the aforementioned junkie scumbag, as they both seem to be nominated in every category. In fact, very few categories are worthy of mention, except maybe 'Sexiest Female' (Jenny Lewis) and 'Worst Album', which should be an epic battle between the super-bland James Blunt & the super-awful Mika (Britney is surely in there just for bandwagon hopping- the album's not that bad).
There really are a lot of categories, so for the full list click here.
Best British Band
Arctic Monkeys
Babyshambles
The Cribs
Klaxons
Muse
Best International Band
Arcade Fire
Foo Fighters
The Killers
Kings Of Leon
My Chemical Romance
Best New Band
The Enemy
Foals
Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong
The Pigeon Detectives
The Wombats
Best Live Band
Arctic Monkeys
The Cribs
Kaiser Chiefs
Muse
My Chemical Romance
Best Solo Artist
Kate Nash
Jamie T
Jack Penate
Amy Winehouse
Patrick Wolf
Best Album
'Favourite Worst Nightmare' - Arctic Monkeys
'Shotters Nation' - Babyshambles
'We'll Live And Die In These Towns' – The Enemy
'Myths Of The Near Future' - Klaxons
'In Rainbows' – Radiohead
Best Track
'Fluorescent Adolescent' – Arctic Monkeys
'Flux' – Bloc Party
'Men's Needs' – The Cribs
'Lord Don't Slow Me Down' - Oasis
'Let's Dance To Joy Division' – The Wombats
Best Video supported by NME TV
'Teddy Picker' – Arctic Monkeys
'Flux' – Bloc Party
'D.A.N.C.E.' - Justice
'Golden Skans' - Klaxons
'Teenagers' – My Chemical Romance
Hero Of The Year
Matt Bellamy
Pete Doherty
Noel Fielding
Ryan Jarman
Thom Yorke
Villain Of The Year
Tony Blair
Johnny Borrell
Gordon Brown
George W Bush
Amy Winehouse
Best Dressed
Pete Doherty
Noel Fielding
Kate Nash
Alex Turner
Gerard Way
Worst Dressed
Johnny Borrell
Pete Doherty
Mika
Gerard Way
Amy Winehouse
Best Dancefloor Filler supported by Club NME
'Flux' – Bloc Party
'Hummer' - Foals
'D.A.N.C.E.' - Justice
'Atlantis To Interzone' - Klaxons
'Let's Dance To Joy Division' – The Wombats
Best Album Artwork
'Favourite Worst Nightmare' – Arctic Monkeys
'The Good, The Bad And The Queen' – The Good, The Bad And The Queen
'Sawdust' – The Killers
'Because Of The Times' – Kings Of Leon
'Send Away The Tigers' – Manic Street Preachers
Worst Album
'1973' - James Blunt
'The Trick To Life' – The Hoosiers
'Spirit' - Leona Lewis
'Life In Cartoon Motion' - Mika
'Blackout' - Britney Spears
Worst Band
30 Seconds To Mars
Fall Out Boy
The Hoosiers
My Chemical Romance
Panic At The Disco
Best Film
'Control'
'Hot Fuzz'
'Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End'
'The Simpsons Movie'
'Superbad'
Sexiest Man
Howlin' Pelle Almqvist
Julian Barrett
Noel Fielding
Nicky Wire
Patrick Wolf
Sexiest Woman
Jenny Lewis
Kylie Minogue
Rihanna
Hayley Williams
Rachael Yamagata
Just In Case You Missed It..
Via UnaRocks, Graham Linehan and elsewhere- Montel kicks ass on Fox:
Stone Temple Pilots and New Kids on the Block Reunite
Its true. Two of the stupidest band names in music history have decided to cash in on all the reunion madness that's going on at the moment. New Kids I can understand as the boy band fever is really kicking off but Stone Temple Pilots? I was under the impression that Scott Weiland was doing better now with Velvet Revolver than he ever had with STP. Clearly I was mistaken.
For Stone Temple Pilot madness click here.
For New Kids sweetness click here
I don't know which one I'm more excited about*
Here's a sampling of some of their best work
*the answer is Stone Temple Pilots by the way. I am, surprisingly enough, indifferent about NKOTB
The Mildly Excitable Mixtape
As promised, here's a mix for today that's not to quiet, but not to crazy.
(Some of these tracks have cropped up on these pages recently, as the keen observer will spot. This must mean that the offending tracks are particularly kickass and still stuck in my head- so check em out!).
Enjoy:
Click to get Mixtape
1. TV On The Radio- The Wrong Way
2. The Faint- In Concert
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Cheated Hearts (Peaches Remix)
4. Hybrasil- When I'm Yawning
5. StarLittleThing- Lovers Of Live
6. Cornelius- Another View Point
7. Girl Talk- Bounce That
8. Daft Punk- Around The World/Harder Better Faster Stronger (Live)
9. Jape- Floating (Tronk Youth Remix)
10. Justin Timberlake- Love Stoned (Justice Remix)
11. Refused- Refused Are Fucking Dead
12. Inner Explosion- The Enemy Within
13. Les Savy Fav- Pots & Pans
I saw Sweeney Todd and you should too
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (aka Tim Burton and Johnny Depp continue their love affair)
Whats it about?
Basically its about a fucked over barber who gets revenge on the folk of London (who did nothing to him except not have what happened to him happen to them) by slitting their throats in his barbers chair and sending them down to his psycho neigbour who turns them into pies.
Sounds gory. Is it?
Yes it is. Quite gory. Lots and lots of throats opening and spraying out crimson delights and heads shattering on hard stone.
Cool. Who's in it?
The aforementioned Mr Depp. Bellatrix Lestrange (ake Mrs Tim Burton). Hans Gruber from Die Hard and that guy who played the fat boring one in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.
Sounds good. Whats the catch?
Well.................................................................its a musical.
Oh fuck off
Did I not mention the oceans of blood?
Yes but...
So who gives a shit if they're singing? Has Johnny Depp ever steered you wrong? Doesn't Tim Burton make great movies? Isn't Helena Bonham-Carters cleavage a sight to behold?
Fine
Good now piss off to the cinema and while you're at it rent out the Sound of Music on the way home.
So basically yes Sweeney Todd is great and you should all see it somehow. While not advocating the user of Illegal downloads rumour has it that there's a DVD quality version of it online if one were so inclined and of course its in cinemas everywhere.
Have a gander at the first ten minutes if you want:
continue reading>>
Movie Gossip Of The Day
Karl Hungus has some tantalising gossip regarding a possible director for both 'The Hobbit' & 'Harry Potter And The The Deathly Hallows'.
Click to find out who
Shortlist Prize Nominees Revealed
Nominees for the 2007 the Shortlist Prize (kinda like a US version of the Mercury Prize) have been announced today. They are:
* Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
* Burial - Untrue
* Feist - The Reminder
* Justice - †
* LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
* M.I.A. - Kala
* Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
* Robert Pollard - Standard Gargoyle Decisions
* Stars - In Our Bedroom After The War
* Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
* Working For A Nuclear Free City - Businessmen & Ghosts
No Beirut? Damn shame. My money's on Feist, but will have to check out Robert Pollard, Working For A Nuclear Free City & the new Stars. The winner is announced at some undetermined point in February.
Apse
Apse is an American rock band signed to Spanish label Acuarela Discos. The band has has moved through many different musical styles since its inception, weaving together at various times shoegazer, heavy metal, gothic rock, post-punk, prog-rock, industrial, and post-rock influences; while at the same time dabbling in tribal, experimental, ambient and ethereal atmospheres.Some have called it "post-post rock." Many, the band included, don't know what to call it. It is perhaps that indescribable quality that has led to a growing fan base in Europe, where live performances seem to have taken on a great intensity.
Apse's lineup has changed with almost every release; singer Robert Toher and drummer Ezer Lichtenstein are currently the only members with the group since its start in 1999. The rest of the band includes Michael Gundlach, Austin Stawiarz and John Mordecai.
They play ATP vs Pitchfork in May
Apse The Crowned
Apse (Tanned Tin 2006)
More blogging awards stuff
Accoring to Nialler9 we've been put on the Best Music Blog list as well.
So which is it? Pop culture or Music.
Check it here
Poppy & Cultured
egoeccentric has been longlisted in the Best Popculture category for the Irish Blog Awards- Woo Hoo! The full (and intimidatingly good) longlist can be viewed here.
Thanks to everyone who voted for us, we shall duely respond with a sweet-tastic mix-tape by the end of the day, but until then enjoy this manically happy track by Islands (who shall soon play Whelans). Tis called 'Rough Gem':
Grammys Safe From Strike
The Writers Guild of America has given the Grammy Awards the go ahead. So I guess the Oscars are safe. Let's just hope Ellen doesn't get the hosting gig again.
Click for story
ワールズ・エンド・ガールフレンド
World's End Girlfriend (ワールズ・エンド・ガールフレンド) is Katsuhiko Maeda, whose love for music began when he started listening carefully to his father’s collection of classical music, around the age of 10.
Worlds End Girlfriend began making music with tape recorders, piano, and guitar at 12. During his teens and early twenties, he made around 600 tracks in every style imaginable, with every combination of instruments and equipment he could lay his hands on.
Placing the solo musician's music into one well-defined genre is difficult, as it blends elements of electronica and post-rock to create a unique style.
world's end girlfriend - Scorpius Circus
World's End Girlfriend - Fragile Fireworks
King Of Pop Hits Rock Bottom
To me, this is worse than all the crazy he's been peddling for the last ten years or so: Michael Jackson has re-recorded his Thriller album. WWWWHHHHHHHHYYYYY????????
Worse, this is the 'new record' he's been talking about for some time (click). Which means that we're gonna get Thriller featuring Kanye West, Will.I.Am and Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas.
You are finally dead to me, Jackson.
Dinosaur Jr For Dublin
I'm still waiting for a Sebadoh show, but until then I'm more than happy to make do with an appearance by (one of) Lou Barlow's other band(s) Dinosaur Jr.
The band will play The Academy (Spirit) on May 12th. Tickets are 28 euro and on sale now.
Here's the video for 'Been There All The Time', from their 2007 album, 'Beyond'. The clip was directed by Matt Dillon (yes, that Matt Dillon), and features a cameo by Thurston Moore (yes, that Thurston Moore):
Once Oscar Probe
I'm not saying anything.
Just click the link.
Link
(See, that was dignified..)
30 Seconds To Mars Anger Joe Duffy
Apparently 30 Seconds to Mars incurred the mighty wrath of Joe Duffy today for only playing a 30 minute set at their Ambassador show on Friday. Tickets for the show were 30 euro, so folk were (understandably) a tad annoyed. Since Bob already had a rant about set times earlier today, this begs the question- 'How long of a set is acceptable?'
Explosions in the Sky cost 20 quid a ticket and played for just over an hour. This seems perfectly fine in comparison with Jared Leto & Co, who seem to be taking the piss with their euro-a-minute set. Surely they can't argue lack of material, having just released their second full-length album. So what was it? Hairdressing emergency? Or did their two-gigs-in-one-night idea (they played one at regular O'Clock & one at midnight) take too much out of them?
Either way, I'd imagine the majority of those punters will be quite reluctant to go to another 30 Seconds To Mars show. Are they right?
Midweek Gigging
For those who didn't get enough gigging over the weekend (and those looking for any excuse to go drinking during the week- you know who you are), Wednesday night sees Crawdaddy being taken over by the excellent heavy-rocking No Standing. The guys will no doubt tear the place up with one their trademark crazy live performances, and there's even a remote chance that they'll keep their shirts on (that is very remote though). Admission is 6 euro & support comes from fellow fans of loudness, Mola.
Meet the band- Here's the video for No Standing's 'Poison':
Check out No Standing on myspace here
Check out Mola on myspace here
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Announce European Tour
..and luckily enough Dublin features on this particular jaunt. The singer/band will play Dublin Castle on the 3rd of May, so presumably as part of the Heineken Green Energy Fest, which is generally a pretty good series of gigs.
Tickets go on sale this Friday at 9am.
Explosions in the Sky play Tripod.......for a while.
First of all let me make something perfectly clear. If you don't like Explosions in the Sky then I don't like you. Also if you don't want Explosions in the Sky to play for as long as they possibly can then I don't like you. This means that the organisers of Tripod have now been added to this illustrious list of people I don't like which is a shame because I quite like the venue. Its small enough that you can see from pretty much anywhere and its big enough so that bands like Explosions can get a decent crowd and fill the place.
So why oh why would you bring a band like this all the way over from Texas and then get them to play for appoximately one hour and 5 minutes. Why the fuck wouldn't you leave the gig in the village where they don't have a curfew for gigs in order that they may turn the place into a club for cream crackers.
Anyway as you would expect from Explosions they are four men who play rock music that can make you feel like you are standing on a mountain top overlooking the world with a smile on your face while at the same time give you that sense of despair that you can only get lying in a corner after having sold your ass once more to feed your smack habit. If this sounds like a bad combination then you just don't understand man, you just don't understand.
Here's two of my favourites of theirs both from their 2005 album "How strange, innocence:
The video below isn't from the Dublin gig but it prett much gives you the idea. Four men in tshirts playing guitars and drums. The song below is called The Birth and Death of the Day and is available on they're most recent album "All of a Sudden I miss Everyone".
Crayonsmith News
The debut single from Crayonsmith entitled 'Lost In The Forest' is out on March 7 2008.
Crayonsmith's new album 'White Wonder' will be out in April.
If you ain't heard Crayonsmith yet do yourself a favor and check them out on there myspace here
In unrelated news Chrome Hoof as been postponed till sometime in March. 
And got this piece of news from a very very reliable source the amazing and not to be missed Why? are playing Dublin on the 23 of April this year not sure what venue yet but will keep you informed as info comes out.
Cuz that news is so awesome here an mp3 of Why? covering 80 group the cure
mp3 Why? -Close to Me (The Cure cover)
hangover mixtape
featuring
If your wondering where the sweet ass music player went , had to take it down cuz well it just played on its own and could see that getting annoying (so guess not that sweet). click the track names for the mp3s
Subtle Trilogy
F.K.O. is the first part in a trilogy of videos made by animation wizards SSSR; a Norwegian/Japanese animation collective who combine drawings, animated models, cut-up film and 3D computer graphics.
Subtle 'F.K.O'
It is widely believed that the title of this video 'F.K.O.' stands for 'Fuck Kelly Osborne'.
The Long Vein of the Law' is part 2 of the trilogy
Subtle 'The Long Vein Of the Law'
The final part of the trilogy Swan Meat
Subtle 'Swan Meat'
trying to balance things out
In reply to rob posting a Britney video (which reminds me of a circus bear being made ride a unicycle) i present
The Locust - Live From The Russian Compound
you forced me to do that rob
More Candy For Your Ears
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SugarLips 2 has been confirmed, and we can now finally announce details of its next musical extravaganza.
For those not yet in the know (or those who haven't read the little blurb on the left of this page), the SugarLips Gigs are a series of shows in the Dublin area which showcase established as well as up-and-coming live acts.
The gigs are moving to a more central location, and we're excited to announce that we've found our new home in the Boom Boom Room on Dublin's Parnell St.
The next show will take place on Saturday February 9th, with a fantastic lineup that boasts electro-rock geniuses Hybrasil and quirky post-rockers Story of Hair.
Admission is 8 euros, or 6 with a flyer, many which will be whored liberally around town in the next couple of weeks.
Keep checking back for updates etc, as there may yet be additions to the lineup (hint, hint.. ahem).
Check out Hybrasil on myspace here
Check out Story of Hair on myspace here
Or visit SugarLips on myspace here
Weekend Gigging Round-Up
Just in case you have no plans whatsoever for the weekend, Dublin is offering quality gigs every night to keep you occupied.
Tonight (Friday) is for heavy dancing, as 2 Many Djs hit 'The Academy' (Spirit), or if you like your screamo (and Jared Leto) 30 Seconds to Mars play two shows in the Ambassador, 7.30 & Midnight.
Tomorrow sees Explosions in the Sky play Tripod, and having just been re-listening to 'The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place', I'm rather excited about this one. For anyone Bray-based or just a fan of damn fine rock cover versions, Run For Cover play the Harbour bar.
Sunday night is also hella promising, as two of the best Irish bands of the moment share the stage at Whelans. Kill City Defectors headline, while Hybrasil provide support.
So all in all a pretty good weekend for live music. I'm definitely going to two shows myself, but am determined to try to catch more if I can. Ouch, my wallet.
Stars play Tripod!!! Tooth Cavity levels rise throughout Dublin!!!
A band that has hovered close to my radar throughout their lifespan of 3 or 4 albums without ever having entered, I found myself nonetheless accompanying a mate to the gig, partly out of curiosity and partly because I needed practice driving with a full license driver (see here for tales of woe relating to that).
Now if Belle & Sebastian are not your cup of tea then stick well away from Stars. A band so sweet and treacly that they make the medicine go down. Throughout the gig the band members take it in turns to throw flowers into the audience, (Urp!!!) while the singer begins every song with a gushing review of Ireland and how much it means to him that people listen to their records all the way over here. Because we're so far away and off the world map obviously.
Check this live performance for evidence of schmaltz:
The music really is decent enough though, however syrupy and there's some totally decent numbers thrown in the mix like this one:
And for all of you determined to see the attractiveness of a band before they make up their minds about them, have at you:
Happy Weekend
Here's the excellent 'Cheated Hearts' by the Yeah Yeah Yeah's remixed by Peaches. It rocks.
Click for mp3
New Irish Music Mag Launched
'State' is a new Irish music mag that's just been launched online and is due to come out in print form on March 6th. It seems pretty badass, with reviews, interviews and competitions, and many a respectable contributor (including Nialler9). Thank god, as the selection of music magazines in this country is pretty devoid of quality, with Foggy Notions being the only quality Irish music publication for donkeys years (yes, that is a jibe specifically aimed at Hot Press).
Looking forward to checking out the first issue, but in the meantime the website can be visited here.
Video Of The Day
Don't kill me for this, (and, yes, I'm aware that I recently branded Britney a 'bad artist'), but I just heard this song last night, and, damn, it's pretty good. I'm gonna justify this to myself by pointing out that ritney isn't really the artist here, it's a highly paid team of songwriters and superproducers, and they're certainly earning their money here. Check it out (go on...):
Click for mp3
Broken Social Scene For Vicar St
Broken Social Scene return to these shores after their recent 'Kevin Drew' show in Tripod. The band play Vicar St on Tuesday the 20th of May. Tickets are 24.50-28.50 and go on sale today.
Appearing on this blog for not-the-first time, here's what I consider to be the band's opus- '7/4 Shoreline':
The Ting Tings suffer from lack of identity
Not sure if any of you have heard this little number yet but "Thats not my name" by The Ting Tings is fast becoming one of those catchy little numbers that get in my brain and then proceed to wreck my head as it goes over and over on repeat.
At first it just sounds like a number of other shite pop songs with completely inane lyrics but if you listen to it through it kind of builds and builds into this collage of sound and tunage. It may not be avant garde enough for some of you folks but goddamnit I like it and now I inflict it upon you.
I noticed this first just before Christmas on Jools so check out that particular performance as well.
Liars & Loons
Associated Press are reporting that a study by two non-profit organizations shows that George Bush & The White house told the public no less that nine hundred and thirty five out -and-out lies in the build up to the war in Iraq. Yes, 935. Apparently Bush himself was directly responsible for 259 of these shameless fibs. Ridiculous? Not really, it's just confirming and putting a number on something we already knew.
They should still be pretty ashamed though (Ha! As if..).
Click for story
Our other US related story of the day is that Secretary for Homeland Security Michael Chertoff (pictured above with Jim Carrey) has declared 'European terrorists' to be the biggest threat to the safety of the US.
For Christ's sake..
Click for story
Jeebus-Freaks Keep Piling On The Crazy
The scumbags over at Westboro Baptist Church continue to persist with their particularly obnoxious and offensive brand of crazy. The morons whose slogan inspired the timeless internet classic 'God Hates Fags' are planning to stage protests and generally raise hell (how ironic) at Heath Leger's funeral. One would think they'd have learned their lesson after being fined close to 11 million dollars for their last funeral escapade.
The Helio Sequence
The Helio Sequence is an indie electronica/shoegazer band signed to indie label Sub Pop. The band was formed in 1999 in Portland, Oregon and consists of Brandon Summers on guitar and vocals and Benjamin Weikel, who has also played for Modest Mouse, on keyboards and drums.
The Helio Sequence - Lately (off there new record Keep Your Eyes Ahead)
more of there music can be heard on there myspace page here
The Helio Sequence - Everyone Knows Everyone
No Fun, Please, We're Indian
According to Popbitch, authorities in the Indian state of Bangalore have banned people from dancing in nightclubs. Punters must now just sit around and watch a DJ spin tunes. And the ban is enforced by the Police. Lame.
Sucks for Bangalore as it's apparently a hub of western music in India. It's known as India's 'Rock City'. So that's rather unfortunate.
MEGA - post
kinda of a round up of news here
first off...
www.richtercollective.com have a new blog/podcast they will get 1 artists a month to select 5 obscure bands from their own record collection and introduce us to them. Its a monthly thing , this month they are joined by Estel drummer, Bushy.
upcoming guests include:
Hornby (We Are Knives)
Rupert (Bats)
Vin (the vinny club)
check ithttp://5bands.blogspot.com/ 
Them sexual winged mammals bats are supporting Chrome Hoof on the 12th of Feb in Whelans , they also have an instore a few days earlier on the 9th of Feb in Tower Records.
Sunset Rubdown (who released one of my favorite records of last year) play Crawdaddy on May 20th. Never seen them before and really looking forward to this.
Sunset Rubdown Live in Chicago "Stadiums and Shrines II"
Why? have expanded as a band to include Fog members Andrew Broder and Mark "Bear" Erickson, cant see this being a bad thing myself.Anticon will release Alopecia on March 11, with a European release on Tomlab to follow.
heres WHY? Video for rubber traits of 2005 "elephant eyelash" LP
Up next not really news but damo showed me this class The Mae Shi video.Track taken from their forthcoming album "HLLLYH" on Moshi Moshi Records. Video directed by The Mae Shi (self-directed). check it
The Mae Shi - Run to Your Grave
Best!!! Comic Strip!!! Ever!!!
For any of you who havn't seen Cyanide & Happiness yet then you sirs are missing out on a treat and what is, with little doubt, the funniest comic strip in the whole wide worldness.
To understand exactly what it is that you are dealing with just imagine the Far Side. Now imagine if the Far Side was being raped. By somebody with AIDS. Wearing a clown suit. You're somewhere close there. Its one of the most offensive comics you're likely to read but its awesome and you can check out three years worth of it right here.
Here's my personal favourite:
8bit forever
My post today harks back to a simpler time , a time of 8bit gaming and games on tape, yup you got it the Commodore 64. (I never had one myself but i remember going over to a friends house and waiting for the tape to load playing one level and then waiting on another tape to load ....ah good times)
But my post isn't really about the C64 it about Rob Hubbard (not the crazy sciencetologist guy). 
Rob Hubbard is a music composer best known for his composition of computer game theme music, especially for microcomputers of the 1980s such as the Commodore 64. His work showed the real potential of both the Commodore 64's sound hardware and the ability of good music to improve the gaming experience.In the late seventies, before scoring games, he was a professional studio musician. He decided to teach himself BASIC and machine code for the Commodore 64. His first game soundtrack was for Thing on a Spring, a platform game for Gremlin Graphics, Hubbard created a theme that mixed violins, electric guitars, and amusing basslines. Hubbard went on to write or convert themes for many games on the C64 before moving on after the C64 peroid to composing for PC -games and Sega Mega Drive.
below is a selection of some of Robs scores on the C64
mp3 Crazy Comets Main Theme
mp3BMX Kidz Title Theme
mp3One Man and His Droid Title Theme
mp3Monty on the Run Main Theme
Recently Rob has been playing with the C64 orchestra. The C64 orchestra perform their music, with scoring done by Rob Hubbard himself. The game scores that are to be performed include the following Rob Hubbard compositions: Delta, Commando, Monty on the Run, One Man And His Droid and International Karate. They also are doing the scores of Jeroen Tel another master in the 8bit composing field.
Commodore c64 orchestra plays Monty on the Run by Rob Hubbard
Video Of The Day
Courtesy of Egg's watchful.. um.. ear, here's Vampire Weekend with 'Mansard Roof'. Very interesting. What the hell are these guys? Punk/New Wave/Classical, according to their myspace. Right then..
Who Will Save Us From Glen Hansard's Ego?
In an attempt to reassure myself that Hansard will remain only ever 'Academy Award Nominee Glen Hansard', lets take a look at his competition in the Best Song category for the Oscars:
August Rush
'Raise It Up'
Hmmm.. not encouraging, Fairly standard cheese fair. An outside chance simply because it's sung by a cute little kid.
Enchanted
'Happy Working Song'
This movie looks good, and with three noms it's got to be the main competition, but I don't think there's enough in this particular tune to win.
Dang. Let's move on..
Enchanted
'So Close'
'So straightforward- not a hint of irony. So romantic..' Really have to watch this movie.. but dammit, this song sucks. Next:
Enchanted
'That's How You Know'
This has got to be the strongest competition. It's actually not bad. It's got that calypso thing going on that you can't argue with, and the comedy is pretty good (though I don't know if that'll be taken into account).
Dammit though, there just isn't really anything that can stand up to 'Falling Slowly'. As much as I don't like Hansard, I have to admit it's probably the best song on offer. I just don't think we can stand the ego. Well, on the bright side, if he wins he may become a big worldwide star and leave Ireland for good. For some reason (surely ego related) embedding on Falling Slowly is disabled, so you'll have to go elsewhere to see it.
Ok fine, here's the link. Just don't say I wasn't impartial.
Heath Ledger Dies!!!
Genuine shock with this because I actually quite like this guy. Apart from being one of those teen idol chancers he really looked like quite a nice bloke.
Apparently he was found dead in his apartment in Manhatten surrounded by pills. At the time of writing this its been only been two hours since he's been found so there's no telling if it was suicide or accidental overdose.
He first came to attention in my household in both "Sweat" and "Roar", two aussie soaps that my sister used to watch just before Home and Away years ago. Since then he's been in some pretty good movies like Monsters ball, Ned Kelly and 10 Things I Hate About You and some absolute scour like A Knights Tale and The Order.
His most famous role was the one he was Oscar Nominated for Brokeback Mountain which in my opinion was dull as fuck but lots of people seemed to like it and he really wasn't half bad in it. It seems now that his most memorable role will be his swan song where he will play (ironically if it turns out to be suicide) The Joker in the new Batman movie The Dark Knight. Anybody who hasn't seen the trailer yet should hang their heads because it looks like it will kick some serious amounts of booty and that Ledger will steal the show. Check it out below:
He is survived by his estranged girlfriend Michelle Williams and a two year old Daughter.
A Goddamn Dirty Scandal
Click here to find out one of the most bloody unfair and scandalous pieces of news featuring the man in the picture. This guy should be given a Nobel Prize for the score never mind an oscar.
Okay I exaggerate but still.
Oscar Nominations Announced
I didn't realise yesterday when I posted my preview of the Oscars that the nominations would be announced so soon so apologies for the fact its been a whole 24 hours since we last mentioned anything about it.
Oh well. Here's the main nominations. As you can see I was scarily accurate with my predictions which just goes to show you that I'm awesome.
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Best Actor
George Clooney for Micheal Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones for In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortenson for Eastern Promises
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie for Away From Her
Marion Cotillard for La Môme
Laura Linney for The Savages
Ellen Page for Juno
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the... blah blah
Javier Bardem by No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Charlie Wilsons War
Hal Holbrook for Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson for Michael Clayton
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There
Ruby Dee for American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan for Atonement
Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood
Ethan & Joel Coen for No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman for Juno
Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Original Screenplay
Juno
Lars and the Real Girl
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
The rest of the nominations you can find here because I'm too lazy to put them all in and lets face it, who gives a rats ass about best achievement in make-up.
So no real surprises in the main categories. Michael Clayton is getting more attention than I originally thought so I'm going to bother my arse watching that this weekend. Cate Blanchett gets double noms again. She's not likely to get it for Elizabeth as most people reckon the film wasn't all that, plus she was nominated and didn't get it for the first movie. She's more likely to get Best Supporting Actress for playing Bob Dylan in what looks like, but apparently isn't, the most pretentious movie ever.
One surprise was Casey Affleck being nominated for T.A.O.J.J.B.T.C.R.F. Yes thats right I said Casey Affleck. Never made much of an impression on me before, largely due to shite acting in pretty much everything so I'm going to have to reserve judgement for this until I see the flick.
Predictions: Just like I said before. Atonement for best film. Daniel Day for Best Actor (Viggo really is savage in Eastern Promises though). Julie Christie or Ellen Page for Best Actress. Javier Bardem for Best Supporting Actor. Best Original Screenplay for Juno (which should be a nice surprise for Diablo Cody who wrote the script while working as a stripper) and best adapted Screenplay for No Country for Old Men.
If there is a God then the Coens will get Best Director as they deserve it for the body of their work not to mention the fact that No Country is brilliant.
A very real possibility might be that the ceremony will be cancelled due to the Writers strike which will save us from seeing Glen Hansards smug bastard face performing (and probably accepting an award for) his nominated song "Falling Slowly"
Festivals-A-Coming
As usual, the Coachella Festival held in the California desert has promised a hella mouthwatering lineup for 2008, including Justice, Les Savy Fav, Minus The Bear & Roger Waters performing Dark Side. As one of the first summer-fests, it's a good indicator of who's gonna be on the circuit this year.
Here's the poster:
(Click To Enlarge)
Greatest Live Track Ever?
No Standing's Chris O'Connor warned me that there may be some pant crappingly good stuff on the Daft Punk live album, and he wasn't lying.
Prepare yourself for immense auditory pleasure. Here's Around the World/ Harder Better Faster Stronger:
Click for mp3
When Kurt Vonnegut Met Sammy Davis Jr.
Vonnegut (or indeed Sammy Davis) fans might find this article on 10 Zen Monkeys interesting. I'd love to get a hold of the show in question, if anyone has any ideas.
Click for article
Thanks to Fusco for the heads up!
Portishead Announce European Tour
Unfortunately Ireland does not feature on the list of countries Portishead will hit on their newly announced European tour. So a few cheapo Ryanair flights may be on the cards..
Here are the dates in full:
Oporto Coliseum (March 26)
Lisbon Coliseum (27)
Milan Alcatraz (30)
Florence Sashall (31)
Munich Tonhalle (April 2)
Berlin Columbiahalle (3)
Copenhagen KB Hallen (4)
Cologne Palladium (6)
Amsterdam HMH (7)
Manchester Apollo (9)
London Hammersmith Apollo (10)
Edinburgh Corn Exchange (12)
Wolverhampton Civic Hall (13)
Paris Zenith (May 5, 6)
Brussels Forest National (8)
