FOREVER proudly present

MASTODON
plus special guests tba
Dec. 3rd, 2008 Vicar St, Dublin
Tickets: €24.50 inc booking fee Strictly Over 18's.
Doors: 7.30pm
* Ticketmaster

Also playing:

Cork, Savoy
Dec 2nd, 2008 €23.00 inc booking fee Strictly Over 18's
*Ticketmaster
** Tickets.ie

Belfast, Spring & Airbrake
Dec 4th, 2008 £19.50 inc booking fee
Strictly Over 18's
*Ticketmaster ** CDC presents

Tickets go on-sale from Aug 12th. Available from Ticketmaster, Road Records (Dublin), Sound Cellar (Dublin), Sentinel Records (Dublin, City Discs (Dublin) and Plugd Records (Cork)


Mastodon - "Colony Of Birchmen
(some Mastodon videos in the read more)


Mastodon - Iron Tusk


Mastodon - "Seabeast"


Mastodon "Colony Of Birchmen"


Mastodon - The Wolf Is Loose

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Jaguar Love is one of two bands that have sprung out of the 2007 break-up of experimental hardcore band The Blood Brothers (the other being Past Lives, comprising ex-singer Jordan Blilie, ex-drummer Mark Gajadhar, ex-bassist Morgan Henderson, and original Blood Brothers guitarist Devin Welch). In Jaguar Love, singer/pianist Johnny Whitney and guitarist Cody Votolato are ex-members of that band, and Pretty Girls Make Graves member Jay Clark is the drummer.

New video for Highways of Gold by Jaguar Love, From "Take Me to the Sea".

Jaguar Love - Highways of Gold


Jaguar Love - bats over the pacific ocean

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For all of those not afraid to admit that they like the series the new Harry Potter trailer can be seen below.



Those of you who've read the Book of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will know that its the most disposable of all the books in that nothing of much consequence happens in it before THAT end. THe trailer doesn't show an awful amount but it does have the right tone which is good. It remains to be seen whether it will turn out to be an interesting film or not or, more importantly, whether Hermione will have gotten hotter.

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Stereolab - Neon Beanbag,Live at Synch 15-06-2008


New song off Stereolabs soon to be released album Chemical Chords,its out 19/8/ on 4AD

a new MP3 for "Neon Beanbag" will go up at the band's site today

Stereolab play Ireland in December
12 - Cork, The Pavilion
13 - Dublin, Tripod
14 - Belfast, Black Box

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New video for M83 for the song Kim & Jessie off their album "Saturdays=Youth"

M83 - Kim & Jessie

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Interstates hail from Louisville, Kentucky they formed from the ashes of Louisville instrumental band "Of Asaph" called it a day. Interstates consist of electronic composer and drummer Alex O'Nan and former hardcore guitarist Kyle Noltemeyer.Together they weave richly textured, progressive ambient music and colorful programing with live instrumentation, they deliver everything from ambient soundscapes to delay-heavy synth patterns, their debut album "Run, Run" is available on itunes and emusic

Interstates - Uniforms Forever



Interstates - Hip Hop On My Mind


for more tunes check out the bands myspace page
Interstates myspace

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1) This video is retarded.
2) This video is funny
Thats all you need to know.

More videos for Jon LaJoie in the read more. 2girls1cup is destined to become a classic romantic song and Everyday Normal Guy is pretty funny but Everyday Normal Guy 2 is funnier. I could post MP3's but he's giving them away on his website so there's not really much point. Get it in.



2 Girls 1 Cup Song


Everyday Normal Guy


Everyday Normal Guy 2

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This weeks Hangover mix comes from Birmingham 4 piece Blakfish. I was lucky enough to catch them in Eammon Dorans a few months back and was totally blown away by them and how tight they are, they will be back on theses shores in August (dates in the read more)
(tracklisting and download link in the read more)


Tracklisting
01 Sawdust and Diamonds - Joanna Newsom
02 Let go - Frou Frou
03 Playing Possom for a Peek - Owen
04 Love Gun - KISS
05 Moses I Amn't - Mogwai
06 Reet Petite - Jackie Wilson
07 Great Gig in the Sky - Pink Floyd
08 Feathers and Fur - No Knife
09 Roads - Portishead
10 Here come the Sirens - On the Might of Princes

click here to go to download page

As i said Blakfish will be playing ireland in August dates are as follows

21 Aug 2008 Eamonn Doran’s W/Tubelord Dublin,
22 Aug 2008 TBC W/Tubelord
23 Aug 2008 The Whiskey W/Tubelord Cork
24 Aug 2008 tbc W/Tubelord + We Are Knives Londonderry, Northern Ireland
25 Aug 2008 tbc W/Tubelord + We Are Knives Belfast, Northern Ireland
(if you think you can help them out with either of the TBC dates contact them on there myspace)

They have also just released "See You In Another City" their first on Big Scary Monsters. It is a lovely 5 track mini-album you can buy it here

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The legendary lo-fi outsider artist and songwriter Daniel Johnston returns to Ireland after his debut Irish performance at a sell-out show in Vicar Street in 2007. This time the Foggy Notions crew bring him to the intimate Whelan's venue for a very special star-studded event. The first half of the performance will see a stellar cast of musical legends, including Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse, Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub, James McNew of Yo La Tengo and Jad Fair, performing the songs of Daniel Johnston. The second half of the show will see the man himself take to the stage with his famous friends forming his backing band.


Daniel Johnston - Casper the Friendly Ghost


Daniel Johnston - "Grievances"


daniel johnston - it's spooky


Daniel Johnston - Living Life - Live at WKDU


Daniel Johnston - Monster Inside Of Me



the devil and daniel johnston trailer

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I know i found it hard to believe myself , i hope i have that kinda babyface when Im fifty, well we all here at ego wish Thurston a happy birthday with many more to come and many more amazing records.

Thurston Moore - "Not A Young Man Anymore" - SXSW 2008"

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Any of you who can get yourselves to Galway (or any of you who are already there) should do so to check out a totally interesting double header of two very underrated bands. Both The Dandy Warhols and Ash seem to have fallen off peoples interest radars of late but neither have gone down in quality too much. A good time should be had by all.

The Dandy Warhols -Welcome to the Third World

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Second part of Christopher Nolan's revitalised Batman franchise. Most anticipated film of the year and biggest opening weekend of all time? Does that make it good?

Pros

• Batman Begins was awesome so certainly this one wasn't going to suck.
• Dark, Dark, Dark. Batman has a lot on his plate.
• Majority of movie set in daytime which actually makes everything all the more threatening.
• Some unbelieveably awesome set-pieces.
  
• Has the ability to fuck with your expectations and make nothing obvious.
• Heath Ledger. Holy fucking Jesus.

Cons

• You might think that 2 and a half hours is enough to fit in everything that needs to be fit in but it is a long long time and its possible that much could be trimmed.
• Some characters not served as well as they might.
• Thats pretty much it. Its a great way to spend a couple of hours.

Its not quite as good as the hype would have you believe but its certainly one of the best movies to be released this year not to mention the best Batman movie and possibly the best Comic-book movie ever as well. Watchmen is going to have a lot to live up to.

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the always amazing Les Savy Fav live last week at Pitchfork Music Festival.


To check out more highlights of last weekends festival go here!

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Grizzly Bear preforming the new song "two weeks" on Letterman

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To celebrate the 6th Birthday of the Ballroom they are making a weekend of it
Friday 25th of July - Thomas Truax with Hoover & Sledgehammers, Mirakil Whip and The Bastard Rain - The Lower Deck. €10 on door
AND
Saturday 26th of July - Electric Eel Shock , Adebisi Shank and Oak - The Andrew's Lane Theatre. €15, tickets from WAV and Tickets.ie in advanace
Their also selling weekend tickets for €20 on the door on Friday 25th at the Lower Deck
more info on both gigs in the read more


Thomas Truax

New York City's Thomas Truax (pronounced troo-aks) is a left field troubadour and inventor/player of strange self-made instruments like his now legendary 'Hornicator' and a motorized mechanical drum machine called 'Sister Spinster'. He employs these and other contraptions as well as traditional instruments in exceptionally crafted, witty and often touching songs. Splendid magazine recently called him "one of the five or ten best singer/songwriters in the world that you've never heard of...an exceptional talent, unique and resistant to comparison, yet fairly accessible even to casual listeners."

He's got three acclaimed full length albums under his belt: 'Audio Addiction', 'Full Moon Over Wowtown', and 'Why Dogs Howl at the Moon', and numerous singles and compilation tracks. He has toured nearly
constantly for the past five years, most recently doing support tours with the Dresden Dolls and Duke Special. He's played Glastonbury and Edinburgh Fringe festivals and appeared on MTV. His own radio serial, The Wowtown News, plays on Resonance FM in London.

"In Truax's hands music is merely a vessel for his scattershot imagination, earning him a place in a lineage that includes Captain Beefheart and Viv Stanshall and, latterly, a less-frenetic Liars. Equal parts music-hall, avant-garde and garage rock, 'Full Moon Over Wowtown' is far more accessible than these references imply, thanks chiefly to Truax's lycanthropic bark... and his obvious love of primal rock 'n' roll. Had the bands that exploded out of CBGB's in '76 been inspired by LSD rather than cheap speed one suspects that the results would have been disturbingly like this, and that today's bands
hell-bent on recycling those days would be more interesting as well as
a hell of a lot better." -Alan Downes, LOGO Magazine (UK)

http://www.thomastruax.com/
www.myspace.com/thomastruax
Hoovers & Sledgehammers
Mirakil Whip
http://www.myspace.com/thebastardrain

Thomas Truax - "Why Dogs Howl At The Moon"


Electric Eel Shock
Electric Eel Shock are a glorious celebration of Classic Rock, Punk and Metal. A true power trio from the time before rock became fractured into a diverse multitude of sub-genres and we were all still one big happy Rock & Roll family.

"EES are nothing short of awesome" - Brent Hinds (Mastodon)

EES left their native Japan in 1999 to see what they could make of America and they have been on a near constant world tour ever since. EES paid their way by selling merchandise and their self recorded album "SLAYERS BAY BLUES" at their gigs. Headlining a stage at the prestigious Roskilde Festival in Denmark was a key early event for the band. By 2004 EES had toured 27 countries around the world and they decided it was about time to release an album: "GO EUROPE!" became the first commercially available EES release and the band performed at 30 European Summer Festivals.


Follow up album "BEAT ME" was recorded in Holland early 2005 with legendary producer Attie Bauw (Judas Priest, Scorpions, Bootsy Collins etc). BEAT ME achieved much critical acclaim from press and fans alike and EES continued to conquer the international musical scene step by step throughout 2005 and 2006 adding Australia and parts of Asia to their widening travels.

In 2007 Electric Eel Shock again worked with Attie Bauw on a new album: "TRANSWORLD ULTRA ROCK" is seems to sum up the past, present and future of the band in one album. The feeling seems to span the entire EES back catalogue, including the raw inventiveness of Slayers Bay Blues, the catchy songs of the GO albums and the hard tight rock of Beat Me. This album has it all. The overall atmosphere is more positive than ever before. It’s a feeling that reflects the Shock’s ongoing progression, from playing every dive bar and toilet around the world to selling out larger more prestigious venues.

And as if you needed more convincing to go it will be Adebisi Shank first Dublin gig in ages and will be a chance to catch a sneak preview of their new album

www.myspace.com/beatme
www.electriceelshock.com/
www.myspace.com/adebisishank
www.myspace.com/weareoak

Electric Eel Shock dublin mar 07


Adebisi Shank: 'Voodoo Economics'

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Just incase you forgot Warlords of Pez support Butthole Surfers tonight in Vicar St.
Doors 7.30.

It's the original line-up of Buttholes (Paul Leary decided at the last minute to join the Euro tour!) and the definitive 2004 line-up of Warlords of Pez.

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New Video for the Chemical Brothers ,The Chemical duo are about to release another retrospective singles compilation spanning 1995-2008. The video is insane that is one agile goblin, is it real or cgi ?

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Batman rocks. This much is fairly undisputed, and in seventy years of Comic Book existence the Dark Knight has racked up a fair few classics. Director Christopher Nolan is obviously aware of this, as he has has cited some of them as a direct influence on the upcoming Dark Knight movie. Smart man- with material as strong as some of these outings, it's no wonder The Dark Knight is being hailed as the greatest Batman movie yet.

So for those as yet uninitiated in Batman's comic book career, we've compiled a list of the top ten stories that must be read.

10. A Death In The Family



1980's Batman readers had a serious problem with Jason Todd, AKA the second Robin. With the character being widely denounced as 'lame', the writers of the series found themselves under pressure to do something about it. In an eerie premonition of the recent Simon Cowell television reign, readers of the comic were given the power to call a telephone line and vote as to whether Todd lived or died.

Cue one horrible death, and a massive surge in the popularity of the series.

The shocking thing is that a marketing stunt spawned one of the defining moments in Batman's history. The Dark Knight being emotionally destroyed by the loss of his young apprentice, and thirsting for revenge he for the first time seriously considers murder as an option.

The Batman is supposed to be dark, and this incident steered the series firmly away from the direction of garish colors and lighthearted romps. Oh, and it also featured the Joker getting a job working for Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran. Weird.


9. Gotham by Gaslight



Seventy years is a long time for anyone to be knocking around, so it's inevitable that at some point someone's going to start really thinking outside the box. Hence the 'Elseworlds' series, a number of stories in which Batman and other DC heroes are taken out of their usual surroundings and placed in alternate universes or timelines.

The first of these innovative stories was surely born from one of those amazing three word pitches that usually get thrown about in the wee hours after too much coffee and/or booze: 'Batman vs Jack the Ripper'. Bear in mind that this is no Alien vs Predator scenario- Bats is the greatest detective in the world, so this is a proper Victorian mystery. And it's illustrated by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, so full of purdy pictures.

8. The Man Who Laughs



The Man Who Laughs takes its name from the 1928 silent film starring Conrad Veidt which inspired the look of the Joker (check it out on youtube here- creepy stuff).

Based around a race against time to end a brazen killing spree, a rookie Dark Knight is horrified and disturbed by a challenge far removed from your basic 'thugs with guns'. The plotline of the one-shot story is taken directly from Batman #1, adding dark modern elements to the classic first meeting of Batman & The Joker. So a hefty bodycount and a great example of just how demented The Joker can get. It's regarded as a natural followup to Frank Miller's Year One, and thematically the closest you can get to Alan Moore's The Killing Joke. More on them later.


7. Arkham Asylum



Considered by many to be one of the darkest Batman stories out there, this short graphic novel stands out mainly because of its unbelievable artwork.

Illustrated by Dave McKean, famous for his Sandman covers & children's stories with Neil Gaiman (Mirrormask, Coraline), whose distinctive and iconic imagery is lent to a tale of the inmates taking over the asylum.

Just check out the page pictured above (click to enlarge), and head out to buy it.

6. The Cult



In The Cult Batman comes up against Deacon Blackfire, a crazy Charlie Manson type who may or may not be several hundred years old. In a rare case of 'didn't see that coming', Bats gets abducted and forced to join Blackfire's growing legions of mindless slaves. With her protector out of action, and only Robin (pssh) to rely on, Gotham city goes to hell quite quickly as the shit hits the fan big time.

Notable for the display of weakness from our hero, who when he gets a chance very nearly turns tail and buggers off. And as was the thing with Batman in the 80's it pulls no punches with the ol' ultra-violence. Which is fun.


5. Birth of the Demon



You'd be forgiven if until seeing Batman Begins you had no idea whom Ra's Al Ghul was, but aside from the Joker he's probably the Batman's greatest nemesis. A seven hundred year old terrorist and sometime assassin, Ra's is no loon, but a calculating genius who has a beef with humanity and a desire to see it wiped off the face of the earth. Not pleased with Bruce Wayne's persistent thwarting of his plans, or impregnating of his daughter (oh Bruce...), Ra's indluges on many an occasion in beating the Bat to within an inch of his life.

This story by Dennis O'Neil and Norm Breyfogle tells the tale of how humanity earned Ra's' hatred, and throws in a classic showdown between himself and Batman for good measure. Twisted and epic with fantastic artwork, this is a one-stop shop for appreciating the fact that Ra's Al Ghul is a vastly superior villain to the Penguin, the Riddler and most of the better known faces in Batman's rogues gallery.

4. Batman: Year One



Batman was created by Bob Kane, but special mention must go to Frank Miller for reinventing the character not once but twice. In Year One Miller gives us his account of (guess) Batman's first year of crimefighting, and to fantastic effect. The short 4-part story hit the nail on the head to such a degree that it has become the accepted 'true' origin of Batman, despite the fact that it was written nearly fifty years after the character first appeared.

With striking no nonsense artwork and a powerful take on the relationship between Batman and Jim Gordon, it's a great read, and one of the few Batman comics that is universally regarded as essential.


3. The Long Halloween



An epic, meaty read, The Long Halloween is the kind of story Batman was created for. Set over the course of a year, this sprawling murder mystery features a host of villains, with readers kept guessing as our hero sifts through clues and suspects aplenty. Writer Joseph Loeb has here played to all Batman's strengths as a detective, while Tim Sale's cinematic artwork perfectly accents all the noir elements of the story.

This story arc is notable for being the definitive telling of Harvey Dent's journey to becoming Two-Face, a tragedy which is expertly played out as a contrast to the bog-standard 'radioactive toxic waste' origin stories of lesser comic books.

The Long Halloween is one of two Batman stories which has been singled out by Christopher Nolan as a source of inspiration behind the Dark Knight, so we can expect Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent to be a million miles removed from Tommy Lee Jones' offering. Which, clearly, is a good thing. Shame on you, Joel Schumacher.


2. The Dark Knight Returns



The rebirth of Batman, DKR is the moment where Frank Miller returned Batman to the shadows, lending a psychological edge to the series that had been absent for too long. In graphic novel format, this offering deserves to be counted alongside Watchmen as a truly great work of literature.

Set in the near future, an aging Batman has retired and the world is without superheros. Superman is a government patsy, and Gotham is terrorised by a gang of cyber-punks called Mutants. Events conspire to bring the Bat out of retirement, and our hero returns to struggle against the Mutants, his own age, and cold-war politics.
It's a vast piece of work, original and fresh- offering an unparalleled take on the character of Batman, and painting the world of Gotham & Metropolis as an ominous vision of our own.

On a cerebral scale there's nothing quite like DKR in the Batman world. And on a sheer comic-book-fun scale: it features an almighty showdown between Batman & Superman. Enough said.


1. The Killing Joke



The Killing Joke is possibly the greatest Batman story ever told. Written by the most acclaimed comic-book writer of all time, Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell...), this single issue story pits Batman against the Joker in a match that is both enthralling and chilling. The Joker has never been more twisted, and the battle between the two characters is tinged with madness and violence before reaching it's climax. At the same time, Moore takes the reader through the tragic origins of Batman's arch nemesis in a telling that, like Year One, has become the generally accepted version of the story.

With stunning artwork by Brian Bolland, and writing from Moore that's second to none, The Killing Joke has all the right ingredients to create a Batman story that's as close to perfect as you're gonna get. Thankfully, this is the version of The Joker that Christopher Nolan has chosen to bring to the screen for the Dark Knight: a demented and unstable murderer; and if Heath Ledger's portrayal is in any way close to the mark we're sure to be treated to an unforgettable incarnation of one of the Comic-Book world's greatest villains.

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So a while back when we posted music to get messed up to 2 mixtape we put a little poll on it asking what you think the next mixtape should be and the winner with a wopping 4 votes was a heavy mixtape , so you asked for it , its not gonna be to everyones taste as some of its heavier then a big bag of really heavy spanners.
tracklisting and download link in the read more


01 Board Up The House -Genghis Tron
02 The Dark Trail - The Fall Of Troy
03 celebrator - The Blood Brothers
04 Sleeping With the Fishes, See? - The Number 12 Looks Like You
05 O Fortuna -BOTCH
06 Angela's Secret - These Arms Are Snakes
07 Recorded Inside a Pyramid - Daughters
08 Act I: Chasing Suns - The Sound Of Animals Fighting
09 Saparmurat Miyazov - Down I Go
10 suffocation - xbxrx
11 Nightmares On Crack St. - Trencher
12 Right Click My Heart Save As "Broken" - The Post Office Gals
13 AOTKPTA - The Locust
14 I Am the Lazer Viking - An Albatross
15 I Am Ahab - Mastodon
16 Wareruride - Boris
17 Not In Rivers, But In Drops - Isis
18 Caged Mearachells - White Mice

Click here to download

So if anyone has any ideas of any other mixtapes they like us to try our collective hands at just leave them in the comments and we will do our best

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For ever thinking outside the box Deerhoof have come up with a way to battle the internet leak , they are giving everyone there new single “Fresh Born" ......well kinda of they have giving everyone the sheet music (which can be seen in the read more) for their new single.
they are asking that fans record their own version of the song using the sheet music and to upload a mp3 of it for all to hear on the CASH Music website here
Deerhoof new album (album number 9)Offend Maggie, is due out on October 6 through Kill Rock Stars/ATP Recordings.



Deerhoof explain it in their own words


Deerhoof "The Perfect Me"

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Lots more gigs a-coming, so we've rounded em up for you.

Check em out in the read more


Goldfrapp
Disco folksters tone things down
-Tripod Nov 7th
Tickets: €32.50-35.50


Islands
Interesting indie-pop gems return to Ireland after disappointing Whelans show. The fact that they play the Hub raises an eyebrow, and might make for a better show.
-The Hub 20th Sept
Tickets: €12.50

also...
Auntie Annes, Belfast 19th Sept £7
Cyprus Ave, Cork 21st Sept
Roisin Dubh, Galway 22nd Sept €10


Shellac
Steve Albini's noisy math-rock legend's hit Dublin
-The Button Factory 28th Oct
Tickets: €21.50


Holy Fuck
Excellent electro-rock outfit follow up a really impressive Oxegen set
-The Academy 20th Oct
Tickets: €17.50


Fleet Foxes
Hype-y indie-folk band, the new need-to-know. Highly (highly) acclaimed 2008 album did nothing for me, but you may like em....
-Vicar Street 7th Nov
Tickets: €21


Black Kids
More hype, this time of the pop variety.
-The Academy 21st Oct
Tickets: €17.50


Supergrass
Pop-rock staples, new album is really, really good.
-The Academy 3rd Sept
Tickets: €26


All tickets are on sale now from either Tickets.ie or Ticketmaster, except Goldfrapp which goes on sale Friday.

Gig's we're just waiting to hear about: Chrome Hoof set to return in Autumn, possible MGMT second date after quick sellout of Ambassador show, TV on the Radio autumn/winter tour in support of album number three, 'Dear Science,'.

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The shortlist for the Mercury Music prize has been announced, with some interesting inclusions (as usual).

The list in full:

• Adele- 19″
• British Sea Power- Do You Like Rock Music?
• Burial- Untrue
  
• Elbow- The Seldom Seen Kid
• Estelle- Shine
• The Last Shadow Puppets- The Age Of The Understatement
• Laura Marling- Alas I Cannot Swim
• Neon Neon- Stainless Style
• Portico Quartet- Knee-Deep In The North Sea
• Robert Plant And Alison Krauss- Raising Sand
• Radiohead- In Rainbows
• Rachel Unthank And The Winterset- The Bairns

Probably going to win: Burial/ Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Inclusions that underwhelmed me: Last of the Shadow Puppets, Burial (I know, I must be some kind of fool not to have liked the Burial album).

Surprised not to see: Foals, Hot Chip, Portishead... etc.

I'd be happy with: Radiohead

The Rachel Unthunk malarky sounds pretty good, except for the crazy Jack Duckworth accent. Or is it Kevin Keegan? Either way, they're playing Electric Picnic, so add that to your 'to see' list, hype-followers.

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Pretty darn freaky in fact. Watch all the way through for full effect.

Rob posted the MP3 a few weeks ago which now appears to be gone so here it is again. Great song


Santogold -L.E.S. Artistes

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The first gig in the new corporate-whore den (aka the O2) has been announced and (surprise, surprise) its corporate whores Coldplay. The dullest band on the planet(TM) will play this new venue on the 21st of December. Tickets go on sale this Friday but not if you're an O2 customer. No siree. If you're an O2 customer you can get tickets this Wednesday.

I better run out and change my network provider now before somebody good plays. Pricks.


Coldplay -Talk (aka Coldplay's only good song thanks to the Kraftwerk sample)

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Professional tosspot and all-round boring bastard Mark Ronson has shown he's not such a cunt after all as apparently he heard Dublin Singer-Songwriter James McMorrow through having the same publisher and is asking him to join him on stage at the Dublin and Belfast shows this Wednesday and Thursday.

Check out James McMorrow here. The song "Down the Burning Ropes" has got this nice little Nick Drakeish feel to it. If you must then head to Ronson's gig on the 23rd in Belfast or on 24th in Tripod but if you don't then keep your peepers out for this chap as I imagine he'll play elsewhere around the country at some point.

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The first video from Devendra Banhart's latest album, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon. The video features Natalie Portman and bollywood loveliness


Devendra Banhart - Carmensita

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Think You Reckon You Know Your Movies Well Enough to Know The Following


Know what was Withnail's drinking buddy's name in the classic British drinking journey to the English countyside that was the comedy Withnail & I?


Know who played The Joker in Tim Burton's epic Batman in 1989?

Who the gay droid was from the Star Wars trilogy (the good one)?

Know what Tyler Durden's 'Project' was called in Fight Club?

or


Know how many member's there were in The Breakfast Club?



Then Check out The SugarLips Cult Movie Quiz – Tuesday 22nd of July!!!


With lots of Cheap Beer & beer's sluty cousin...free beer!


Along w/ Cinema Tickets to see the advanced screening of The Dark Night...Good DVDs & other great stuff to be given away


It'll be more fun than your average Tuesday night of sitting at home in the bath-tub & crying


The Bernard Shaw 11-12 South Richmond St, Portobello 8pm sharp...Just up from the BleedingHorse

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One Day as a Lion is a collaboration between Rage Against the Machine front-man Zack De La Rocha and former The Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore.
Their name is taken from the infamous 1970 black and white, captured by legendary Chicano photographer George Rodriguez featuring a center framed tag on a white wall in an unspecified section of Boyle Heights. It reads: ‘It’s better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb.’ The band have said their record is a stripped down attempt to realize this sentiment in sound.”

They are based in Los Angeles, California and their first EP, One Day as a Lion is due to be released 22nd July, 2008.

Mp3>One Day as a Lion - Last Letter

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Those of you saw the trailer for Watchmen (aka The no doubt disappointing adaptation of the greatest comic ever) may be wondering where and when they heard the song running through it. Some of you will remember Batman & Robin (aka the worst comic book movie of all time) and some of you may remember its theme song "The End is the Beginning is the End" by The Smashing Pumpkins (aka the last great Pumpkins song).

In a move that had to have been a dig at the afore-mentioned celluloid disaster the creators of Watchmen have used the companion piece "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning" which is prety much a remix of the first song. Below is presented both versions of the song. The instrumental versions of the song "The Ethers Tragic" and "The Guns of Love Disastrous" as well as the Watchmen trailer for those of you who missed it the first time.

The Smashing Pumpkins - The Beginning is the End is the Beginning


The Smashing Pumpkins - The End is the Beginning is the End





The Smashing Pumpkins - The Ether's Tragic


The Smashing Pumpkins - The Guns of Love Disastrous

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(more info in the read more)

A very special house show this Friday 25th July in Deansgrange, Dublin, with the amazing Calvin Johnson (ex - BEAT HAPPENING, THE HALO BENDERS and DUB NARCOTIC) with support from Crayonsmith.
Calvin is also the founder/owner of K Records,He has also recorded and sang with Modest Mouse, Beck, The Microphones, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Blow, Jens Lekman and Built to Spill.

The show starts at 6pm and it's only €5 in.

The address is The Hide Away House, 65 St. Fintan's Villas, Deansgrange Road, Blackrock, Dublin.

HALO BENDERS "DON'T TOUCH MY BIKINI"

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Live stream of 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival here

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For those of you looking for some prime industrial metal you could do worse than to head on up to Tripod tonight and see if you can score some tickets for Ministry as Al Jourgensen and his gang of misfits take themselves to these shores for the last time. In fact their gig tonight will actually be their last gig anywhere as its the last gig on their C-U-LaTour. If you havn't seen them yet (and I havn't) then go go go. If their half as good live as their records are then tonight should be some serious fun.

Ministry - Jesus Built My Hotrod

Ministry - N.W.O.



Ministry - Burning Inside



Ministry - Stigmata

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You're Only Massive have decided to called it a day and go there separate ways the girls released the news via their , myspace blog you can read it there in Megan's own words im still in shock.

Youre Only Massive SugarShake The Cool Away kilkenny july 07

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BATS(them sex pests) play Crawdaddys this Saturday at the amazingly late hour of 1.40 am!!

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John Carpenter's one time protégé SARSPARILLA (whose still fighting the good fight in the hills of Wicklow) is offering a FREE 30 min track on the alphabetset site , go here to download it its ace
(Come on check out the cover (the picture above) how could you not love that)

SARSPARILLA myspace

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So as a precursor to their new album, Unkle have done their own version of the X-files theme tune for "The X-Files: I Want to Believe". Check it out below, its not half bad.

Unkle - The X-Files

Trailer for the movie in the read more.

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Hmmm... interesting.

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We're experienceing some technical difficulties at the moment, so apologies if some content is unavailable!

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So despite having a wretched year in 2006 and complete avoidance last year I found myself once again in the Irish answer to the Calcutta slums, that is Oxegen, for one reason and one reason only. Rage Against the Machine. Naturally a whole day can't be spent in complete anticipation of this awesome band so to pass the time other bands were viewed.

Click below for a belated account of stuff.



Arrive to what turns out to be far too bloody early and continue drinking until a state of almost complete inebriation is reached by the time the gates open (12.00). Decide that there's fuck all on of interest so wander to campsite red to find compadres that are unfortunate enough to have spent the weekend there. Turns out the campsite has changed not a jot since the last time I was there which is very much a bad thing. The smell of decay is in the air.




Onwards to first band time who luckily happen to be Does it offend you, yeah? I haven't been bigging up this band for a while for no reason at all. They are actually shit cool and they put on a great fucking show. Its a shame that a) "the company" have chosen to once again hold the Dance 'tent' in that big sweatbox of a warehouse and b) that the sun is splitting the sky outside and even in that dank place the bright light permeates, ruining the effects of the lightshow somewhat. The chaps do their best however and wisely keep their rocking stuff until last where the crowd have reached the peak of their (possibly drug-aided) frenzy.

Does it Offend You, Yeah? - Dawn of the Dead




Finding one with a loss of anything in the way of good stuff to watch its decided to have a curious gander at We Are Scientists. Luckily that we're far enough away that we can ignore them because of all the boring shite that I've seen at various festivals over the years this is certainly up there. Such a promising band that three years ago brought out a quirky little rock tune (The Great Escape) has now been reduced to samey boring muck. Raised slightly in estimation by ending the set with the aforementioned classic.

We Are Scientists - The Great Escape





Indie's bright shining new stars MGMT are being viewed for the third time in as many months by yours truly and are now at the stage where I'm starting to not give a fuck about them anymore. They come out with their silly little bandana's and seem completely underwhelmed by the rapturous reception that they receive. All songs are played well but with the degree of don't-give-a-fuckness that make you want to hit the cunts. At one point the crowd gets to the stage of excitement that people are hanging off the pillars supporting the tent. While this initially receives much cheering from the crowd the tables are quickly turned when it transpires that the band aren't allowed to play anymore unless people get the fuck down. One stupid bint ignores the hoots and hollers from the crowd and proceeds to climb all the way up to the top of the pillar and through the hole in the tent. Cheers luv. One less song for us to hear. Spa. With barely any time left to play the band come on and finish with their trio of known songs, Electric Feel, Time to Pretend and Kids. The last song being where my largest bone of contention lies with the band. That everytime they play this song its as if they are doing Karaoke. I fail to believe that its not possible to reproduce this song live as other bands have done better with less. I predict this song being dropped from the set before long if it can be helped as their discomfort with performing it clearly betrays that this may be their Bohemian Rhapsody or Teen spirit.

MGMT - Electric Feel





You don't need me to tell you that Fight Like Apes are rising up the scene quicker than one of my belches after downing a nasty pint and they do certainly know how to perform live, that much is certain. The between song banter is infectious and gives off the impression that they are very much at ease with playing live and songs are short enough not to overstay their welcome. To be watched.

Fight Like Apes - Lightsabre Cock-Sucking Blues





So finally the hour comes. One that I've been waiting for for 15 years. Rage Against the Fucking Machine. I don't think I can possibly describe how much I enjoyed this gig. Not quite as well as Nialler does in his review anyway but suffice to say that after it ended I had bruises all over me and the next morning all my joints were stiff. It was great to find a mosh pit that was not only huge but violent (in that good way) and untainted by the thugs and oafs that "the company" likes to hire as security.

Every possible song is cranked out and it all ends too bloody fast. A big "Fuck you" goes out to the guy who couldn't fix their sound, which kept cutting out every now and then but apart from that little glitch they made it worth taking the trip to Punchestown for what will hopefully be the last time.

Rage Against the Machine - Bulls On Parade (DJ Kue Remix)


Cheers to James Goulden at State.ie for unwittingly supplying me with photo's

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Skinny Wolves presents:

WHITE MAGIC (Drag City, Southern)
HIGH LIFE
UNITED BIBLE STUDIES
CIAN NUGENT

w/ guest DJ JAAKKO & more

Thursday 17th July
Anseo (upstairs), CAMDEN Street, Dublin
Doors 8.30pm, 10euro

ABOUT WHITE MAGIC

"2007 was a fantastic year for White Magic seeing the release of their second EP Dark Stars - following their first full-length Dat Rosa Mel Apibus, both to critical praise.

Their combination of folk, blues, country and supernatural psychedelia bring to mind visions of late 60's communes where people ran naked, grew marijuana and kids chased dogs wearing bandannas, though something sinister is always hiding behind the romantic visage... but this is not altogether the vision of Brooklyn where the band presently reside. To live in a city and create music of this nature and intensity, music that pulses like the heart of a storm is a thing of great triumph. Their originality lies in the journey of their songs, New Egypt being no exception.

White Magic are champions of repetition, looping and feedback and apocalyptic balladry that's as threatening and paranoid as it is beautiful and contemplative. Mira Billotte's voice, accompanied by Doug Shaw's psyched out guitar work and a drum beat that's relentless and driving is a ferocious combination, and one that we at Southern
are really happy to have been given the opportunity to present to you, here. Please sit back and enjoy."

Sanna Charles, Southern Records, November 2007

"Mira Billotte played in Quix*o*tic before forming WHITE MAGIC. Her voice has been compared to Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Grace Slick, Karen Dalton, and Nico among others. White Magic has toured with the likes of Sonic Youth, Will Oldham, Joanna Newsom, Six Organs of Admittance, Ghost, Animal Collective, Magic Markers and Fiery Furnaces, among others names."

White Magic (East River Music Project, NYC)

http://www.myspace.com/whitemagicmusi

HIGH LIFE
(Doug from White Magic's Tropicala solo project!!!!)



ABOUT UNITED BIBLE STUDIES

Originally formed as a duo with an unhealthy desire to emulate the Incredible String Band, UBS quickly evolved into a collective and laid the groundwork for the Deserted Village label and events. Since their formation in winter 2001 they have played and recorded sporadically-never settling on one recording method, never settling on one line-up. The new album "The Shore that Fears the Sea"(truenote007) shows a love of the unadorned beauty of Shirley Collins, Anne Briggs and Vashti Bunyan, Current 93, Coil and Sol Invictus, as well as the work of poets Edwin Morgan and WS Graham. Sparse folk sidles up to a more melodic take on improvisation and tales of loss and pagan longing abound. If they could exist anywhere, they would be playing in the Green Man when Sergeant Howie arrives.

Since their Sun worship ritual at The Mór Festival in 2003, the students have increased their activities. The set, which included radical re-workings of some of their quiet new folk songs has been edging towards a more Pharoah Sanders/ Emperor/ Can hybrid thanks to the new drums and horns helping them to blaze brighter in the northern skye. Live shows throughout Ireland and Britain including the Leechrum Festival have seen them wildly improvise with up to twelve members or play straight trad as a trio. Standard rock instrumentation is bolstered with theremins, fretless banjos, accordions, bugles... whatever comes to hand... Their philosophy is that all paths are equal, all approaches relevant. Members have sometimes met on stage for the first time.

Though inspired by Irish Folk music, United Bible Studies have always seen themselves in a global context. They've had a slew of releases on microlabels across the planet and have invited many like-minded artists to tour Ireland with them including Avarus, Fursaxa, James Blackshaw, Peter Wright, Corsano/Flaherty, Black Forest/Black Sea, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Pinkie and John, ZU, Daniel Padden, Josephine Foster, Mi and L'au and Pumice. UBS played as Damo Suzuki's backing band twice: First at the demented beer garden after-party of the Mór Festival 2004 which saw people dancing in tongues and using every solid object as a drum and a sold-out two-hour set in Galway in March 2005.

United Bible Studies (featuring emily from party weirdo) will be playing a special percussion and vocal chant based set for the first time, on the night...


United Bible Studies at Terrastock 7

http://www.myspace.com/unitedbiblestudies


ABOUT CIAN NUGENT

Dublin-based guitarist Cian Nugent turned some heads last fall with his self-released EP of meditative guitar compositions. Recorded to an old reel-to-reel machine, Nugent’s originals (plus a cover of Buell Kazee’s Anthology of American Music staple “The Wagoner’s Lad”) were well served by their crackly presentation, reminiscent of a rummaged 78 rpm treasure. Ranging from the jug band bounce of “Baka Danse” to the eerie squeaks of “The Ceremony,” Nugent’s music boasts a rare breadth. On Imaginational Anthem, Vol. 3, his “When the Snow Melts and Floats Downstream” is as warm and welcome as a hearth in winter. A full-length album for Tompkins Square is in the works, and a live album, Childhood, Christian Lies and Slaughter, should be issued on Incunabulum/Smeraldina-Rima soon. As he prepares his Tompkins Square release, Nugent’s been seeking out a broader set of influences and a more orchestrated, fully instrumented sound. "Lately I'm finding it interesting to get ideas from other instruments and try to use them on guitar, say piano for example," he said in an email. "The whole field of modern classical I'm finding really exciting, from the really extreme to the tame."

Nugent has toured Ireland with James Blackshaw and Jozef van Wissem, and U.K. readers can catch him in June, at shows with The Family Elan, Sunburned Hand of the Man, and others.
David Lacey will be drumming with CIAN NUGENT on the night!

Cian Nugent whelans apr 08

http://www.myspace.com/ciannugent

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Feral Children are a Seattle based indie-rock band with a wide range of experimental explorations and an explosive live show. Their debut album, Second to the Last Frontier, was self-released locally in Seattle to overwhelming praise and will receive its proper full US release this summer.
Produced by Scott Colburn (Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam and Feels, Arcade Fire), the album draws upon and expands from their diverse set of influences. Comparisons to Animal Collective and early-era Modest Mouse are good starting points, but don’t fully recognize Feral Children’s complete range of sounds.

And they were nice enough to send us a link to download their EP to get a feel for them... and wanted us to share it with our readers as well, so their EP can be found here for free.

Check it out its rather nice if you need more convincing check out the music video below (I've had the song in my head for few days now)

Feral Children "Spy/Glass House"


Feral Children Myspace

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Legendary Japanese iconoclast BOREDOMS, a visionary band who have spent over twenty years pushing itself toward new frontiers last year staged a concert on the 7/7/07 - a 77 minute long set featuring 77 drummers called 77BoaDrum. The idea was simple and irresistible: Eye (as he is known) was joined by the other three Boredoms, all three playing drums, along with 74 more drummers from the New York musical underground and beyond (including members of Gang Gang Dance, No-Neck Blues Band, Sunburned Hand Of The Man, Excepter, Sightings, Oneida, and more), all arranged in a giant spiral. Well they're going to be doing it again this year but with 88 drummers, and 88 minutes long on the 08/08/08.

The event will happen in both L.A. and NYC, The Los Angeles event will start at 8:08 PM PST at La Brea Tar Pits, and will feature 88 drummers selected by both the Boredoms and 88BoaDrum artistic director Hisham Bharoocha of Soft Circle. The New York event, conducted on behalf of the Boredoms by Brooklyn's own Gang Gang Dance, goes down at 8:08 PM EST at the Williamsburg waterfront.
(some clips of last year concert in the read more)

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