The apparent rules for having a successful indie band these days:
1. There must be more of you than the average band size of 4 or 5 lets say
2. You must incorporate as many obscure or unused musical instruments as possible.
3. You must all of you be playing at the same time all the time.
4. You must make impossibly happy music with bleak or cynical lyrical subject matter.
5. Repeat to fade.



While not comparing Los Campesionos! to The Arcade Fire et al, the Canadian chancers do seem to have kick started or at the very least popularised the notions outlined above.

Our little (and in some cases very very cute) heroes from Wales seem to have such a joie de vivre that in many ways they can seem like a plate of merangues. Delicious but can make you very queasy.

Regardless their energy is infectious and they do use the xylophone to excellent effect (and get extra points for enabling me to show off that I know how to spell xylophone) but unless they slow down and start breaking apart their songs a little more than they're going to get very stale very quickly. They have a habit of picking a nice awesome sound and then playing it over and over throughout the song instead of slowing down, going to a bridge or a break and then going back to the awesome bit. Confusing? Tough. Thats how I felt when I saw the keyboard player.





I think I'm in love




Have some tuneage. The International Tweexcore Underground:

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So there's a bunch of new Irish shows that've been announced in the last week or so. Here's a roundup:

Editors: The Olympia Theatre, Feb 21st 08. Tickets are 30 euro. On sale now.

Despite good press and about a million very reliable reccommendations, I still just don't give a damn about the Editors. It might float your boat though. Here's one of their songs that's not so bad- 'An End Has A Start':



Eels: Vicar Street, March 17th 08. Tickets 40.20, on sale this thursday.

I used to be quite fond of Eels, and this inspired me to go along to watch their set at Oxegen last year, despite my unfamiliarity with their recent album or two. For the first couple of songs I genuinely thought I had caught the wrong band. They in no way resembled the Eels of the earlier, melodic... good albums. They were some weird grunge-core band, with an odd security guy (part of the band, apparently) doing kung fu moves on stage. Bob, in his wisdom put it the best: "I have never seen a band with such sheer comtempt for it's audience". Here's something from the good ol days, 'Cancer For The Cure':



Los Campesinos: The Village, Feb 11th 08. Tickets 18 euro, on sale friday.

Missed them in Whelans due to influx of gigs, hopefully by February I'll have the money to check em out.

Jimmy Eat World: Olympia Theatre, 27th Feb 08. Tickets 33.60, on sale now.

Another band that comes highly reccommended, but I'm not too bothered about myself. Shining lights of the 'Screamo' genre. What I have heard from them is pretty good, but the only thing I considered particularly great was their first big un, 'Bleed American' (which incidentally had to be re-named as it was due for release just when the sep 11th attacks took place). Here it is:



Explosions In The Sky: Tripod, Jan 26th 08. Tickets 19.50, on sale now.

This is one of those bands I know I should love, just haven't given them the time yet. In fact, just watching this video has made me decide that this is what I'm gonna be listening to this week. Pretty good. Looks like they were due to play the Village and it's been moved (upgraded, I guess) to Tripod. So I reckon we can take that as meaning that it'll sell out. You've been warned. Here's 'Your Hand In Mine':

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It's Monday, we need all the help we can get.

Here's Los Campesinos' insanely happy 'You! Me! Dancing':





Click me for song.

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