The video for Lykke Li's I'm Good, I'm Gone kinda creeps me out, but in a good way... I think. Check it out:



Here's a nice remix of Lykke Li's Little Bit, courtesy of CSS:

Lykke Li - Little Bit (CSS Remix)

This makes me wish I'd been to her Sugar Club show on June 12th. Damn.

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So I'm sure you've all heard about Amy Winehouse and her fan punching and Jay-Z and his Noel Gallagher punching (not literally) in fact you may have even seen more bands than I did on BBC but nothing compares to the experience of being there. I guarantee you that no matter what festivals you have been to in the world you have never seen anything to equal the size of the daddy of them all.

Click on the read more for Glasto Diary and Gig review


Wed 25th June
Arrive. Queue for 45 mins for tickets. Pitch tents & gazebo. Take comfort in the fact that there are no major bands on today and that we have to go nowhere and do nothing. Do anyway. Get drunk. Rest blur.

Thurs 26th June
Whole day of wandering around looking at shit and getting drunk. Watch a couple of godawful bands who's names were unavailable in the Leftfield stage. Rest blur.

Fri 27th June

First day of proper schedule music. Wander down in morning to get some food. Stop by the John Peel Stage to see somebody called Royworld. Stay for a song or two. Boring Coldplay like tunes provoke severe dose of wandering the fuck away from there. Check out vid below for yourself




Apres Royworld head back for post breakfast beer. Look at timetable. Nobody on for a while but Glasvegas are playing close enough to wander down. Go down. One song I know/like turns out to be the only song I know/like. Oh well.

Glasvegas- Geraldine

Click for mp3


Off to Jazzworld which coincidentally is right beside the Brothers Pear Cider stand. Nothing jazzy on, so Cider it is. 3 pints time its time for Ben Folds. Not my favourite artist but my ignorance of the chap has been mocked long enough so lets check him out. By all accounts a decent Folds peformance. Weather isn't magnificent while he's playing but he keeps the crowd in a good mood and finishes with a pretty amusing cover of Dr.Dre's "Bitches ain't shit".

Ben Folds- Bitches Aint Shit

Click for mp3


The hype machine has roled all over The Ting Ting's and so its time to see if they're worth the paper they're printed on. Head to John Peel Stage to find it more packed then apparently its ever been. Hardly surprising considering the afore-mentioned hype. Turns out they can actually play live. Considering its only two people on synthed up drums guitars and vocals then its quite surprising they fill the tent with sound in the way they do. In fact they do it so impressively that the only song that sounds quite lacklustre is the on that a lot of people turned up to see.

The Ting Tings- Great DJ

Click for mp3


Large blank gap for four hours between The Ting Ting's and final act of the day in which many bands I could have seen played. No idea if I did see them but next memory is turning up at Kings of Leon on the main stage. Perhaps everybody has a Kings of Leon phase. For some reason I have their first album and a copy of their second so I must have gone through one at one point but damned if I can figure out why. Prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt but after a hella long wait for them to come on stage and a boring as fuck first song that I don't know, followed by a boring as fuck second song that I do know I decide to bail to see if I can catch some of Sinead O'Connor or Seasick Steve. Fighting through the crowd at the Pyramid stage makes me miss both. Bummer. Rest of night = blur.

Seasick Steve- Dog House Boogie

Click for mp3


Sat 28th June

Drank late so rose late. Quelle Surprise. Quick joint to falafel stand drags me by John Peel again where a quirky little chick called Emmy the Great is waking folk up. Compares her album coming out to Chinese Democracy. "Thats not a Political joke its a Guns N'Roses joke". Remind myself to check out more of this little lady's stuff.




Unfortunately Emmy the great is not enough to wake me from a rotten hangover + rotten sunstroke. Decide to lie down for several hours so I don't miss the evenings festivities. Several hours later sleeping and an hour and a half in the cinema tent watching The Simpsons Movie (better on a second watch) and off to the Park area via the Pyramid stage checking out a bit of Manu Chao on the way who appears to be making the crowd dance like bastards.

Manu Chao- Merry Blues

Click for mp3


Arriving in the Park area just in time to see the second of half of Fight Like Apes who if you don't know are a fantastic shouty little Irish band and are here proving their ever growing awesomeness with a short but sweet set where they woo a small (and mostly Irish) but still significant crowd. Plus its recorded for the BBC and should be on the website but isn't at this time of writing for some reason. Not too good considering its supposed to be fucking promoting new bands.



Fight Like Apes finishes approximately ten minutes before MGMT are due to begin on the main Park stage. As we arrive however we hear The Last Shadow Puppets being introduced for their secret gig. This doesn't bode well especially seeing as I'm not buying into any of Alex Turner's bullshit or his side projects and naturally enough this little performance fails to impress me regardless of whether Jack White was in the audience or not.


The boding proved correct as well unfortunately as the sets thereafter ran 40 minutes later and despite the fact that it was Saturday night the curfew remained in effect. MGMT played a 5 song set ending with Electric Feel, Time to Pretend and then doing their karaoke rendition of Kids which consistently makes me like them less and less.

MGMT- Electric Feel

Click for mp3



Battles however I like more and more each time I see them and having them reduced to 4 songs makes me want to hit things especially when they were kicking as much ass as they were as they race through Tij, Tonto, Atlas and Leyendecker. Hopefully next time they play in my presence I'll see the whole set.

Battles- Leyendecker

Click for mp3


CSS, as somebody pointed out to me, you can see every other weekend at home but as I mentioned they were running 40 minutes late so by the time they started there was no running down to catch a bit of Jay-Z (unfortunately for me from what I hear). Still there's no denying that the Brazilians put on a good show and tonight is no exception. Its just a shame that they can't pull a full set out of the crowd for all the folks who really want them.

Saturday night ends. On to oblivion. Drink through the night until about 8 in the morning find ourselves in the grounds of the farm trying to see if we can see the Eavis's. Unsurprisingly we don't.

CSS- Let's Make Love (Calvin Harris Remix) Link Removed


Sunday 29th June

There are those who might call me little bitch but its become a tradition at this stage that the Sunday of any given festival will see me being as sick as a fucking dog and this particular festival is no exception. Such is this fucker of a rotten tummy that I only emerge out in time to see...Neil fucking Diamond.

Now I am one of those people who can say in all seriousness and without even a hint of irony that I have been to a Neil Diamond concert. Such is the state of my (and at least half our group) that we choose to punctuate the break in songs with exclamations like "Neil Diamond!!!" or "We're at a Neil Diamond concert". The crowd like him well enough however and if there was a prize for getting a crowd of people to sing along to "Sweet Caroline" then Mr Diamond would surely take it. As you can see from the picture below my body did not agree with the crowds sentiments.

Neil Diamond- Sweet Caroline

Click for mp3



While some went to The Verve and some went to Manu Chao doing his second gig of the weekend I and my wretched stomach went and watched the first screening of Wall-E. Good movie, still the sounds of the Verve kind of made me want to head down there and hear Bittersweet Symphony and what not. Next year I'll have to grow another set of balls.

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New music video for CSS off there new album Donkey


Cansei de Ser Sexy - Rat Is Dead

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CSS's second album Donkey (cover above) is released on July 21st, and already word is starting to filter out that it's something to look forward to. Having got a taste of a few new tracks at their recent show in the Academy, I know to expect more of a pop-rock sound than an electro-rock one.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Hmm... possibly too early to tell. But what we can do is take a look at what's available online already and see how that sits.

Do read on...

Single number one you've probably already heard, Rat is Dead (Rage). It's a fairly decent little pop song, but lacks the bite of anything off CSS's debut album.


Following that is a step in the right direction- Left Behind is kinda funky, and definitely more of a party song (which, let's face it, is the band's forté). The only criticism I'd make is that it sounds a bit too busy, bordering on cluttered. But judge for yourself:

CSS- Left Behind
File removed by request

There's a few 'sampler' mp3s floating about online, where you can get the gist of the song through about a minute and a half of it (which then repeats, rather annoyingly). Hear's two of em to whet your appetite:

Things seems to get a bit electro with Believe Achieve:

CSS- Believe Achieve (Sampler)
File removed by request

The whole mostly-rock-but-with-a-dash-of-electro thing mightn't be so bad an idea, as evidenced by this humdinger, How I Became Paranoid:

CSS- How I Became Paranoid (Sampler)
File removed by request

So the bottom line seems to be to not expect a repeat of CSS's debut album- expect something different, interesting, and possibly very good.

Oh, and even though the album's not out for a month, the remix-monkeys have already been hard at work. Here's Aussie rising stars Midnight Juggernauts treating us to a remix of Left Behind:

CSS- Left Behind (Midnight Juggernauts Remix)
File removed by request

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The cover for the new Cansei de Ser Sexy album Donkey and its ........ its one of them things

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SO just how good are MGMT? Well the last time they played here two months ago I was reminded over and over again how good a gig it was by all my friends who had been there and it had been pointed out to me many times since then that I am less of a man for missing it. Oh well what can I say? This time however I will not miss it and I will enjoy it despite the fact that "Kids" has me driven demented thanks to that arsehole Sinister Pete who plays it incessantly on Phantom each morning. Clearly they are as sick of it as I am because instead of actually playing the song live they do a karaoke rendition of it to a backing track as their opening song. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that this is actually their mindset because the first thing I said was "What the fuck is this shit?".

After that its down to business and they actually pick up their instruments to play a fairly short and predictable set. They don't seem to be loving it but then again when you are the opening band and your set is hampered by dodgy sound then there really isn't much you can do. Great tunes and doesn't take away from enjoyment of the album.

The Futureheads however can go suck it. Barely watched their blah blah indie punk silliness.


CSS however prove once again that they're a live force to be reckoned with. Not content with playing Ireland seemingly every second month, they also seem to want to play every venue in the country as well. Perhaps the Academy is too small for them. Perhaps not. Either way they make it their own and show us all how to have a good time in the hot humid town by looking like a band who enjoy playing music with each other just as much as we love hearing it. The chemistery between band members is awesome and they come across as genuinely fun people that one may want to have a beer with. Or, lets be honest, sleep with.

The songs from their forthcoming album sound great and make up for the lacklustre first single and the set pretty much covers everything from their first album (except for "Fuck off is the only thing you have to show" which I love) including the wretched "Alcohol" before finishing with a kick-ass "Lets make love and listen to Death From Above"

Worth checking out at the summer festivals? I think so.

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The new song by Cansei de Ser Sexy has been made available on their website today.
Rat Is Dead (Rage) is the first single from Donkey, the second album from Brazilian band Cansei De Ser Sexy. It will be released on July, 2008.
The song has a kinda harder feel to it then most on the last record but the dance ability is still there strong, so is a catchy chorus
enjoy

MP3>cansei de ser sexy - rat is dead (rage)

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Bass player Ira Trevisan (she's the one on the far right) has amicably left electro-rockers CSS. The band's drummer Adriano is taking over Bass duties, and they'll take a session-drummer friend with them on tour.

So presumably this won't affect their upcoming tour, which hits the Academy on May 7th.

Full band statement in the read more...





CSS is now a 5-piece!

CSS announce today that bass player Ira Trevisan has left the group for personal reasons. CSS drummer Adriano will take over the bass duties, and live the band will work with a session drummer (a friend of the band) from now on. The band said "It will be feroche!"

Talking about her departure from the band Ira said "I decided to move forward and dedicate more of my time to fashion and other projects. Just a big change of priorities, as I will never stop playing music. I am also a bit worried about climate change. People should care more and do something about it. I decided to fly less. CSS will always be in my heart. They said goodbye to their bass player, but they won a new life time fan. In health and sickness, in happiness and so forth. Blah blah blah, so help us God. "

CSS' second album will be released in the UK in July. They are back in the UK in May for a string of UK dates on the MTV Spanking New Music tour. More news on both the album and upcoming live dates to be announced soon.

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Wow, they just keep coming.

I'm just gonna put one on the front, if only just to give The Beacon an oppertunity to cream himself:

Neil Young
Malahide Castle, June 29th.
Tickets 81.25, on sale Monday.

More gigs after the jump..

Lou Reed
Performing Berlin in full, with a choir & orchestra.
The Marquee, Cork, June 23rd. Tickets ?? euro, on sale next Wednesday.

Crystal Castles
Andrews Lane Theatre, April 22nd.
Tickets 15 euro, on sale Friday.

God Is An Astronaut
The Academy (this is the last time I'm gonna call it 'formerly Spirit'), May 24th.
Tickets 22 euro, on sale Friday.

The Zutons, One Night Only, The Script
The Academy, May 6th.
Tickets 25.50, on sale Friday

CSS, The Futureheads, MGMT
The Academy, May 7th.
Tickets 25.50, on sale Friday

Gemma Hayes
Tripod, April 29th
Tickets 22.50-27.50, on sale Friday.



I reckon I will be going to at least... (hmm..) three of these shows.

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Hmmm..


I'll reserve my judgment until I hear it, but can't deny the fact that this announcement worries me.


Click for story

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It's a painfully frequent occurrence, the dodgy track on the otherwise decent album, the one song that actually makes you get up and press fast forward. I realise that this is really a matter of taste, but these are some of the worst offenders in my book:

5. Alcohol- CSS

What the hell is this song doing on this record? It's full speed disco funk all the way and then we suddenly arrive at this thing, which sounds like its the theme tune from an unsuccessful kids TV show. It just doesn't fit, which is disappointing because the album was almost perfect.



4. Jet Pilot- System Of A Down

Another crappy song ruining an otherwise excellent album. This track is just thrashy noise, with lame ass lyrics that seem like they were knocked out in the studio five minutes before the record company called time on the recording sessions. The smelly metal fans in this live clip don't seem to mind, but I certainly do.



3. The Power Of Orange Knickers- Tori Amos

This song suffers from the fact that it's 'featuring Damien Rice', but that's no excuse for crap of this magnitude. Stupid, stupid lyrics that will ensure that you probably won't get past the first minute. To further ram home my point, here's a rendition by some poor deluded soul who thinks that his putting this clip on youtube makes him cool:



2. I Just Called To Say I Love You- Stevie Wonder

The sad things that happen to music when artists need cash. Stevie Wonder composed this atrocity for 'The Woman In Red' which would have been much better taking the aptly named Chris De Burgh farce and leaving Mr Wonder's reputation alone. But Stevie obviously wanted the cash, and the adulation (which he duly received when the idiotic academy awarded him an oscar for best song in 1984).

This song is famous the world over for being shit, and is an unfortunately gargantuan blemish on Stevie Wonder's career. For the vast majority of people it's the first thing that comes to mind when his name is mentioned, and not the masterpieces that are Superstition, Uptight or Masterblaster. Tragic.

Take your thirty pieces of silver, Stevie, and get the hell out of Motown.



1. Obla Di, Obla Da- The Beatles

I hate this song. It's the perfect example of McCartney at his smarmy worst. Who the hell are cares about Desmond & Molly and their stupidly chirpy non-life? Certainly not me. It's that kind of annoying song that always gets wheeled out at weddings to an embarrassing squeal of delight because, without fail, all the elderly types will start clapping their hands to it's faux ska beat. It's the birdy song for the 21st century.

It's embarrassing to listen to because you just know John, George and even Ringo were thinking 'What the fuck is this tripe?'. You can almost hear their disillusionment on the recording. Such awfully nauseating schmaltz, I can barely articulate myself to describe how much I hate this song, only to say that this list was very nearly entitled 'Obla Di, Obla Da: Five Bad Songs By Good Artists'. Enough said.



Any omissions/ suggestions for your top 5 in this tragic genre?

Coming Soon (the obvious follow-up):

Five Good Songs By Bad Artists

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Albums Of The Year: 2006

Having not been able to stop listening to 'The Flying Club Cup', and knowing that it'll more than likely be on my end of year honors list, I figured I'd do a recap of last year's top albums.

Here they are (in order):

10. ISLANDS- 'Return To The Sea'

This album is a total gem- any band that can make a chirpy feel-good pop song about conflict diamonds deserves credit.
There are at least four standout tracks on 'Return To The Sea', ranging in style from recorder led pop, to dark rap-rock, to the downright unclassifiable.

Listen:
Where There's A Will There's A Whalebone





9. Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'

Saw what you will about the Arctic Monkeys, the fact that this album is packed to the brim with smart, catchy & edgy pop songs is undeniable. This record stayed in my stereo for months after it came out.

Listen:

The View From The Afternoon



8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- 'Show Your Bones'

I'm truly a shameless pop whore. My criterion for good music include pop-sensibilities as an essential. Yeah Yeah Yeahs took the character and visceral energy of their debut and to this added the pop that I so love. 'Show Your Bones' was the result, and damn was it good.

Listen:

Cheated Hearts



7. Final Fantasy- He Poos Clouds

Apart from having the album name of the year, 'He Poos Clouds' has a handful of beautiful and disturbing tracks (each based on one of the different schools of magic in Dungeons & Dragons- nerds rock!). On this (his second album) Owen Pallett wrote each piece for a string quartet, resulting in a deeper, fuller album that it's predecessor 'Has A Good Home'.

Listen:

This Lamb Sells Condos




6. Fujiya & Miyagi- 'Transparent Things'


This genre-bending album from the Brighton three-piece is the best electro-funk-indie-chillout-dance album I've ever heard.
Enough said.


Listen:

Photocopier







5. Cansei De Ser Sexy- 'CSS'

Every once in a while an album comes along that is destined to become a staple of parties everywhere (Thriller, As Heard On Radio, Danse Macabre, Crossroad..), CSS is such an album.
It's as dancy as it is rocky, and it has eleven tracks of non-stop wholesome goodness- no fast forwarding needed.

Listen:

Off The Hook




4. Red Hot Chili Peppers- 'Stadium Arcadium'

It's often said about this album, but this is a band on the top of their game. To produce an (almost) flawless two disc album at this stage in their career says only one thing: the Chilis are in this for the long haul. This collection has nods to their earlier 'funky monk' stage (Animal Bar, Storm In A Teacup), the standout hit singles the band have become known for (Dani California, Tell Me Baby) and a handful of songs on which the band digress from the formula to tread relatively new ground. For me, it was this latter category which proved most rewarding. Tracks like '21st Century' and 'Strip My Mind' promise a lot from what I hope will be a very long future for the Chili Peppers.
As long as they don't get Navarro back.

Listen:

Strip My Mind


3. TV On The Radio- 'Return To Cookie Mountain'

To hear an album full of as many original ideas as 'Cookie Mountain' is a rare and precious thing. From the arrangement to the production, TVOTR have painted a wild and vivid picture that sucks you in from the get-go. It's hard to pick a highlight, as different songs seem to resonate with different moods, but as a lead single and a first plunge into the world of TVOTR you could do much worse than the thumping, howling 'Wolf Like Me'.

Listen:

Wolf Like Me


2. Joanna Newsom- 'Ys'

'Ys' could be a folk opus; it could be a classical suite; it could be an epic poem. It is certainly unique, and it is certainly a overpowering masterpiece. These five tracks are woven tight with layer upon intricate layer of strings composed by the legendary Van Dyke Parks, held together by Newsom's precise plucking of harp strings, and a voice so much more mature than on her previous effort. I can honestly see this album being studied in years to come, or being sought out on vinyl and played with the reverence that's right now reserved for the likes of 'Dark Side'. An absolute classic.

Listen:

Cosmia


1. Cursive- 'Happy Hollow'

With 'Happy Hollow' Cursive have delivered everything that you could possibly want in an album. The concept allows for Tim Kasher's lyrics to explore small town ignorances and hypocrisies through the most cutting and insightful compositions of his career. Reading these words alone sent shivers down my spine, only to be repeated tenfold when they were put to music. From the first passionately urgent chord, Cursive have the listener is in the palm of their hand. Personally, I must admit I wondered where the band would go after the departure of Cellist Gretta Cohn. She had without a doubt contributed to the dynamic of the fantastic 'The Ugly Organ' and I worried about hole she would leave. Fortunately that hole has been plugged with passion, Wizard Of Oz fueled dementia, distortion and a messed-up brass section. Oh, and when this record rocks it fucking rocks. If you don't already own this, get on it.

Listen:

Dorothy At Forty

Notable Mentions:

Knife: 'Silent Shout'; Broken Social Scene: 'Broken Social Scene'....more? Probably....

Click here for 2007 albums of the year list

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Seeing as there are quite a few gems coming up I figured I'll knock together a 'High Fidelity-esque' Top 10. Then I realised I forgot one, so it became a top 11. Deal with it.

11. Radio Soulwax- Ambassador, 26th Oct.

At this stage everyone should know what Radio Soulwax is: 2Many DJs, mash ups, dancing and general merriment. For some odd reason despite the fact that 2many DJs seems to play here every 20 mins or so, I've still never seen em. Hopefully this time round. It's one of several gigs on this list that'd be perfectly matched with a crazy night out on the tiles.


10 Messiah J & The Expert- Crawdaddy, 21st Nov.

Messiah J is an anomaly. An Irish MC rapping about (amongst other things) Irish stuff, and not being a complete disaster. Far from it in fact- MJ&tE's recent album 'Now This I Have To Hear' is sample-iciously good. I saw the guys perform in Whelans in support of it's launch and they put on a great show. Something different from the Irish scene, and definitely something worthwhile. Here's the video for the 1st single from the album, 'Something Outta Nothing'. Enjoy.



9. Hot Hot Heat- The Village, 11th Nov.

There was a period of time for me when going out was just not as crazy unless preceded by listening to HHH's 'Make Up the Break Down' in full. It's exciting jumpy rocky guitar pop at it's very best. Checking these guys out in the Village is gonna be sweet, and I'd imagine, a rare opportunity for me to get my mosh on. Here's 'No, Not Now'.



8. Les Savy Fav- Crawdaddy, 27th Oct.

This is a Ste Foy tip, which makes it reliable. These guys are insane, and quite good too, which helps. They're promoting their third album 'Let's Stay Friends' which I haven't yet heard, but am very much looking forward to. Here's them being odd at the McCarren Park Pool Fundraiser (imagine this kind of carry-on in Crawdaddy...):



7. CSS- Olympia, 10th Dec.

One would think with the pure unbridled greatness of Cansei De Ser Sexy's debut album AND the fact that this December show will be their 3rd in Dublin this year that everyone in their right mind will surely have seen them live at this stage. One would be wrong. Mercifully, the Brazilian funk-rockers are gracing us with one last show in 2007 so these early non-believers can wipe the egg off their faces. Another entry that falls under the 'Party' category, if you're going make sure you check out the after-show shindig, which rocked last time.


6. Vic Chesnutt Band- Button Factory, 1st Dec.

Vic Chesnutt is a paraplegic alt-country musician whose backing band includes members of Fugazi, Godspeed You Black Emperor and The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra. Wow. How is it going to sound? I don't know. Quite good, I'll bet. Imagine this kinda thing:



crossed with this kinda thing:



5. The Good Life- Crawdaddy, 2nd Dec.

The Good Life is a Saddle-Creek band (one point) and a side project of Cursive's Tim Kasher (ten points). I love it when Saddle Creek bands come to town, as they're responsible for some of the best performances I've seen on Dublin stages. Also, Kasher is a bit of a genius; and although The Good Life's material is less (pause) 'intense' than Cursive's, it's no less kickass. I will be there with bells on. Here's a taster:



4. Dan Deacon- TBC, 29th, 30th Nov, 1st Dec.

Pure madness from Eletro-Punk DJ with stellar live reputation. Previous holder of the 'damn I wish I'd been to that gig' award. See here for my more detailed recent post on this series of shows.



3. Fujiya & Miyagi- Button Factory, 16th Dec.

'Transparent Things' is easily one of the albums of the year. It ticks so many boxes on the 'what's required to make a great record' form that one might reasonably start to question how exactly they managed it. But who cares, the bottom line is that it's blissful. Their show at Electric Picnic was fantabulous, so it's not unreasonable to expect the same again. It's also stinkin cheap. Do it!



2. Justice- Big Top, Phoenix Park, 1st Dec.

Justice are this decade's Daft Punk. At least that's what it says on the promo stickers for the album.....and it's not far off. Apart from the fact that it's a fairly lazy comparison (dj's, french, two of em) it's kinda on the ball. The production values are equally amazing, the beats phenomenal, and the poppy glee is there in spades. If the big top turns out to be even a half decent venue then this is THE dance gig of the year.



1. Arcade Fire- Big Top, Phoenix Park, 24th Oct.

Big surprise at number one. Arcade Fire initially made a name for themselves by being a mindblowing live act, and thanks to Ireland's exemplary network of touting scumbags it's thusfar been damn near impossible to get to any of their shows. The Big Top gigs and their increased capacity have finally turned fantasy into reality, and for the first time I can say that I will be there. Nobody needs to be told of how amazing this band is. It's so undisputed over all levels of society that it has become a scientific & mathematical fact (Arcade Fire=Great). I'm more than a tad excited. Here's them with David Bowie, who clearly has good taste:



PS...just as a heads up- there is one particular show that as of yet is still in the 'rumor' department, but if confirmed will jump straight up the list to number one with the greatest of ease. Anyone paying attention will know what I'm talking about. Fingers crossed. I'll keep you informed...

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Phantom are 1! Happy B-day to em. They have well and truly got me listening to the radio for the first time since the dark days of 'Atlantic 252' in my early teens. Kudos.

As part of their 'Rocktober' birthday celebrations they're compiling a list of the top 105.2 songs played on Phantom. You can vote here.

Obviously there are sooo damn many it's gonna be hard to choose, but I'm gonna go for a timeless classic that Phantom first introduced me to: 'Let's Make Love & Listen to Death From Above'. What a song. Here it is:

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Irish CSS junkies are a spoiled bunch. I've already seen them twice this year, at the NME Indie Rave Tour in January, then headlining the Ambassador in April (The latter was a whole pile of amazing, as was the after show party in Spirit). Show number three comes tomorrow night as they play the RDS in support of Gwen Stefani.

Now the Brazilians have announced a December tour of the UK & Ireland, including a date in the Olympia on the 10th. No ticket details yet, ticketmaster aren't up to speed, but as soon as I hear I'll post em.

For anyone who hasn't seen em yet- DO IT!!! They not only released one of the Top 10 albums of 2006, but are amazing live.

Everybody needs to dance like a maniac from time to time...

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