It’s the second anniversary of Prince’s untimely death so we talk to three big Prince fans, Ruairi Lynch (Bantum), Kelly-Anne Byrne (Today FM) and Tim O’Donovan (Buffalo Woman) about their love of the the Purple One as the second anniversary of his death approaches this Saturday, We’ll be marking the occasion at Lumo on Saturday where Tim will be DJing.
Niall and Ellen also talked new albums from Cardi B and Kali Uchis and Ellen reviews the Arcade Fire gig in the 3Arena last week.
Drake – Nice for What Florence And the Machine – Sky Full of Song Friendly Fires – Love Like Waves Tyler, The Creator – Okra Ross From Friends – John Cage
Albums of the week:
Kali Uchis – Isolation Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
After months of marketing transmissions from the Everything Now corp employees, the fifth Arcade Fire album is here finally and the music speaks for itself. I’ve loved everything they’ve released from it to date especially the rousing title track and the Talking Heads meets Blondie of ‘Signs Of Life‘ and like those varied bag of songs, Everything Now is the Canadians’ most eclectic album, drawing on bee-bop reggae on ‘Chemistry’, dub rock on ‘Peter Pan’, a diptych of two contrasts of ‘Infinite Content’, the funk-inflected ‘Good God Damn’ , the electronic-foundation of ‘Put Your Love On Me’ and the dusky ballad of ‘We Don’t Deserve Love’.
Whether these diversions work or not depend on repeated album listens to ascertain but Everything Now is certainly the band’s most exploratory work, and most sonically separate.
Arcade Fire have announced a short headline tour for the Irish and UK for Arenas to be performed In The Round. They were last here a month ago when they performed and DJed at an afterparty in Whelan’s.
The Dublin date at 3Arena on Friday 6th April 2018 and tickets are on sale Friday 28th July at 9am from Ticketmaster.
Arcade Fire UK / Irish dates
6th April DUBLIN, 3Arena 8th April MANCHESTER, Manchester Arena 11th April LONDON, SSE Wembley Arena 12th April LONDON, SSE Wembley Arena 15th April BIRMINGHAM, Genting Arena 16th April GLASGOW, SSE Hydro
New album Everything Now is due out on 28th July and there has been some crackers released from it thus far.
Well, well. Arcade Fire are really kicking against the narrative that seems arena rock bands lose their appeal, charm and buzz.
So far, the singles from Everything Now have been pretty glorious. We’ve had the Abba-inspired ‘Everything Now’ that started a dance party last week at Body & Soul, the electro-grabbing ‘Creature Comfort’ and now, ‘Signs Of Life’, a song that feels like the most New York thing the band have ever done.
Street sirens herald handclaps that feel close to Blondie’s ‘Rapture’, drums that sound like they were tuned by DFA and there’s the DNA of Talking Heads in that rhythm. This makes their new album 3 for 3 for me so far. Don’t believe everything you read.
After the relative jolt of ‘Everything Now’, Arcade Fire get less dreamy and a bit dirtier with ‘Creature Comforts’ which kicks off like an electro-clash single from 2002 before the AF ‘vista’ comes in to play. Vocally though, both Win and Regine are addled new territory and it reinforces the track’s synth-waving arrangement. The lyrics about self-image, self-esteem and suicide counteract the sonics with a pure heaviness. “She dreams about dying all the time / She told me she came so close / Filled up the bathtub and put on our first record.”
Melodrama is a great followup record for the New Zealand Onion Ring-loving musician. After two full listens, it’s clear that with the album’s deft production details (coproduced with Bleachers lead singer Jack Antonoff), the vocal adlibs and the songwriting is top class. ‘Writer In The Dark’ is an immediate highlight, cemented when Lorde does her best Kate Bush reach on the line ” am my mother’s child, I’ll love you ’til my breathing stops / I’ll love you ’til you call the cops on me.” I’m also loving ‘Sober’ in particular but the entire album is high class Melodrama.
4.
Washed Out – ‘Hard To Say Goodbye’
Ernest Greene is truly back. This is a light house-inspired electronic song that recalls summer vistas and afternoons by the beach.
5.
Laoise – ‘Shooting’
Laoise’s Halfway EP dropped on Friday and ‘Shooting’ is the only song from it we hasn’t really heard from the Galway electronic pop artist.
“Shooting is probably my favourite track off the EP. In comparison to the other songs, it’s quite bare and raw. When writing it, I feel I got to delve into new territories and emotions, which is echoed in the song’s lyrics. I wrote this song with a friend of mine, and we were both going through similar experiences where no matter what we did, we felt we couldn’t grasp and take hold of the things we wanted – be it a relationship or a career path. ‘Shooting with no ammo’ explains the effort you go to finally reach something, only to realise you messed up on the first step, and starting again doesn’t always feel worth it. It’s that moment when you feel so trapped and lost, going around in circles over and over and wondering if you’ll ever break the cycle.”
6.
Bicep – ‘Aura’
From an album of all-new material on Ninja Tune out in September, ‘Aura’ is another example of Bicep’s percussive and technical precision for dance music.
7.
Queens Of The Stone Age – ‘The Way You Used To Do’
Mark Ronson was brought on board to produce QOTSA’s new record and ‘The Way You Used To Do’ is classic tight rock riffs with an addled day-glow brain driving it. They play Dublin in November.
Before their Malahide Castle gig last night, Arcade Fire’s Everything Now Twitter account posted instructions tied in to the band’s Creature Comforts single release on Friday, saying for fans to find some Creature Comfort cereal boxes (there’s a fake ad) and to tweet a pic of themselves to get into the afterparty.
So, the boxes turned up in places like Aungier, Fade and Camden Street and South William: Petland, that yellow internet café, Frank’s Butchers, The Rage record shop, Someneck guitars, Butler’s Chocolates and nearby by the Phil Lynott statue.
Those who found the boxes (and presumably others who turned up at Whelan’s after the gig) were met with Arcade Fire playing an acoustic song – ‘Creature Comforts’ followed by a Win Butler aka DJ Windows 98 playing a DJ set.
Thank you Dublin. Dance party at whelan's @whelanslive
Arcade Fire will play Belsonic Belfast on June 13th this year as part of Belsonic Festival and the boutique Bullitt Hotel are offering two tickets to the gig and an overnight stay in the hotel.
If you’re not the winner, Bullitt are offering discount code BELSONIC to Nialler9 readers for reduced room rates on booking.
About Bullitt
Smack bang in the middle of Belfast city centre, Bullitt is the perfectly place to stay, play and explore. Bullitt’s cleverly designed rooms feature outrageously comfortable king size beds, refreshing rain showers, super-fast Wi-Fi, seriously-smart TVs and a daily breakfast bag. But we’re so much more than just a bed for the night with a restaurant, three bars and eclectic events to keep you busy.
Also announced, for the first time ever, the band play Belsonic in Belfast on Tuesday June 13th at Ormeau Park, Belfast.Tickets priced £45+ booking fee, go on sale at 9am this Friday, February 17th from Ticketmaster.
Copenhagen-based dudes Code Walk teamed up with Norwegian vocalists/ production gals Smerz on their new single (creators of this jam) on the percussive and hypnotic ‘Guess What’. It’s out next Friday officially.
2.
Mixhell & Joe Goddard – ‘Crocodile Boots’ (Soulwax remix)
Mixhell are a Brazilian electro duo Iggor Cavalera and Laima Leyton, who recently teamed up with Mutado Pintado (Paranoid London) and Joe Goddard on the Crocodile Boots EP after some jam sessions post-DJing in 2015. Now Soulwax have remixed the track which was recently trailed in their Beats 1 2×2 show, and comes on a remix package alongside Goddard and Party Nails.
It’s a banger that has that recent Deewee magic and comes with a video directed by Mutado Pintado:
A sweet new electro-pop collaboration between an LA/Austin production duo and singer-songwriter Bonar.
4.
Jambinai – ‘Connection’
The South Korean band Jambinai came to my attention when they played Body&Soul festival last year. Their music is post-rock, avant-garde and neo-classical drawing on traditional Korean instruments like the haegeum, the piri and the geomungo.
Last year, they signed a deal with Bella Union and released their second album A Hermitage and on 24th February, Bell Union will reissue the band’s debut Differance for the first time outside of South Korea.
‘Connection’ one of the songs from it, clocks in and nearly 10 minutes and is a slow and moving piece of instrumental music.
5.
Maggie Rogers – ‘On + Off’
Hotly-tipped 22-year-old singer, producer and musician Maggie Rogers has dropped a third song from her debut EP Now That The Light Is Fading. After ‘Alaska’ and ‘Dog Years’, it suggests Rogers’ Pharrell-approved ascension will be fruitful, ‘On + Off’ is classy modern pop music written by Rogers and co-produced by herself, Nick Das and Doug Schadt.
London duo Jynx dropped a new EP Saffron City today showcasing the electronic R&B pop style that has seen them pick up support all over blogs and radio heads like Annie Mac and Mista Jam and previous EP tracks featured on The Magician’s Magic Tape 66. ‘Ember’ is the EP standout though.
7.
Arcade Fire – ‘I Give You Power’ feat. Mavis Staples
As was rumoured this week, Arcade Fire just dropped a brand new song to coincide with today’s inauguration of Donald Trump as the President of the United States Of America. The song ‘I Give You Power’ features vocals from Mavis Staples. It’s built on a menacing voodoo-doll rhythm with the words “I give you power / I can take it away.”
“It’s never been more important that we stick together and take care of each other,” the said, saying that all proceeds from the song go towards the American Civil Liberties Union. It’s likely a once off song but it’s unclear if it features on an upcoming album.
As was rumoured this week, Arcade Fire just dropped a brand new song to coincide with tomorrow’s inauguration of Donald Trump as the President of the United States Of America.
The song ‘I Give You Power’ is a Tidal-only exclusive (though it plays in full below) and features vocals from Mavis Staples. It’s built on a menacing voodoo-doll rhythm with the words “I give you power / I can take it away.”
“It’s never been more important that we stick together and take care of each other,” the said, saying that all proceeds from the song go towards the American Civil Liberties Union. It’s likely a once off song but it’s unclear if it features on an upcoming album.
Aiken are bringing over the Scottish singer and multi-instrumentalist C Duncan for gigs in Cork, Limerick and Dublin in May. The dates are:
Cork Cyprus Avenue – Thursday 4 May Dolans, Limerick – Friday 5 May Whelans, Dublin – Saturday 6 May
Tickets priced €16 go on sale this Friday 13th January through Ticketmaster & usual outlets nationwide.
Duncan has just released a new album The Midnight Sun, from which this caught my ears:
Belfast band Pleasure Beach return with some live dates around the country and some new members of their live band.
February 23rd – Dublin, Whelans – Tickets €14.35 on sale this Friday at 10am February 24th – Belfast, Limelight 2 February 25th – Galway, Roisin Dubh, March 2nd – Cork, Cyprus Avenue
Reggae producer and vocal legend Lee “Scratch” Perry plays The Bowery in Rathmines on Sunday March 19th. Tickets are €25+ from Eventbrite. He also plays Glaway and Belfast that week.
Aiken are also bringing singer-songwriter Joan Shelley, who has a new Jeff Tweedy-produced album on the way on May 4th in Whelan’s Upstairs. Tickets priced €13 go on sale this Wednesday 11 January at 10am through Whelan’s, TM & usual outlets nationwide.
Primavera Sound has just announced its lineup for the festival in 2017 in Barcelona from 31 May to June 4th next year and it’s ridiculous.
Headliners on the lineup include
Arcade Fire
Frank Ocean
Bon Iver
Solange
Skepta
the xx
Aphex Twin
Slayer
Grace Jones
Van Morrison
Run The Jewels
Also present and correct:
Flying Lotus, Mac Demarco, The Magnetic Fields, Angel Olsen, Teenage Fanclub, Seu George plays the Life Aquatic: A Tribute to Bowie, Grandaddy, Tycho, Swans, Bicep, !!!, Badbadnotgood, King Krule, Glass Animals, John Talabot, Fatima Yamaha, Henrik Schwarz, Joy Orbison, Julia Jacklin, Sinkane, Skinny Puppy, Operators, Weyes Blood and Tuff City Kids.
Update: It’s 2016, I found this post and enjoyed it. I’ve now added a Spotify playlist of all of the albums available.
Below is a list of my favourite records of the ten years between the turn of the millenium, the year 2000 and 2010. Ranking these albums was led by a) what the album means to me and b) how often I’d listen to it. Each and every one of these albums blew me away repeatedly at some time between the ages of 18 and 27. Each one has something special going for it, something magical that brings me back to it. For that I can only thank the creators of each.
Without further ado, here are my favourite 50 albums from the decade. And remember, you can’t be wrong if they are your favourites.
Curated by Bryce Dessner of The National, the festival will feature shows from The Gloaming, Wild Beasts,Julianna Barwick, My Brightest Diamond, Sam Amidon, a collaboration between Lisa Hannigan and Aaron Dessner, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Amiina, This Is How We Fly; Donal Dineen, Crash Ensemble, Eat My Noise and more.
As part of the festival, I’ve put together a free music trail taking place across three days and nights in Rising Sons’ venues Crane Lane, Bodega, Poor Relation, The Oval and BDSM starting on Culture Night on Friday 18th with Rusangano Family and happening in between the main gigs on Saturday afternoon and late night.
Playing are:
My Brightest Diamond, I Am The Cosmos, Rusangano Family, Bantum, Shookrah, This Is The Kit, Mina Tindle, I Have A Tribe, Katharine Phillippa, Somerville, Quiet River Of Dust (featuring Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry) Slow Skies, Fish Go Deep, Loah, Conor Walsh, Deady, Adultrock, Talos, Colm K, Vinyl Love.
The Light House Cinema in Smithfield is hosting the launch event and screening for the Irish release of Arcade Fire’s The Reflektor Tapes on September 24th.
The Reflektor Tapes is a film by Kahlil Joseph about the making of the band’s recent Reflektor album, taking in visits to Jamaica, recording sessions in Montreal, an impromptu gig at a Haitian hotel and live shows in Los Angeles and London. The Reflektor Tapes will also give viewers a chance to hear an unreleased track for the first time and features an exclusive 20 minutes of unseen footage, filmed only for cinema audiences.
There will be a pre-party from 7:30pm with music, drinks and games and the film will be shown at 9pm. Tickets are €10 but I have a pair to giveaway below this week.
