Guest post – 500 Words of Summer – Aoife Kelleher
Next up in the 500 Words of Summer series, documentary-maker Aoife Kelleher writes about some recent music documentary discoveries.
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On The Record »
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Arcade Fire, Dublin, December
OTR understands from an assortment of industry sources that Arcade Fire will play Dublin’s O2 on December 5, with a second date currently on hold for the following night. Full confirmation on ticket prices (we’re hearing €73), support bill (we’re hearing Vampire Weekend) and on-sale dates to come. These are the Arcade Fire shows which were predicted by OTR back in March. As this is currently unannounced, I’m marking the post as speculation for now and, if the info is wrong, I’ll set the Kilkenny hurling team on my “industry sources”.
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Guest post – 500 Words of Summer – Mumblin’ Deaf Ro
Anyone who follows the music business or technology threads on OTR will have come across the erudite, considered and articulate views of regular poster Ronan Hession AKA Mumblin’ Deaf Ro. When I was putting together the prospective list of writers for the 500 Words of Summer series, Ronan’s name was the first one on the page. Here, he goes data-mining to inject some truths into one never-ending music business debate of our time.
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Guest post – 500 Words of Summer – Stevie Grainger
The second in OTR’s 500 Words of Summer series comes from Cork DJ and vinyl enthusiast Stevie Grainger on why the 45 is his weapon of choice.
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Guest post – 500 Words of Summer – Ailbhe Malone
Welcome to On The Record’s 500 Words of Summer series.
All this week, we’re running guest posts from a bunch of people on a variety of topics. You will definitely recognise some of the writers and you will probably not know others but, trust me, all the posts are well worth reading. The writers were given a simple brief: write about whatever you want to write up to and including 500 words. We’ve got posts to come on the golden ages of Irish music, running a label, music documentaries, the joy of the slow-tech life, seven-inch singles and much more besides.
We kick off the series with Ailbhe Malone who goes in search of some young voices in pop.
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No more altruism under Radiohead’s rainbow
Back in 2007, the music business story of the year was Radiohead’s decision to give away their new album “In Rainbows” for free.
The majority of industry observers and commentators followed the party line that this was a revolutionary move.
Few mentioned, though, that the Oxford band could only afford to do this because they established a huge audience over a 12 year tenure and a six album innings on EMI.
But Radiohead’s altruism with “In Rainbows” was never going to be finite.
The Torrent Freak blog reported this week that industry lobby groups the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the International Federation for the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) have begun to target fans who are sharing those “In Rainbow” songs online with cease-and-desist letters. Yep, the very same songs the band were giving away for free back in October 2007.
The problem lies in the fact that the band signed a brace of deals with XL Records and Sony subsidary ATO for the December 2007 physical release of “In Rainbows”.
Now, the RIAA and IFPI, the bodies who represent the labels Radiohead signed with, have sent in their legal eagles, asking blogs sharing the band’s material to stop.
“These recordings are owned by one of our member companies and have not been authorised for this kind of use,” said the RIAA, which represents major US labels, in one letter.
Given Radiohead’s previously stated stance on filesharing, you’d expect the band to be chomping at the bit to correct this situation. After all, do the labels really own the recordings or do they just have rights to exploit the physical distribution of the album?
Sadly, a band rep declined to comment when contacted by Torrent Freak.
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#Now Playing – OTR’s top tunes
This week’s essential tunes on the OTR jukebox. Please feel free to add your own selections below.
Ceo “White Magic” (Sincerely Yours)
Sincerely Yours label boss and Tough Alliance dude Eric Berglund delivers a fine solo album loaded with smart, melodic pop and club cuts.
Arcade Fire “The Suburbs” (Sonovox)
Montreal’s big music bucaneers take their cues from the ‘burbs for a third album which walks a fine line between and around the white picket fences. Hear the album in full via Grooveshark here.
Cosmetics “Sleepwalking” (Captured Tracks)
Sexy, spooky, shimmering Italo disco groover from Vancouver duo with an album due before year’s end.
John Grant “Queen of Denmark” (Bella Union)
The debut solo album from the Czars’ frontman, featuring Midlake as his back band, gets better and better with every listen. Playing Whelan’s in Dublin on Aug 21.
Various “Black Man’s Cry” (Now-Again)
Stonking collection of Afrobeat thrillers from Nigeria, Ghana, Colombia, Trinidad and elsewhere inspired by Fela Kuti. Check out this track from Lever Brothers Gay Flamingoes for a taste.
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This week in The Ticket – and your plugs
N-Dubz: as Dublin’s run in the football continues…oh, sorry, wrong Dubz. Lauren Murphy hangs tough with grime-pop queenpin Tulisa as N-Dubz limber up for a Dublin show.
Flying Lotus: we get high with Steven Ellison as he talks superheroes, his aunt Alice Coltrane and jazz.
Milk: ahead of Europe’s first outdoor gay music festival, Brian Finnegan asks if a festival like Milk can please all of the people all of the time. Plus our top 10 divas and a Q&A with the fabulous Roisin Murphy.
Plus: reviews of music releases from Johnny Duhan (CD of the Week slot for “The Burning Word”), Stars, The Books, PVT, La Roux, Monarchy, Mt St Helen’s Vietnam Band, Best Coast, Lunfardia and others, and new movies on the block including Cats & Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore, Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky, Beautiful Kate, Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl, London River, Knight & Day, Step Up 3-D and Undertow.
All this and more in The Ticket, in print, online and the best of The Ticket on the app.
The OTR plugs service is now open for business. Please feel free to plug and recommend stuff away to your heart’s content, but remember some simple rules. Declare an interest where one should be declared. Plugs are accepted on the whim of OTR and may be edited for length/clarity/common sense. Plugs which mention a commercial sponsor are really ads and will probably not be published in this slot. Plugs which plug the same stuff every week will also be deleted – if people ain’t interested by now, you should really get the message. Our hurling bet for the weekend – the Cats by 6 points (sorry Rebels).
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New Music – David’s Lyre, Clement Marfo, Maighread
The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in The Ticket. All tips for future New Music picks welcome below.
Manchester singer-songwriter Paul Dixon is set to capture many hearts in the coming months with that mighty rumble of a voice and top-notch retro-sounding songs like forthcoming single “Tear Them Down”
Vibrant modern pop from South London rapper Clement Marfo and his seven-piece band throwing hip-hop, soul, r’n’b and reggae into the mix. Forthcoming single “Champion” sounds like a sure-fire hit.
Limerick-born, London-based electro-pop diva in the making with a fine handle already on the ins and outs of synth-pop machinations, vocal projections and sussed songwriting. Check out the Mark Video-directed promo for “Sea”.
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OTR’s outdoor shows and festivals’ census for 2010
It’s that time of the summer again. We’ve done this in 2007, 2008 and 2009 – a crowdsourced census to try to establish the number of festivals and outdoor shows which occur in Ireland every summer.
After the readers have had their say and remind me of the ones I’ve forgotten about or never heard about, the total usually comes in at around 70. I have a feeling this number may be down somewhat this year as not as many big stand-alone acts were touring this year. This meant fewer gigs in Dublin venues like Marlay Park and the RDS, while acts who were touring tended to take their show to the O2 instead. However, that said, it’s obvious that there are also a lot more smaller fests happening too.
Let’s get the ball rolling. List begins after the jump and currently stands at 77. Please list all additions in the comments field and I’ll update the list as the new ones arrive. Please note: (1) only events which run over the summer (ie from May to September) and (2) “outdoor shows” also cover tents.
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Ticket giveaway – One Summer’s Eve
One Summer’s Eve takes place in Dublin’s Meeting House Square next Saturday. This Choice Cuts joint will feature live sets from Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, the North Strand Kontra Band, Brian Deady and DJ Sets from Tu-ki, B+ and Handsome Paddy. OTR has THREE pairs of tickets to give away – if you want a pair, let us know in the comments field below and we’ll select three names at random in the morning.
UPDATE: because of the volume of entries, Choice Cuts have now given us FIVE pairs of tickets to give away so thanks to them for that
(Giveaway now closed)
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No Age for Foggy Jam .01
Excellent line-up for the all-day Foggy Jam .01 on October 10 at Whelan’s, Dublin. On the bill: No Age (new album “Everything In Between” due in September and they were mighty at Primavera in May), Male Bonding, Mice Parade, Silje Nes (her “Ames’ Room” album from a few years ago was ace and there’s a new one, “Opticks”, due soon), Squarehead (“Fake Blood” out now as a single on Any Other City Records), Hipster Youth and, of course “very special guests”. Doors open at 4pm, tickets are €20 and go on sale on Friday.
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Janelle Monae to play Electric Picnic – now with more names
News just in: Janelle Monae plays the Electric Picnic in September. Yep, that’s Janelle Freaking Monae, the lady behind one of the albums of the year, a striking live performer and the sharpest android on the pop block right now. Is this a tipping point for EP 2010 ticket sales I see before me?
UPDATE: Also added to the bill today:
Mountain Man
Freelance Whales
Duke Special
Neon Indian
Dennis Alcapone & the Dubcats
Hurts
Delta Maid
O Emperor
Joe Echo
Vengeance & the Panther QueenMeanwhile, our old friend “unforeseen circumstances” removes Memory Tapes and Breakestra & Chali 2 NA from the bill.
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The Far Side – playlist for Tuesday August 3
As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday August 3, 10pm-midnight
The Naked & Famous “Young Blood” (Neon Gold)
1,2,3 “Going Away Party” (Chess Club)
Gypsy & The Cat “Time to Wander” (Young & Lost Club)
The Phoenix Foundation “Buffalo” (EMI)
CEO “Come With Me” (Sincerely Yours)
Everything Everything “My KYZ Yr BF (Memory Tapes remix)” (Geffen)
The xx “Shelter (John Talabot remix)” (XL)
Tensnake “Get It Right” (Permanent Vacation)
The Black Keys “Howling for You (Prins Thomas remix)” (V2)
Blondes “You Mean So Much to Me (Ghost Hunter remix)” (Merok)
Keep Shelly In Athens “Fokionos Negri Street” (Self release)
Chief “Nothing’s Wrong” (Domino)
John Grant “Sigourney Weaver” (Bella Union)
Kashmere Stage Band “Boss City” (Now-Again)
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble “Gibbous” (Honest Jons)
J Dilla “Bars & Twists” (Stones Throw)
J Dilla “History” (Stones Throw)
Cosmetics “Sleepwalking” (Captured Tracks)
Oriol “Joy FM” (Planet Mu)
Panda Bear “Tomboy” (Paw Tracks)
Solar Bears “Dolls” (Planet Mu)
Cee-Lo Green “No-One’s Gonna Love You” (Elektra)
Lee Fields & The Expressions “Do You Love Me (Like You Say You Do)” (Truth & Soul)
Seu Jorge & Almaz “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” (Now-Again)
Phosphorescent “We’ll Be Here Soon” (Dead Oceans)
Perfume Genius “Lookout, Lookout” (Organs/Turnstile)
Alina Orlova “Po Tiltu” (Fargo)
Arthur Russell “This Is How We Walk On The Moon” (Orange Mountain) -
The bonnie prince – and the bonnie festival
I gave up on Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billie years ago. I remember going to see him a bunch of times in Vicar Street and Whelan’s and getting the sense that there was some sort of in-joke going on which I didn’t particularly want to know about. There was the odd release which piqued my interest – that cover version of “Thunder Road” from the album with Tortoise, “The Brave & the Bold”, is immense – but for the most part, Will Oldham did his thing (an album a year followed by a bunch of shows) and I just ignored it. Nothing more to see here. Other fish to fry, other cats to scald, other shows to see.
Last Thursday, though, I went back to church.
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This week in The Ticket, your plugs and OTR’s plugs
Band Of Horses: we talk to Ben Bridwell about the Band Of Horses’ take on DIY funding, Willie Nelson and beards.
LoneLady: ahead of her Castlepalooza appearance this weekend, the Manchester musician talks electronic pop with Sinead Gleeson
Cathal Coughlan: the Microdisney and Fatima Mansions leader talks to Tony Clayton-Lea about his new album, “Rancho Tetrahedron”.
Plus: reviews of music releases from Arcade Fire (CD of the Week slot for “Suburbs”), Wavves, Jaill, Menomena. Cignol, Grasscut, The Soundcarriers, Cathal Coughlanand others, and new movies on the block including The A-Team, The Karate Kid, South of the Border and My Night With Maud.
All this and more in The Ticket, in print, online and the best of The Ticket on the app.
The Workman’s Club sneak preview: any OTR readers who want to have a look at new Dublin venue The Workman’s Club, located on the quays beside the Clarence Hotel, before it opens in September can do so at 9.30pm tonight. Venue booker Karl Geraghty stresses that it’s not a launch (no free drink, no bands playing, no industry gobshites networking) and more a chance for city music fans to take a look before the action starts. He says it was partly inspired by OTR reader Quint’s recent comment about the place.
DJ-ing plug: I’ll be DJ-ing at Glider at the Odessa Club (Dame Court, Dublin 2) on Friday night. Doors open at 10pm and admission is free (just tell the people at the door that you’re going to Glider).
The OTR plugs service is now open for business. Please feel free to plug and recommend stuff away to your heart’s content, but remember some simple rules. Declare an interest where one should be declared. Plugs are accepted on the whim of OTR and may be edited for length/clarity/common sense. Plugs which mention a commercial sponsor are really ads and will probably not be published in this slot. Plugs which plug the same stuff every week will also be deleted – if people ain’t interested by now, you should really get the message. Have a fabulous weekend, especially if you’re heading to Castlepalooza, Indiependence, Cork X Southwest, Spraoi or Lenny.
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#Now Playing – OTR’s top tunes
This week’s essential tunes on the OTR jukebox. Please feel free to add your own selections below.
Melvin Bliss “Synthetic Substitution” (Contempo)
Remembering the man behind one of the most sampled tunes in hip-hop history, who passed away this week.
Alina Orlova “Laukinus Suo Dingo” (Fargo)
Striking debut album from a Lithuanian diva in the making with a thrilling voice and some dark, intense, dramatic songs.
Keep Shelly in Athens “Fokionos Negri Street” (Self release)
Mysterious Greek combo making dreamy Balearic pop with oodles of sandy atmospherics.
Peter Broderick “How They Are” (Bella Union)
Forthcoming release from the prolific composer is a beautifully crafted set of hushed, folky, minimal classical pieces. Listen to “Pulling the Rain”, “With A Key” and “Hello to Nils” from the album here.
Various “James Brown’s Original Funky Divas” (Polydor)
Fine collection of JB’s leading ladies including Lyn Collins, Vicki Anderson, Anna King and Marva Whitney
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Italia Wave had it all for €60: football, debate, even music
Italia Wave is the festival that has everything: football, politics, comics, films, a triathlon and, yes, music.
Held last weekend in Livorno in Tuscany, its third home after stints in Arezzo and Florence, Italia Wave’s strength lies in the width and depth of what’s on offer. You could call it a music and arts festival, but that doesn’t explain the presence of former professional footballers Francesco Toldo and Predrag Pasic. They were here to talk about Inter Campus, the Milan club’s youth academy, which works with young players in deprived areas worldwide.
Then there was Gian Carlo Caselli, Turin’s chief prosecutor and former anti-mafia legal kingpin, discussing the Italian Constitution with Subsonica lead singer Boosta. You wouldn’t get that class of thing at Oxegen.
Musically, Italia Wave was also as diverse as you can get. While there was a strong reliance on UK stadium acts – Underworld, Groove Armada and Faithless all headlined – there was also reggae (Julian Marley), Catalan turbo folkpop (Ojos de Brujo), meat-and-two-veg indie (Editors) and a Finnish take on Afrobeat (JImi Tenor’s collaboration with Nigeria’s Kabu Kabu).
On the new music front, there were a couple of acts on the bill that Italia Wave had come across at the Eurosonic showcases in Groningen earlier this year. On the Record liked the cut of Danish grime-pop princess Lucy Love and French 1970s-style soft-rock revivalists Jamaica, while Italian acts My Awesome Mixtape and Il Genio warrant further investigation.
Add in a low ticket price (€60 for entry to all five days and nights of the festival) and a fantastic location by the sea and you can quickly begin to see the attraction of an event such as Italia Wave for locals and visitors alike.
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New Music – Il Genio, Jefl & Hyde, Constant Supply
The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in The Ticket. All tips for future New Music picks welcome below.
One of the standout Italian acts to catch our attention at last week’s Italia Wave festival, Il Genio are an indiepop duo (extra members come on board for the live show) whose new album “Vivere Negli Anni X” is bursting with taut, well-worked electro thrills.
From Nenagh, Jefl & Hyde play robust indie rock with a grand sense of ambition and scale to the songs. First band to feature in New Music with senior and junior county hurling medals. Download band’s EP for free from their Bandcamp site.
Letterkenny-based duo armed with strong songs, sparkling arrangements and a drum-machine whose debut EP “Alleviate” was recorded with Villagers/Cathy Davey producer Tommy McLaughlin. Check out tracks from the EP here.
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Hear Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs”
Yes, we know that many of you have already, er, acquired the album from elsewhere, but if you want to hear the third album from Arcade Fire in full before it’s released next week, check out this stream. Thanks to Gerry Hanratty for the Tweet-tip.
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