0 + 2 = 1

Yep I know its been a while, anyway Dragonslayer, the new album from Sunset Rubdown (a side project from Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade fame ) is well worth a listen…

They are playing Crawdaddy on Sept 12th.

I went to see Amanda Palmer last night in a very, very packed Sugar Club. An enjoyable if sometimes childish gig, but man does she have a voice. Anyway there is a lot of silly controversy at the moment about the song Oasis of her new album – she writes about it over on the Huffington Post.

Personally I think this song is kind of poor, but the point is more about the hysterical reaction to context and lyrics.

Catching up on upcoming gigs and I see the good people at U:Mack are bringing the superb squarepusher to The Button Factory on April 25th. Continuing what looks like being a Warp theme you can pick up a squarepusher freebie from his last EP over here.

Reckon valentines day is going to cause you some minor annoyance? There is a post hallmark festival panacea, Amanda Palmer (yes she of the ever wonderful Dresden Dolls) is playing The Sugar Club on Feb 16th.

If your at a loose end on Monday night you could do worse than go see Crystal Antlers @ Whelans. Psychedelic shoe gaze, and a lot of other sounds ….

Theres a bit more detail over on the Touch’n'Go Records site.

On the off chance that you haven’t heard that one of the best albums of 2009 has already come out go check Animal Collective on myspace, and get your hands on Merriweather Post Pavillion.

For the lazier just press play and listen to the most sublime perfect pop music…

Anyway of even more importance after they had to cancel last year, Animal Collective are playing Dublin on March 27th @ Tripod. Don’t debate, just book a ticket and go.

… post rock from the north… if you like it heavy and so i watch you from afar are for you. Quite enjoyable. They are playing Whelans on February 5th. Should be interesting.

Deerhunter’s Microcastle was one of the best albums of last year… and Nothing Ever Happened is, IMHO, the best tune on the album… that baseline…

Deerhunter are playing Whelans on March 7th… I saw them a few times last year, felt a little Deerhunter’ed out, but one listen to Microcastles today has put such thoughts to the back of my mind.

Now honestly not everyone is related to an album releasing trad musician, but one of my colleagues just pointed me at his sister Orla Harrington who has just released a new album, Melting Snow. Worth checking out over on myspace if you listen (or are interested in) Irish folk/trad music. Actually just give a listen even if your not.

On a similar note if you happen to be in New York this evening, a member of APAP and attending their conference my previously mentioned cousin Niamh Ni Charra is playing tonight. But if your reading this blog thats a kinda of unlikely possibility, but hey you never know.

The age old albums of the year debate came up over those last Saturday before Christmas beers last night, so in no particular order, my completely biased and subjective top ten, subject to change over the next few days as I wonder back over the years releases…

• District Line – Bob Mould

• Dear Science – TV On The Radio
• For Emma, Forever Ago – Bon Iver
• Box Of Secrets – Blood Red Shoes
• Street Horsing – The Fuck Buttons
• Nouns – No Age
• Microcastle – Deerhunter
• Sing The Greys – Frightened Rabbit (yeahs its from 2006, I missed it at the time)
• I Started Out With Nothin and i Still Got Most of it Left – Seasick Steve
• Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

and two stand outs, both electronic as it happens, from 2007 that I really only came to enjoy this year…

• Untrue – Burial
  Circle The Squares – Liars Rosebush

My biggest disappointment – Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbells follow up to their sublime Ballad of the Broken Seas. It doesn’t really deserve a name call. There was of course a massive level of dire music and odd mediocrity released and rewarded this year as well – can someone please explain how Elbow won the Mercury music prize?

As for gigs, craziest gig goes to Dan Deacon @ Vicar St, most enjoyable even if it was earsplitting, My Bloody Valentine @ Apollo, Manchester, closely followed by Explosions in The Sky @ Tripod, Caribou @ Wheleans was pretty cool as well. The award for taking me completely by surprise definitely goes to Rarely Seen Above Ground playing support to Ponytail @ Whelans. Most annoying gig to miss due to work related travel has to be Shellac… I’ll see them some day, eventually…. right back to that No Age album, it really is very good….
~

… this could quite possibly be the gig of the month, although my obsession with Shellac may sway me in a different direction. Anyway if you haven’t heard Rarely Seen Above Ground make getting to Whelans on Oct 19th your business. I saw RSAG playing support to Ponytail a few weeks back, and frankly he blew Ponytail off the stage. Well worth checking out.