Last night i was at PJ Harvey in the Olympia with andy. Every time i'm in dublin these days it's a little strange. I've half a mind to move back up here but i honestly don't know if that's a good idea for a number of reasons. But needless to say i'm looking at all my options at the moment.
Polly was fantastic solo :) i've seen her with the band before, in belfast, also with andy, and she was riveting :) but last night she was so chatty and funny. Which contrasted nicely with her choice me material: heavy on the Desire, with the more spooky or storybased songs from all the albums making an appearance. The new songs sounded like a logical progression from that earlier material.
If you're around Galway this Thursday the 20th of December, and have some free time post-shopping or just fancy listening to some music, then drop into Java's and hear myself, Sarah and Kevin all playing a nice informal set for Christmas.
Free free to sing along and join in! It's the last gig before the new year (except the for a New Years Eve private gig myself and Sarah are playing) and we want to celebrate the end of the year with all our friends, old and new.
If you have any requests for songs you'd like to hear, sure let us know in advance and we'll see what we can do :)
It's due to start from about 9:30, but it'll be quite flexible and relaxed. Thanks so much to Java's café for letting us use the upstairs part of the café, and the beautiful piano. It does have a wine licence and serves liqueur coffees too, so if you fancy a drink that option is there, or if you just want some nice food, some good coffee and a great atmosphere, you'll find that there too.
Hope to see you there!
Free free to sing along and join in! It's the last gig before the new year (except the for a New Years Eve private gig myself and Sarah are playing) and we want to celebrate the end of the year with all our friends, old and new.
If you have any requests for songs you'd like to hear, sure let us know in advance and we'll see what we can do :)
It's due to start from about 9:30, but it'll be quite flexible and relaxed. Thanks so much to Java's café for letting us use the upstairs part of the café, and the beautiful piano. It does have a wine licence and serves liqueur coffees too, so if you fancy a drink that option is there, or if you just want some nice food, some good coffee and a great atmosphere, you'll find that there too.
Hope to see you there!
My top songs of 2007, minus the obvious Kate/Tori/PJ/Bjork people - cross posted from @forumz :)
- Amy Winehouse / Mark Ronson - Valerie
Any incarnation of this song with Amy Winehouse singing the vocals is my song of the year. I don't give a shit what anything thinks about Ms Winehouse, but she really made this song something else whether just with an Acoustic Guitar live on radio, or like the B-Side version to Back To Black (Live version of this arrangement, or the Mark Ronson remix version from his album. I know I'm more than a little swayed by the fact that this song pretty much describes my Big Emotional Summer and the lyrics were all too appropriate. The original version by the Zutons is a good song, but there's something kinda emotionally detached in the vocals in my opinion. Whereas Amy really does have soul, and she found the (broken)heart of the song. - Philip Morrow - Joanne Part 3
You probably haven't heard of this guy, as he's a Galway based songwriter, but his songs are enchanting and his voice just draws you in. This song is part 3 of 7 (?) all called Joanne and written by a group of different songwriters who were all friends or something from what I can gather. I know Emily Mure wrote the first part, and Ryan And The Lions did part 5, and they're all great songs
Anyhow, check out Philip Morrow's myspace, as he's well worth it. He's previously released an album as The Red Rose Café (itunes link).
He included Joanne Part 3 on a CD for amnesty international here in
Galway which I was working on (and have a track on too) and I just fell
in love with that song. Philip also wrote Joanne Part 2, which you can
hear on his Myspace, and it's just gorgeous too Seriously, lovely songs. For fans of Leonard Cohen, Josh Ritter, and other storytelling americana/follk songwriters. - Jens Lekman - Friday Night At The Drive-in Bingo
I think it's time to start blaming Morgan. When I added this album to iTunes and started listening to it, all the songs were in reverse order, 'cause I'm a twat sometimes. And this song came on first, and it's still my favourite off that album at the moment. That might change
But I have this on a mix cd in the car, which contains all my favourite
happy driving songs. This is such a happy pill as a song. I love it so
much. - Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position
Yeah, the lyrics are a bit cheesy. (happy = major key - so bloody cliché) but it still makes me jump around the room and smile. It's also on the aforementioned mix cd as it makes me very very happy indeed. youtube - St. Vincent - Paris Is Burning
The Pete! posted a link to a video with a guitar and voice live version of this song, and I was more than intrigued. I really love the album version too, and I think it's a wonderful song. I have visions of a demented dance version being performed on stage with a full choir. It's luscious in my mind. I think it's a song that works in any arrangement. - Cuckoo Savante & Mary Coughlan - Red Apple
Maybe I'm a little biased, but I don't care, I love Cuckoo Savante's music, and Mary Coughlan does a wonderful duet version of their song Red Apple as a charity single here in Ireland at the moment. Absolutely brilliant. I've been going to see these guys playing live for over a year now, and I'm so thrilled to finally have something from them to buy, even if it is only a single yet. - Eluvium - Prelude For Time Feelers
I think this is a general OMA/Morgan influence, but I really love Copia and I've been listening to it quite a bit over the last few weeks. I have a few favourites off it, and I found it really hard to pick just one track but I had to pick something. The piano is so simple, yet so beautiful. That moment at about 2:33 when the horn (? I'm sure it's a synth) comes in is so beautiful. Really, this whole album is gorgeous. - Cobra Starship - This City Is At War
Yes it's tacky. Yes it's probably commercial as hell, but damned if I can't not sing along and want to dance. This is my pop guilty pleasure at the moment - I've not even listened to the new Britney all the way through even though it's on my itunes as any time I get a pop craving I throw on Cobra Starship. I was torn between this song and Guilty Pleasure which is just so apt
- Roisín Murphy - Overpowered
I love her She's fantastic. This is a great track too
I still have to get the full album, but the tracks that I have I'm
loving. It's definitely on the "to buy" list. Intelligent electronic
pop songs - something like where Bjork was circa Debut only updated to
now. - Joanna Newsom - Colleen
Was in heavy rotation when that EP came out. I prefer the other two songs on the EP to be honest, but this is a great song and definitely worth a place on my top ten of this year.
The best of the PJ-Bjork-Tori-Kate types
PJ Harvey - The Piano
Christ PJ really hit it out of the park with this album. I fucking love it. The Piano is the song from that album that grabs me the most, and really gets into my head and runs around. This may of course be due to the DES, however, I digress.
Bjork - Earth Intruders
Bjork at her most infectious!
Kate Bush - Lyra
Ok, so I'm only including this as it's a new Kate song, and it's rather pretty
There's nothing else new Kate-wise this year, so it gets the honours by default Tori Amos - My Posse Can Do
Sometimes Tori has her head screwed on. This is a perfect little song, perfectly placed. No it shouldn't be on the album - that'd just be crass, it's bad enough having an album with Posse in the title, and a "posse bonus" song, but to have added this would have made the concept even more literal. So, it's wonderful as a little bonus B-Side/DVD extra whatever. It's the kind of Tori I like, witty and quirky, lots of fun and with some great jazz influenced piano. It could have been a LE B-Side and people would have loved it. Totally my favourite song from the ADP period.
Other songs/The Honourable Mentions
Pacha Massive - Your Love
Air - Left Bank
Bloc Party - The Prayer
Britney - Gimmie Gimmie More!
Rhianna - Shut Up And Drive (I agree with androoo on this one.)
Klaxons - Golden Skans
Radiohead - nude
