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On The Record

Jim Carroll

Music, Life and everything else

Monthly Archives: May 2010

Guest post – Leagues O’Toole on Primavera 2010 – Saturday

On Saturday afternoon, I march straight into a schedule jam the likes of which I’ve never experienced before.

Guest post – Leagues O’Toole on Primavera Sound 2010 – Friday

Friday sees an early start for Owen Pallett at 4pm, but all is not well. Hope Sandoval’s soundcheck has stretched right up to the wire. While Pallett and his crew are trying to cobble together a linecheck, the venue has …

Guest post – Leagues O’Toole on Primavera Sound 2010 – Thursday

When OTR heard that Leagues O’Toole was heading to Barcelona for Primavera Sound 2010 and when he said he was up for doing some reviewing, we were only happy to say yes (hell yes, in fact). I’ve always been a …

That was the weekend that was

As OTR makes his way back from Barcelona, the floor is yours for a re-up of the ups and downs of the last few days. How was Primavera Sound 2010 for you? Full OTR reports to come later today, by …

This week in The Ticket – and your plugs

20 Acts You Must See This Summer: the sound of summer – 20 acts hitting the highways and byways of the country that you should check out in the coming months Chic: Nile Rodgers talks, Sinead Gleeson listens. R.S.A.G.: as …

Why are Irish music fans heading for festivals abroad?

The seasonal exodus is underway. This morning, a couple of thousand Irish music fans are waking up in Barcelona after the first night of the Primavera music festival. Between now and the end of the summer, the same scene will …

#Now Playing – May 28

This week’s essential tunes on the OTR jukebox. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Las Robertas “Cry Out Loud” (Produccion Automata) Fuzzy, buzzy, warm-as-toast indie shizzle from Costa Rica’s finest riot grrrl mob. Carolina Chocolate Drops “Genuine …

New Music – Lorn, B-Movie Lightning, Factory Floor

The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All recommendations for future New Music picks welcome below. Lorn Hailing from the wilds of Illinois and signed to FlyLo’s Brainfeeder label, Lorn …

“Seamus Heaney? I’m not bothered”

Today in The Irish Times, a bunch of writers ‘fess up to the greats we’re supposed to like, but don’t. There’s Fintan O’Toole on why he’s not a member of the Noel Coward fanclub, Brian Boyd dissing The Wire, Arminta …

Electric Picnic 2010 – Foals, Dam-Funk, Cathy Davey and more on the bill

The latest set of acts heading to Stradbally in September for the Electric Picnic are: Foals Dam-Funk Cathy Davey These New Puritans Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Beardyman Archie Bronson Outfit Philip Selway James V McMorrow And So I Watch You From …

Joanna Newsom, Dublin, September

Per Ian Thrillpier and the Drag City website, Joanna Newsom plays Dublin’s Grand Canal Theatre on September 14. No information as of yet on ticket prices or on-sale dates.

The Far Side – playlist for Tuesday May 25

As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday May 25, 10pm-midnight BLK JKS “Zol!” (Secretly Canadian) Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti “Bright Lit Blue Skles” (4AD) Clock Opera “A Piece Of String” (Maman) Delorean “Simple Graces” (True Panther) Factory Floor …

The lesser-spotted sold-out gig

What do Stevie Wonder, Gorillaz, Green Day, Paul MacCartney, Rage Against the Machine and Bob Dylan have in common? All of these marquee acts are visiting Ireland in the coming weeks and, at the time of posting, you can still …

The randomiser says “hola”

The countdown for Primavera 2010 has begun in earnest. A clatter of OTR readers will be there in force – as will OTR, natch – so lob all recommendations, tips and questions this way and we’ll see what the wisdom …

New sales figures reveal an industry in perilous shape

We knew things were bad in the record business, but this bad? Last weekend, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) had their annual shindig in Chicago. Music retailers of every stripe schmoozed, supped and sang their hearts out to …

Villagers shine on the opening night of their tour

There are new chapters beginning every week in this story. A muggy Wednesday evening in Kilkenny, and Villagers are commencing a tour that will take them all the way up to the summer festivals. Debut album Becoming a Jackal is …

#Now Playing – May 21

This week’s essential tunes on the OTR jukebox. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Various “Jamie XX mix for Colette” (Download) Wobbly dubstep, dark bass and deep electronic beats courtesy of Jamie Smith from The XX’s mix …

This week in The Ticket – and your plugs

The Divine Comedy: having recently batted for The Duckworth Lewis Method (and composed an alternative national anthem), Neil Hannon talks to Lauren Murphy about the tenth Divine Comedy album. Cannes: our man in Cannes Donald Clarke on the ten things …

A line I never expected to use: I’ve started reading the NME again
  • Media
  • May 20, 2010, 12:27

Over the last few weeks, I’ve found myself buying and reading the NME again. I honestly can’t remember the last time I bought the magazine on any sort of regular basis – maybe the early years of the last decade? …

New Music – James Blake, Solar Bears, Cloud Control

The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All recommendations for future New Music picks welcome below. James Blake There are currently a couple of record labels arm-wrestling for the right …

The Far Side – playlist for Tuesday May 18

As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday May 18, 10pm-midnight Tame Impala “Solitude Is Bliss” (Modular) Sleigh Bells “Rill Rill” (NEET) Smith Westerns “Imagine, Pt 3″ (Fat Possum) Cloud Control “Gold Canary” (Ivy League) Foster the People “Pumped …

Ian Curtis in 2010
  • RIP
  • May 18, 2010, 13:59

What would have happened if Ian Curtis hadn’t taken his own life thirty years ago today? Let’s imagine that he actually got up the following morning, headed to the airport and took the plane with the rest of Joy Division …

Rescheduled date for Whale Watching II show with Nico Muhly, Sam Amidon and friends

Per Foggy Notions, the rescheduled Whale Watching II show with Nico Muhly, Sam Amidon, Ben Frost and Valgeir Sigurðsson will now take place at Dublin’s National Concert Hall on September 26. The show was supposed to happen in April, but …

Beach House, Dublin, November

Beach House play Dublin’s Vicar Street on November 22. Tickets go on sale this Thursday and will be €26 each. Support act to be announced.

Foals and the stable door

Over the last few weeks, the new Foals’ album “Total Life Forever” has been a constant on the OTR stereo. It’s an album which ticks many boxes: new emotional widths and depths, fantastic tunes, splendid melodic complexity, really strong musical …

Bob gives new meaning to ‘one more for the road’

Bob Dylan realised that the music business times were a-changin’ a long time ago. An advert for his forthcoming Irish show, which ran in various papers this week, is proof of that. It lists Dylan’s Irish shows down through the …

New Music – Babe Shadow, Kings Go Forth, Wild Palms

The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in The Ticket. All recommendations for future New Music picks welcome below. Babe Shadow These Kent natives are already coming up trumps with swoonsome pitch-perfect harmonies and jangly melodies …

This week in The Ticket – and your plugs

LCD Soundsystem: James Murphy on LCD Soundsystem’s new – and final – album, This is Happening, which brings the curtain down on a decade of disco-punk Lebanon: Samuel Maoz talks about his award-winning film shot mainly inside an Israeli tank …

#Now Playing – May 14

This week’s essential tunes from OTR. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Foster the People “Pumped Up Kicks” (Self release) The first tune of the summer from a Los Angeles band who know that the best way …

Replacing the Ryan Line
  • Media
  • May 13, 2010, 09:55

Today is JNLR Day when radio stations up and down the land get their quarterly bill of health. These raw statistics, outling which shows and stations are up and which are down, will be scrutinised closely and then spun to …

Picture of the week

When I first heard about an incident on Kildare Street last night, I assumed it had something to do with the head shops. Citizens annoyed at their inability to score plant food and bath salts were running amok in the …

The Far Side – playlist for Tuesday May 11

As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday May 11, 10pm-midnight Wild Palms “Deep Dive” (One Little Indian) Foster the People “Pumped Up Kicks” (Self release) Babe Shadow “Sea Serpents” (Luv Luv Luv) M.I.A. “XXXO” (XL) LCD Soundsystem “Change” …

Leftfield, Ireland, June

Aside from the already announced Electric Picnic appearance, Leftfield also play Belfast’s Ulster Hall on June 2 and Dublin’s Tripod on June 3. That’s “Leftfield” as in co-founder Neil Barnes, orginal vocalists Djum Djum, Earl 16 and Cheshire Cat and …

Where’s your head shop at? Probably closed for now

There are times when the Irish government moves fast. While our elected reps may take their time when it comes to dealing with, oh let’s see, criminal bankers, delinquent developers, drug dealing on Dublin’s Talbot Street and large potholes, it’s …

Aftershock: the blame report to beat all blame reports

You’re really going to feel good about life after RTE’s Aftershock week. Since Sunday night, the station has been running a series of shows looking at the state we’re in as a nation, examining how we got here and exploring …

The randomiser is in the mood for mischief

As reported by OTR last week, Gorillaz play Dublin’s O2 on September 22. Tickets at €59.80 a pop go on sale on Friday week (May 21). The press release refers to this as “Gorillaz Live Show to Ireland for First …

There are some things the public just won’t buy
  • News
  • May 7, 2010, 10:24

It would appear that the Irish public have made their mind up about Chris Brown and they’re not buying him. Back in January 2009, Brown played four sell-out shows to over 50,000 Irish fans at Dublin’s O2 and Belfast’s Odyssey. …

#Now Playing – May 7

This week’s essential tunes from OTR and guest selector James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Baths “Maximalist” (Anticon) Ahead-of-the-curve, woozy, fuzzy boom-bap from Californian producer Will Wiesenfeld. Sonar bookers, sign him up. …

This week in The Ticket… and your plugs

Courtney Love: The Hole queenpin shares stories and ketchup with Brian Boyd, including tales of Kurt, Bono, Lady Gaga and Bobby Sands. Foals: frontman Yannis Philippakis on how reacting to a hit debut album and two years of touring will …

New Music: The Phoenix Foundation, The Knocks, HT Heartache

Tomorrow’s music today: the latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket The Phoenix Foundation New Zealand readers of OTR will already know this band who’ve released a couple of fine albums …

Jolly good show, chaps

We shall miss them. Over the last few weeks, election junkies of every stripe have thoroughly enjoyed the UK election campaign. Of course, election junkies enjoy every darn tooting election which comes their way – ah, those local elections last …

More names for Electric Picnic 2010

The latest batch of additions for Electric Picnic 2010: Eels Friendly Fires Laurent Garnier The Fall Fight Like Apes Bonobo Stornoway Channel One More acts to be added in the coming weeks.

The Far Side – playlist for Tuesday May 4

As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday May 4, 10pm-midnight Lots of good stuff on last night’s show including a preview of “Becoming A Jackal”, the debut album from Villagers, and a spin of “The Roamer”, the brand …

To tweet or not to tweet
  • Media
  • May 4, 2010, 11:58

Like many of you, I learned about the sudden death of RTE broadcaster Gerry Ryan via Twitter. It was, I can safely say, the first time I’ve seen a news story “break” via Twitter, though it makes me wonder if …

Girls, Dublin, August – and Pavement are in the country

The excellent Girls play Dublin’s Academy on August 24. Tickets are €17.50 and go on sale this Thursday. And, more good news, Pavement are in the country. It was going to take more than a humpy Icelandic volcano to stop …