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On The Record

Jim Carroll

Music, Life and everything else

Monthly Archives: November 2010

Bands and brands (part two)

Of course, it was inevitable that we were going to come back to this topic at some stage. Back in October, this piece summed up the current state of the bands-and-brands game, but there have been a couple of developements …

The Unthanks, Ireland, April

The Unthanks play Dublin’s Vicar Street on April 9 (tickets €25 plus Ticketmaster fees), Cork’s School Of Music (April 10) and Galway’s Roisin Dubh (April 12, tickets €20 and €18). Here’s the title track of their excellent “Here’s the Tender …

So, we’re here….

So, we’re here. I suppose when we were told repeatedly that “we are where we are” that this is where we were heading. The day after a march which attracted 50,000 people to Dublin city-centre, the Irish people, through our …

Live at the Marquee, Cork, 2011

First acts have been announced for next summer’s Live at the Marquee season, the seventh year for the tent-by-the-Lee shows. On their way to Cork: Imelda May (June 23, tickets €35 and €30), Alexandra Burke (June 24, tickets €39.20 and …

It’s a black friday when a Take That album costs a quid

While every day has been black these last few weeks in this country, today is Black Friday across the Atlantic Ocean. The day after Thanksgiving is when Americans hit the shops and malls to avail of special offers, price reductions …

Now Playing – this week’s top tunes

This week’s essential tunes on the OTR jukebox. Please feel free to add your own selections below. LCD Soundsystem “London Sessions” (DFA) Remind yourself just how good LCD Soundsystem were last weekend in Dublin with this “live” album recorded earlier …

This week in The Ticket – and your plugs

Villagers: Conor O’Brien talks about the maddest year of his life as Villagers went from local heroes to global Villagers and are now a band even German radio DJs are now writing songs for. Our favourite Irish acts: Ticket music …

New Music – Toby Kaar, League, Zombie Computer

The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All tips for future New Music picks welcome below. Toby Kaar Cork electronic music producer already producing tracks with oodles of good ideas …

Banter recap
  • Banter
  • November 25, 2010, 10:11

A full house for last night’s Banter which starred Hugh Linehan (online editor irishtimes.com), John Ryan (Broadsheet.ie and formerly of Blogorrah, New York Dog and dozens of other titles), Michael McDermott (Le Cool Dublin) and Blathnaid Healy (news journalist, rte.ie) …

The Far Side – playlist for November 23

As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday November 23. Listen Again to The Far Side: you can listen back to a stream of last night’s show here. LCD Soundsystem “Us vs Them (London Session)” (DFA) Penguin Prison “Golden …

Murdoch and Jobs make nice for The Daily
  • Media
  • November 23, 2010, 10:33

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for: Steve Jobs and Rupert Murdoch are combining their Apple and News International muscle and brains for The Daily. Per reports (such reports were inevitable once the venture started hiring staff), the pair’s …

A week is a long time in politics? Dude, a day is a long time this week

The orginal plan was to write about the fact that one in five Irish voters (that’s one in five adults walking down the street of your town or village) were planning to vote for government parties. That was the gobsmacking …

The randomiser says “2,000 posts and still going strong”

This must be the place: there are live shows which will stay long in the memorybanks and then, there’s LCD Soundsystem’s weekend visit for a three night stand at Dublin’s Tripod. Here was a live show which had heat, soul, …

Mike Posner’s Virtual World Tour hits Ireland
  • Videos
  • November 19, 2010, 17:24

It’s a smart idea – instead of doing a conventional tour, Mike Posner has decided to do a virtual world tour instead (jndeed, it’s the first virtual world tour I’ve come across). OTR was asked to host the Irish leg …

You may not like ‘em, but here’s why Ticketmaster are still Number One

Music fans may be a disparate bunch, but there is one word guaranteed to unite them in fury: Ticketmaster. By now, the global ticket-selling giant is probably accustomed to its whipping boy status. The high service charges is usually the …

Now Playing – this week’s top tunes

This week’s essential tunes on the OTR jukebox. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Elou Elan “Sunday Times” (Brownswood) Breezy, slow-motion soul with a twist from the Danish singer featured on Gilles Peterson’s “Brownswood Bubblers 6” compilation. …

This week in The Ticket – and your plugs

Jay-Z: it’s the board meeting of the year as the greatest rapper in the game schools The Ticket in how to do business and gives Prez Obama advice on how to survive a shellacking. Goldfrapp: Tony Clayton-Lea talks to Alison …

New Music – Sea Of Bees, Boomgates, Youthless

The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All tips for future New Music picks welcome below. Sea Of Bees If On the Record was drawing up a list of acts …

Jay-Z in The Ticket

I rarely plug or mention stuff which is due to appear in The Ticket here, but I think a Jay-Z interview is an exception to that rule. The piece covers why live hip-hop shows used to suck, his new greatest …

Choice Music Prize time again

Here are the dates for your diaries for the sixth Choice Music Prize event. The 10 albums on the shortlist for the Irish Album of the Year 2010 prize will be announced on Wednesday January 12 and the live event …

The Far Side – playlist for November 16

As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday November 16. Listen Again to The Far Side: you can listen back to a stream of last night’s show here. Adam Kesher “Gravy Train” (Disque Primeur) Youthless “Golden Age” (One Bird) …

The art of management

The most important decision your band will ever make after choosing your name? Selecting your manager. The second most important decision? Deciding if and when you need a manager. Every single week, I come across bands and their managers and, …

Lykke Li, Dublin, April – and other upcoming gigs

Our favourite Swedish pop singer plays Dublin’s Tripod on April 16. This will be part of the European tour to plug her forthcoming second album which doesn’t have a title yet. If you want to get close to the Li, …

Six degrees of Damon Albarn

Last Friday, the day after Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz played one of the shows of the year in Dublin, there was a story on the wires about a forthcoming album. Recorded on an iPad during the band’s recent US tour, Albarn …

Henryk Górecki RIP
  • RIP
  • November 12, 2010, 15:34

The great Polish composer died today after a long period of ill-health. Obituary here. A haunting video for one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written, Górecki’s Symphony No. 3 “Sorrowful Songs” Lento e Largo, below.

This just in: the Russians are going to save your local record shop
  • Retail
  • November 12, 2010, 10:02

It’s just what you need to see in the morning before you butter your toast: a Russian oligarch taking a slice of your business. HMV’s shareholders discovered this week that Alexander Mamut, the 655th richest dude in the world according …

Now Playing – this week’s top tunes

This week’s essential tunes on the OTR jukebox. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Adam Kesher “Gravy Train” (Disque Primeur) Electro-indiepop to put a smile on your gob from a French band whose forthcoming “Challenging Nature” debut …

This week in The Ticket – and your plugs

Get up, stand up: Tony Clayton-Lea stirs it up with a look at the past, present and future of Ireland’s redemption songs. Gold Panda: the man known as Derwin on going from working behind the counter of a Soho sex …

New Music – Maverick Sabre, Kasette, Elan Tamara

The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All tips for future New Music picks welcome below. Maverick Sabre Hackney-born Wexford-raised singer-songwriter whose smart, tough tunes mix hip-hop, soul, folk and …

Date for your diary: On the Record’s Christmas Extravaganza

Yep, I know it’s still November, but this is for the early planners amongst you. On The Record’s Christmas Extravaganza takes place at the Roisin Dubh, Galway on December 16. We’re hitting the wild, wild west because we happen to …

The Irish contingent at Eurosonic 2011

Every January, OTR heads to Groningen for a couple of nights’ quality binge-gigging at the Eurosonic festival. The festival orginally began way back in the mists of time as a travelling European Broadcasting Union beano called Eurorock (it visited Cork …

Banter and the media’s bellyfluff
  • Banter
  • November 10, 2010, 09:40

It’s surprising that there has yet to to be a spot of media omphaloskepsis at Banter (especially given the amount of other bellyfluff examined since proceedings began in July 2009), so it’s time to make amends. Publishing 2020 will be …

One fun way to solve the vexed question of radio airplay for Irish bands?

Take a leaf out of the BBC Radio One playbook and tweet a national radio station like 2fm’s playlist meeting. Last week, BBC Radio One tweeted live from its three hour playlist meeting. This is the weekly gathering where various …

Hold the front page: big gigs are recession-proof

As you can see from this thread, quite a few OTR readers ended up with egg on their faces when it came to predicting if the Kings Of Leon show at Slane Castle next May would sell out or not. …

Why The X Factor sucks

I’m with Damon Albarn on this one – The X Factor is junk. This week, the Blur and Gorillaz fellow offered his views on the TV show. “It’s not good because, though from time to time they may stumble across …

Now Playing – this week’s top tunes

This week’s essential tunes on the OTR jukebox. Please feel free to add your own selections below. Nicki Minaj with Eminem “Roman’s Revenge” (Young Money) A cracker from the forthcoming “Pink Friday” sees hip-hop’s new-school queenpin go rhyme to rhyme …

This week in The Ticket – and your plugs

Cee Lo Green: “The Lady Killer” has a heart to heart with The Ticket about he loves the ladies. Mike Leigh: on new flick Another Year, getting blanked by the Cannes film festival and “desperate middle-aged women” (oh, we can …

New Music – The Head & Heart, Trophy Wife, B.O.Y.

The latest New Music selections from the On The Record column in tomorrow’s edition of The Ticket. All tips for future New Music picks welcome below. The Head & The Heart Melancholic folk tunes with a gorgeous glow from a …

Competition – win tickets to screening of new Bruce Springsteen documentary!

It’s Bruce time again, folks. “The Promise: The Making of Darkness On The Edge Of Town” is a documentary by Thom Zimny about the making of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s fourth album “Darkness On The Edge Of …

The Far Side – playlist for November 2

As played on The Far Side, Phantom 105.2, Tuesday November 2, 10pm-midnight. Last night’s show was an all-Irish special to mark two years of The Far Side on the air. Listen Again to The Far Side: you can listen back …

Dancing About Architecture #1
  • Media
  • November 3, 2010, 09:48

Just a few quick lines about Dancing About Architecture, the four-week course in music journalism which began last night in McGrattan’s in Dublin and runs for the next three Tuesdays. There was a really good turnout to hear Sophie Gorman …

The randomiser would really like some Clinton Street Bakery pancakes right now

A gig announcement from last week lost in the hubbub around the Kings Take Jovi gig announcements: Laura Marling plays Vicar Street on December 7. Her show at the Academy back in April was joyful in all the right ways, …

The business of doing business

There are times when you can sense the indignation from the radio long before the text messages start to roll. Last Saturday morning, property developer Simon Kelly, a dude who says he owes €200 million to the banks, got a …