James Chance And Les Contorsions (February 28th; The Vic, Mile End, London)

(***Update***)
This is tonight folks!!
--------------------------

Oh yeah....

For those who are fans of late-70's offthewallism, the Vic in Mile End, London presents an opportunity to catch post-punk manic saxophonist James Chance and his current band, Les Contorsions. Support at the show comes from the apparently delightful Electricity in our Homes and Chapter Sweetheart.

Although White will also be performing ATP in May, this will be a rare chance to catch the legendary Wisconsin native up close and intimate. Doors open at 8pm on February 28th and tickets are a measly £8 and can be bought here. Come join me where fun shall be had.
Now go buy!!!









Leigh

Check Out Our Band!!: The Vagabonds

Here's another demo that I was meant to get to ages ago, however the delay was - for once - not my fault. The Vagabonds sent me a disc in the post some time ago; unfortunately it was unwilling to be played on any device (much like Windows Vista) and thus, the plastic sheet sat merrily on my kitchen table thinking to itself about its many adventures across the sea and about all the friends it had left behind.

Two months passed and with a sigh and a faint shrug, a "little" investigation brought me to the Vagabonds MySpace site, where - low and behold - their wares exist in their happy and sweet state. Tears trickled down my slightly bloated face as an CD waved hello to its digital counterpart on the screen and MySpace was only happy to wave back. It was almost as if two long lost brothers had been reunited after years never seeing eachother - this naturally wavers a majority of "man rules" and allows me to cry in public without fear of reprisals from thuggish football supporters.

Upon listening, it is quite apparent that The Vagabonds create a noisy punk-rock induced ramshackle that might commonly be associated with artists like Stiff Little Fingers and the Libertines and to some extent, their songs represent the social temperament of Sham 69 or the Vibrators.
The speed reliant jaunts of "John Mellor" and "When James Met John" are firmly based in the aesthetics of deformed rock 'n' roll on years gone-way-by, with a vaguely political message that often drifts into sloganeering rather than solidified objects of cubic thought; but when the guitars are this jangly, who gives a shit? While all this energy is all well and good, the Vagabonds definitely show marks of a band that need some work though as on far too many occasions, the drums drop out of time.
Admittedly "John Mellor" and "When James Met John" are quite basic structures of solid energy that come in at just over 90 seconds; however it is the drawn out and provocative "For Real" is easily the best of their three songs. Rather than jamming out another sub-2 minute wonder, it wanders in and out of slow movements, as the vocals swap from spoken word verse ramblings to heartfelt sung chorus lines; although even "For Real" goes on for far too long, whereas their other are far too short to develop. Once again though, the drums are simply not up to it and are easily the biggest failing.

Indeed there are some decent ideas going on here; however they right now they are massively unrefined and it remains to be seen if such roughshod ideals can be accepted by a general public that has been skewered by over-produced bullshit for years. However, their rhythm section needs some serious amount of work as at times it sounds as though they're pulling the songs apart.

The Vagabonds MySpace

Upcoming shows:

19 Mar 2010 22:00	SHAKEDOWN @ Pacinos	Dublin
25 Mar 2010 21:00	GREEN AND LIVE @ Dolans	Limerick
29 Mar 2010 11:30	RECORDING FOR DAN HEGARTY’S 2FM SHOW (Irish Radio)	Studio 8,RTE Studios,Dublin
21 Apr 2010 23:00	ANTICS @ Crawdaddy	Dublin

Leigh

Star Trek - The Animated Series

In the early '90's when I was still about 9 or 10, British cable channel Sky One started showing reruns of the little known Animated Series of Star Trek every Saturday at 10.30 in the morning. When the original series was cancelled following its third season in 1969, it was felt that show had some unfinished business and come 1972 Star Trek - The Animated Series was conceived. The show set out to complete the Enterprise's five-year mission and from 1973-74, twenty-two brand new 25-minute episodes were produced.
What was unusual about the show, was that unlike a majority of animated spin-offs, Start Trek Animated maintained the services of the actors from the show's original run as well as a large chunk of the writing and production staff - the only glaring omission being that of Walter Koenig who played Chekov during Season's 2 and 3 of the Original Series.
On occasion, the animation can be very crude as the show was drawn very quickly and on a minuscule budget, but that is compensated for by some excellent writing by the very people shaped the show in its original run. Something that the particulars of animation did allow for though was the freedom to create truly alien species - such as the navigator Arex - rather than showing a man dressed up in a hot rubber suit and this lends a certain authenticity to the show that might otherwise have been dismissed. The series also possesses some absolutely kick arse incidental music too.

Below I have linked the three parts of the pilot of Star Trek Animated called "Beyond the Farthest Star", whereby a malevolent creature gains access to the Enterprise's computer during a star charting mission - I am not ashamed to admit that this episode freaked the living shit out of me when I saw it during it's 1991 run and even now, it still sends shivers down my spine.
While "Beyond the Farthest Star" is not the best episode of Star Trek Animated (that's a tie between "Albatross" and "The Slaver Weapon"), I believe it to be a very good example of what the show was like over its two season run. The box-set with all of the episodes is now available on Amazon a relatively good price and is definitely worth a purchase for any Star Trek or science fiction fans in general.

Star Trek, The Animated Series "Beyond the Farthest Star"







Leigh

Valerie Francis // Mumblin' Deaf Ro // Drunken Boat (Whelan's, Dublin; Feb 27th)

This coming Saturday, Whelan's Live will be presenting Choice Music Prize nominee Valerie Francis at their Wexford St. venue in Dublin 2. Support on the night comes from singer-songwriter Mumblin' Deaf Ro and experimental-folk trio, Drunken Boat. There are still a limited amount of tickets available for this and come in at €15 from Ticketmaster, Tickets.ie and the WaV box office at the venue itself.

Francis' début album Slow Dynamo has already picked up lots of positive attention and her video for the single "Punches" was given the thumbs up a certain cock called Kanye West, who most certainly delighted himself for being vaguely relevant for a moment at least. Slow Dynamo is one of the albums that is in contention for this year's Choice Music Awards, which takes place next week at Vicar Street.
Doors open at 7.30pm.





Valerie Francis MySpace
Mumblin' Deaf Ro MySpace
Drunken Boat MySpace


Leigh

Review: Tribella "Thirteen"

Hailing from Austin, Texas, three-piece indie-pop effort Tribella have just released their début album, Thirteen, independently. Featuring nine new tracks and one rather sparkling remix, Tribella manage to capture jagged rhythms - confidently led by guitarist/vocalist Sarah Glynn - that invoke memories of early '90's stalwarts the Breeders and latterly Blonde Redhead, while also rubbing against the pop grain of the Cardigans.

This is perfectly showcased with the opener, "Deal Breaker" which manages to balance the three-piece's rockier temptations with their pop sensibilities, thereby finding a plateau upon which Tribella confidently display their wares. All in all, this reminds me of a time when I would regularly wear jumpers that were several sizes too big for me, because I could - and because that's what true rebels do; they wear ill-fitting clothes and then get lost in the pockets with Dennis Quade and Meg Ryan in a low budget sequel to the sci-fi / comedy film Innerspace. Oh how delightful.
(By the way, for those that are confused, Dennis Quade was young and dashing while Randy Quade was not. Not even close.)

Anyway not to be content with carving out some rather excellent pop songs, and carving out scripts for non-existent films with past-master film stars, Tribella also unexpectedly shape their material with off-kilter time changes; however these changes, rather than being jarring and disconcerting, maintain a level of ease and composure that makes hearing them somewhat grand and joyous. On occasion, the intricate nature of some of the writing doesn't work quite as well though, as heard on the likes of "Revolution Script"; however the short and frantic "Instrumental" restores the balance somewhat.
My only complaint is purely a cosmetic one though - I have never been a fan of phaser effects, especially on guitar as it just doesn't sound nice and throughout "My Guest List", the rhythm guitar is layered in it. As a sound, it drives me crazy and reminds me of some of the more horrid elements of 80's and '90's rock. My Guest List was released as an EP in early 2009 and to be honest, it is something of strange choice as the album opener works much better as a leading song.

After stalling slightly in the middle of the album, the quality goes up a notch for the last three songs. A definite confidence returns with the solid "Mister, Mister" and "Csus4", although both contain short solo's that are surplus to the song's requirements, but then again I say that about every solo ever; however there is enough there to make them enjoyable listens.
Thirteen finishes with Le Roc's remix of "My Guest List", which is quite a bit superior to the original track. Much of the original instrumentation is stripped back as touches of Clor and Soulwax-alike synths dominate, but not so much as to encroach on the now powerful lead vocals. In terms of instrument layering, this works much better than the original which could simply signal a mistake at the mixing end and indicates an area where future works by Tribella can be improved. One potential element that Le Roc's remix is missing is a point where everything comes together and kicks the fucking shit out of the speakers, however "My Guest List" doesn't strike me as a killer dancefloor tune, but more of a good pop song.

With all this stringing together, Tribella will be embarking on a US tour come this Saturday (Feb 27th) that will take in cities such as Chicago, Indianapolis, Oklahoma, New York and Washington DC amongst others; however shortly into the tour, Tribella will be performing two shows at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas at the Bent Compass Party (Thursday March 18th) and at the W3ll People Party two days later.
Thirteen may not be my album of the year by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a very good effort nonetheless and "Deal Breaker" is up there as one of the finest songs I have heard so far this year.
Thirteen is out this week - now go BUY!!

27 Feb 2010 20:00	Lambert’s (CD release show w/ Kevin Peroni from Wiretree)	Austin, Texas
18 Mar 2010 20:00	SXSW-Bent Compass Party (Rain)	Austin, Texas
20 Mar 2010 18:00	SXSW-W3LL People Party	Austin, Texas
31 Mar 2010 20:00	Soundpony	Tulsa, Oklahoma
2 Apr 2010 18:00	Vaudeville Mews	Des Moines, Iowa
3 Apr 2010 20:00	Knickerbockers	Lincoln, Nebraska
5 Apr 2010 20:00	Station 4	St. Paul, Minnesota
6 Apr 2010 20:00	Darkroom	Chicago, Illinois
7 Apr 2010 20:00	The Frequency	Madison, Wisconsin
8 Apr 2010 20:00	Vollrath Tavern	Indianapolis, Indiana
9 Apr 2010 22:00	The Heorot	Muncie, Indiana
11 Apr 2010 20:00	Happy Dog	Cleveland, Ohio
13 Apr 2010 21:30	TT the Bear’s	Cambridge, Massachusetts
14 Apr 2010 20:00	Lucky Dog	Worcester, Massachusetts
15 Apr 2010 20:00	Punch’s Alley @ Wellesley College	Wellesley, Massachusetts
17 Apr 2010 20:00	Lit Lounge	New York, New York
18 Apr 2010 20:00	The Khyber	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
19 Apr 2010 20:00	The Red and The Black	WASHINGTON, Washington DC
22 Apr 2010 21:00	Broad Street Cafe	Durham, North Carolina
23 Apr 2010 20:00	Rocket Club	Asheville, North Carolina
25 Apr 2010 21:00	Tin Roof	Charleston, South Carolina
26 Apr 2010 20:00	Caledonia Lounge	Athens, Georgia
27 Apr 2010 20:00	The Basement	Nashville, Tennessee
28 Apr 2010 20:00	Two Stick	Oxford, Mississippi
1 May 2010 0:00	Momo’s (w/ Suzanna Choffel)	Austin, Texas

Tribella MySpace
Tribella - Thirteen (iTunes // CDBaby)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Leigh

Check Out Our Band!!: Blindking

It's not often that I review just a song; but for Niall Rooney, anything... Niall Rooney is a chap from Cork called Blindking and as far as I am concerned, he is one of the finest electronic musicians this country has ever produced. Initially I came across Rooney on CPU.ie in 2003 and a couple of years later he sent me a series of recordings he had compiled called Please Memorise and Destroy - a selection of fifteen songs that kicks the arse out of ANY electronic album released in Ireland since then. It is one of those rare collections that I feel the need to share with people - it is simply that good.

But then the chap seemed to disappear. As soon as 2006 got going and CPU.ie collapsed under a series of ill-thought out modifications and Rooney seemed to withdraw altogether. A while back he sent me a new recording - the first I had heard from him in years - called "Escape from Rust". Upon listening, it is an odd mish-mash of spoken samples, sequenced sounds and guitars; in doing so displaying a more live ethic than Rooney has previously. Admittedly, the song definitely seduces with some promise early-on, but as the guitars kick in, the progress and structural movement begins to grind to a halt and the present rhythms circle in a repetitive manner.
For the first issue that I have heard in a few years, it's a decent effort, but as yet it does not quite live up to the pieces on Please Memorise and Destroy.
Blindking LastFM


Leigh

Check Out Our Band!!: Summer-Winter

It's 4am and enter my tired old ears kids - here cometh Summer-Winter!! Although if you have been conned by the conspiracy that each season lasts an even three months, then you'll believe that it's technically it's spring... by fuck, it's cold for February. It is therefore nice to know that the Terry O'Hara led project known as Summer-Winter, can piece together a warm blanket in the way of his sultry aural gear on MySpace.
I can actually feel myself getting cosy in my cheap leather chair (that was probably carved from the skin of a dead cat judging by the smell and the paws that hang limply from the arms - it's just sick!1)

Describing themselves as downtempo with "...a collection of melancholy tunes, influenced by confusion and heartbreak...", it is probably tempting to say that there are touches of The Flaming Lip's softer moments in Summer-Winter's opener, "Coming Around" - but not quite either. Soft low end acoustic guitars chords swim naturally with a fragile voice that balances wonderfully.
Despite the solemn nature of the song, there's something inherently comforting about it - almost as if the song resonates positive notions on the basis that someone else is feeling shit - I actually like that feeling. It breeds power without the need to kill people - much like an incredibly tall man with a deep booming voice that stands atop a mountain ledge laughing maniacally at the minions below. At first he seems threatening, but at night he weeps forlornly at night as the leaves on trees befriend eachother whilst he sits alone in his desolate forest with only his thoughts for company - a king, yes; but a king of nothing at all. If you can remember any Hanna-Barbera cartoon from the 1980's, then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.
By the way, I'm 6 foot 2-and-a-half inches in vertical measurements; but I am scared of heights, thereby making mountains and cliff tops generally inaccessible. If I can't stand on a mountain, then what's the point in having minions at all?? Much like the wood-weepier, I would also be a shit dictator.

Forgetting the woods of doom for now, folkesque subtleties continue run through as "You Want it" swims in flickering acoustic guitar lines that spin inside wiry tones that are somehow reminiscent of lines folding digitally through the air. Imagine getting a piece of blu-tac and stretching it and pulling it back - if blu-tac had a sound, the synth would probably sound like that!! As softened drums filter into the song's final phase, the lyrical refrain of:

"...you can't give everything up,
if you do, you've got nothing..."

...shapes the song's feeling in a way that I probably can't. The following track "Gone" follows the same melancholy nature of the opening two tracks as brittle sounding vocals sit amidst sweetly arranged instrumentation. This is not sickly sweet by any stretch of the imagination though; if anything, any sweetness is tripped up by the mellow nature of the songs, which manage to be absorbing and beautiful; however as good as the opening three pieces are, they simply fade in relation to what is probably the best song of the four.
The intricacies m'dear, the intricacies filter though "Tired" and while Summer-Winter may conjure more comparisons of Radiohead and recent efforts by Apostle of Hustle, let us be certain that comparisons of that nature are slight and unnecessary. I could listen to this song again and again - in fact, I just have. Everything here is more than strong enough to stand up on its own.

(So why bring it up then? Well, I have to describe it somehow!!)

Quite frankly, these are just bloody god songs - all of which appear on Summer-Winter's 2009 album, Alone is Yes. Although mellow songs about heartbreak and loss might not be everyone's cup of tea, these tracks are so good and filled by beauty, that one would a foolish person indeed to dismiss it so quickly.
Summer-Winter's lead and sole permanent member Terry O'Hara called himself a third-rate musician in his e-mail to me last week. I would absolutely disagree with that statement - this is fucking fantastic shit.
Summer-Winter - Alone is Yes (CD / Digital from CDBaby)
Summer-Winter MySpace


Leigh

Simpler Times

A few laps from the Formula 1 Grand Prix game on the SNES way back when. Notice how tight chicanes are taken at 260 kph...




Leigh

Super Extra Bonus Party - "Comets" Single Release (**Updated**)

(**Updated Again**)
The show in Whelan's for this Friday (Feb 26th) has now been moved to Andrew's Lane Theatre, Dublin 2. Meanwhile Our Friend Would Like a Word With You...


(February 21st, 2010)


Come February 5th, Super Extra Bonus Party will be releasing "Comets" as a download only - this will be the first single from the second album, Night Horses. The single, featuring the Blackrock-duo Heathers, will also be backed up with a remix by Skibunny and will be available via iTunes and eMusic.
To support the release, the band will be performing a short tour during the month that will take in Galway (Roisin Dubh, Feb 13th), Belfast (Waterfront, Feb 20th) and Dublin (Whelan's, Feb 26th).

As well as all that aural delectability, Super Extra Bonus Party will also be featured on the final instalment of the rather sweet Dance to the Radio compilation. This 12-inch, which is the fourth in the series, contains an edit of the excellent "Who Are You and What Do You Want" (still probably the best song on Night Horses), as well as recordings from Drink Up Buttercup, Milk White White Teeth and Paul Thomas Saunders. This will also be released on the 5th of February and can be bought from Road Records, Norman Records, Band Camp (digital version only) and from the Dance to the Radio site itself.


Leigh
(January 30th, 2010)


(**Updated**)
The video for "Comets" has just been released. It was made by the rather talented Donal Mangan.

Super Extra Bonus Party - Comets (feat. Heathers) from Donal Mangan on Vimeo.

(February 1st, 2010)

A Little Bit of History

Nearly half-a-century before Formula 1 had been conceived, the first ever official Grand Prix took place around he city and estates of Le Mans in 1906, near the Sarthe River. Although there had been some races and minor events prior to this, the 1906 French Grand Prix signified the first time the spirit of high speed competition was sanctioned by an Automobile club - namely the l'Automobile Club de France. The race beginning on June 25th and finishing a day later started a tradition that is still going over a century later, but now in the form of a famous annual 24 hour Sportscar event on a much shorter 8.5 mile course.
The 1906 event became a testing ground for names that are still highly recognisable in motor sports as the event saw competition between the great rivals of FIAT, Mercedes and Renault - a competition that still takes place in 2010, as those three famous marquee am to do battle in the Formula 1 World Championship.

It seems strange that even way back at the very beginnings of the 20th Century, the cars were able to just touch the 100 mile-per-hour mark as they traversed the 64 mile course. The Grand Prix taking place over the course of two days, consisted of 12 laps with two stints of six laps on either day, giving the first great race a total distance of just over 769 miles.
Hungarian amateur driver, Ferenc Szisz won the race in his Renault AK from Felice Nazzaro's FIAT by 32 minutes with Albert Clement coming home third in his Clement-Bayard machine a further 3 minutes behind the second place man. Only two of the three Mercedes entrants finished the event, albeit 4 hours behind the victorious Szisz, while the third retired nearing the end of the first day.

The victory by Szisz has led to a rather sparse list of racing drivers from Hungary since his victory, with many potential drivers either killed in the wars that took place in Europe thereafter or bound by the communist régime during the second half of the twentieth Century. In 1987, that run seemed as if it might end as Csaba Kesjar tested for the Dutch Formula 1 team, Zakspeed; but unfortunately Kesjar was killed less than a year later in a Formula 3 race at the Norisring circuit in Germany when his brakes failed, pitching his car hard into a tyre wall. The 26-year-old died instantly.
Thereafter the drought continued until 2003, when Zsolt Baumgartner replaced the injured Ralph Firman in the Jordan following a very serious accident - ironically enough, this occurred during the practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Baumgartner competed in the following race as well at Monza, but was replaced by Firman when he was fit enough to return. However the Hungarian was not yet finished with Formula 1 and during the winter he signed a full season deal with the struggling Minardi team for 2004.

As expected, Minardi struggled for results during a hard season as the team lived on the verge of collapse, but despite all the troubles with reliability, money and a general lack of pace, Zsolt Baumgartner scored his and Minardi's only point of the season when he brought the car home in 8th place at the US Grand Prix; having only just missed out on a point at both Canada and Monaco.
Unfortunately at the end of the 2004 season, Minardi dropped the young Hungarian driver - his Formula 1 career seemingly over at the tender age of 23. Admittedly, it was unlikely that Minardi were going to hold on to Baumgartner on the basis of his talents and despite all his best intentions, the money and sponsorship that he brought to the team ran out and Baumgartner was on the sidelines once more. At this stage, the Minardi team were in their death roes and only remained in Formula 1 for one more season, before finally being bought out by Red Bull Racing and renamed Scuderia Toro Rosso.
Baumgartner's career has floundered since and he was named as a test driver for Paul Stoddart's Minardi Team USA team in the Champ Car Series for 2007; however he never took part in any tests and parted with the team soon thereafter. Following the reunification between Champ Car and the Indy Racing League in 2008, Keith Wiggins bought out the remaining shares in Minardi and the team became HVM Racing.
The 28-year-old's website does not look like it has been updated since 2005 (it's hard to tell as it is in Hungarian), so it is conceivable that he is out of motor racing altogether now and with few drivers from that territory coming through the lower ranks of junior racing, it appears that it may be a long time before we see a Hungarian national on the Formula 1 grid again.




Leigh

[IRL] The Concept of a New Chassis, Part 2

Covering the last of the four chassis concepts for the 2012 IZOD Indycar Series. Some thoughts and a quick overview posted at The Formula 1 and Motorsports Archive Centre.
(February 18th, 2010)
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Review: Boca Chica "Valentine EP"

Pittsburgh based Boca Chica certainly know how do impress the Sun.  Even though their city is buried deep in snow, their new EP - Valentine - swims deep in sweet feelings of Spring.

This seven-piece band play folk-drenched indie-pop and while their sounds veer towards the sensibilities of the likes of Camera Obscure, Apostle of Hustle or Ireland's very own Groom, Boca Chica most certainly perform with attitude and aptitude all their own.

Whether it be in Hallie Pritts sublime vocal tones or the careful and considering guitar / banjo duet or the intricate percussion (need I go on..?), the group hint at warm spring sunshine that is both uplifting, yet solemn.

Yet as sweet as the melodies are, at times the lyrics spell out a different telling of the story, such as the chorus line during the opener "Lake Erie";

"...out on the shores of Lake Erie, I know we all will die..."

How wonderfully positive...

It is a trend that is continued the rest of the EP as subtle folk tones ring throughout "Pins and Needles" and the EP's title track, "Valentine".  This is kind of like the wonderus stuff I'd listen to in on the London Underground in the morning in an effort to stop me losing my mind.

The recordings here also possess the nicest drum and guitar mix I've heard in a very long has me mentally running through fields - it is so nice to not have a brick-load of sound rammed down my ear drums.  I can actually hear sound itself!!

I really wish there was a field nearby.  I really wish it wasn't the middle of February.  During the middle of last week, it was already brightening up at 7am - the amazing feeling at seeing the warmth of the sky would have been enhanced by a factor of 10 had this song been on.

The EP closes with the scrumptious "Like Sheep in the Night" and "The Hourglass Waltz" - two absolutely sublime and measured songs that confirm the fact that Boca Chica do heart with gusto and gravy.  Almost to emphasise how honest the band sound, the band slip some slight electronic musings into "The Hourglass Waltz" in the latter phase of the song.  The juxtaposition with the real kit is very nice indeed.  The folk traditionals of banjo and violin swirl around beautifully and cusp the flange driven guitar and vocals sound just right.

Valentine is an absolutely sublime EP and is absolutely deserves to be heard.  Record of the year... it seems we have an early leader.  Great stuff indeed.

Boca Chica - Valentine on Indiecator Records

Boca Chica MySpace

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Leigh

[IRL] An Open Letter to Randy Bernard

A letter from a fan of the IRL to its new CEO.  Some thoughts and a quick overview posted at The Formula 1 and Motorsports Archive Centre.
(February 14th, 2010)
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F1: Reshaping Silverstone

A look at the reshaped Silverstone Circuit. Some thoughts and a quick overview posted at The Formula 1 and Motorsports Archive Centre.
(February 13th, 2010)
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DEAF's Last Hurrah

The final action from Dublin's masters of electronic music, DEAF, shall soon be made available for free from Road Records. Messages Sonores is an on-going project from Peter Maybury and was featured as part of the 2009 Dublin Electronic Arts Festival.

During the festival, participants collected recordings from specific locations and various travels; whether the sounds be from the street, nature, footsteps, conversation or domestic sounds.

These sounds were compiled and edited thereafter and the results pressed onto 100 CD's. Utilising simple editing techniques, the sounds were sequenced to create pieces that suggested movements through space and the passing of time. As well as that, Road Records will exclusively be stocking two other free CD's - the first being No Input Mixing Board by Toshimaru Nakamura and the second by Irish electronic artist Martina McDonald.


Leigh

[IRL] The Concept of a new Chassis

...where I warble on aimlessly about the potential new chassis for the Indy Racing League. Some thoughts and a quick overview posted at The Formula 1 and Motorsports Archive Centre.
(February 10th, 2010)
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Review: Taper Jinx "In Doasaw"

I'm a bit shit. I picked this up about six months ago and have only got around to it now. Admittedly times are busy of course, but that really is no excuse - well, it is technically, but it isn't either.

Regardless of what has been going down these passed few months, it is an absolute shame that it has taken so long to put Taper Jinx's In Doasaw EP on, because it is a rather fine piece of work. Opener's such as "Beef Stroganof" could potentially be a stomper if it wasn't for the fact that its sound deviates from the usual dancefloor drone that pummels unsuspecting folk in unsuspecting discotheques.
Certainly my limbs would indeed be flailing maniacally if I were standing, but right I'm lying down and enjoying it. Add to that, I cannot get the image of four identical people in a Renault Megane blasting this out and shouting "chooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon" in a manner so appalling that it makes one seriously consider opposite-land's equivalent to suicide.
The exchanging rhythms carry on enough for it to work sufficiently without it being overly repetitive; although some of the 80's-esque synth stabs are probably a bit naff and could get annoying upon multiple listens. By the way, is the cover a picture of fish atop a person with a scaly leather suit??

Such thoughts are drowned by the title track, which I am sure is aural equivalent of paralyses. More specifically, does anyone remember the chill-out show that used to be on MTV on Saturday nights, back when Music Television did not mean non-stop showings of some spoilt little cunt from LA getting a fucking Lexus for her 16th birthday? Inklings of that definitely make themselves known throughout "In Doasaw" in a nice way. Such a shame I've never smoked because this song would probably require me to get absolutely fucked off my trolley in a Ketamine-induced-coma sort of way.
On a serious note, "In Doasaw" is a rather wonderful and considerate piece of ambient tainted music. If I were about to have a fight, then this would calm me right down - thankfully I don't fight either; I have neither the will, strength nor stamina.

Mixing vague elements of chiptune and breakcore, "Dogshit Handshake's" only aim is to punch you repeatedly in the stomach, whereas the closer "Epione" takes a slightly more subtle approach, although whether it completely works is a different matter - for all the clatter, it feels like the weakest of the four. I guess a couple of the breakbeats stand a little too high in the mix for my liking, while the synth twistings and break-exchanges makes me think of slicing red peppers in a sensual manner. By the way, I have just eaten.
In Doasaw is definitely a decent effort I suppose and something which should be applauded. Taper Jinx has just released a second via Kaboogie Records called Apnea, which is available from here.
Taper Jinx MySpace
Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Leigh

TFL ban Massive Attack

Well, kind of. Transport for London (TFL) has scuppered any opportunities for the band to advertise their new album, Heligoland, on the London Underground, because apparently the artwork might get mistaken for graffiti.
The album - launched today - contains a cover designed by Tom Hingston and band member Robert del Naja and has been deemed inappropriate due to its similarities to so-called street art.

In order for the band to use advertising space on the Tube, they would need to remove all drips and fuzz for the work, so that it does not look as if it has been spray-painted.
This is quite simply one of the most absurd things I have ever come across, but bearing in mind I use the Tube every day, it is hardly surprising. Surely the fact they poster would obviously be printed placed in specific advertising spots would surely negate any considerations of it being graffiti.
Massive Attack are not the only ones that have fallen foul of such an issue as the Ministry of Sound had to remove advertising for last year's New Years Ever show in the O2, due to "concerns" that the poster looked like street art.


Leigh

NASCAR: A Great Save

A masterful save by Danica Patrick at her début ARCA race at Daytona. Some thoughts and a quick overview posted at The Formula 1 and Motorsports Archive Centre.
(February 7th, 2010)
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GP2: The Return of GP2 Asia

The GP2 Asia Series returns after a lengthy three month gap.
Some thoughts and a quick overview posted at The Formula 1 and Motorsports Archive Centre.
(February 5th, 2010)
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Shane MacGowan Recruits High for Haiti Benefit Record

I have to say that I'm not a fan of charity records. While I applaud the cause that charity records hope to help, the songs are often dreadful pieces of work that the involved artists wouldn't touch with a large rod in normal circumstances (see here for "perfect" example of musical crapness for the love of good). No one ever did this before Midge Ure and Bob Geldof placed a guilt trip on everyone.

Anyhoo, I digress. Ageing punk-rocker Shane MacGowan (now complete with repaired knashers) is putting the finishing touches to his very own charity single for Haiti and has indeed roped in "credible" musicians and sterling intellects to help him get it done.

Late last month MacGowan recruited Nick Cave, Bobby Gillespie, Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jones, Glen Matlock, Paloma Faith and Johnny Depp amongst others to help him record a cover of "I Put a Spell on You" - a track originally recorded in 1956 by Screamin' Jay Hawkins.
Apparently the song is in the bag and is being scheduled for release later this month. Now this I have to hear...


Leigh

Bats and Hunter-Gatherer; Haiti Fundraiser (Twisted Pepper, Dublin; February 4th)

**This is tomorrow folks!!**
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Aoife Barry, author of The Sweet Oblivion Blog and presenter of the Sweet Oblivion Music Show on RTE 2XM, has organised a fundraiser for the charity GOAL; which will be taking place on Thursday February 4th in Twisted Pepper in Dublin.
The benefit show (and bake sale) will take place to raise money for folk affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

The event starts at 7pm, when bakers will begin selling homemade cakes (including vegan sweet pieces and bits minus gluten) and shall continue for the rest of the evening; although at 8pm Dublin bands Bats, Hunter-Gatherer and Groom will commence playing at the venue on Middle Abbey Street. The show will continue in the Mezz when the bands are done, with DJ sets from Nialler9, Popical Island and the Mary Jane Girls.

Tickets for the event can be bought on the door for a measly €10 and the night will also consist of raffle.
For more info and stuff and whatnot, check out the Sweet Oblivion blog or enamour one's self with that Facebook event page.


Leigh

Broadcast (South Bank Centre, London; April 21st)

The Ether 10 Festival takes place in London's South Bank Centre this April. Running from April 16th to the 25th, it boasts an astounding line-up with performances from The Herbaliser (April 16th), Lou Reed's Metal Machine Trio (April 19th), Gil Scott Heron (April 20th), Health and Chrome Hoof (both April 22nd) and Plaid (April 24th) amongst a whole host of other artists.

The stand-out show (for me) takes place on Wednesday April 21st as Broadcast take to the stage with support from Micachu & the Shapes and Oliver Coates.
Broadcast's wildly inventive shows mostly chew up lush electronica and off-kilter dream pop has produced some wonderful efforts over the years and with a new album on the way, they are set to do so once again. They Birmingham based duo also performed at Warp's 20th anniversary tour in London during December and were quite spectacular as they played a set with a mixture of old material and new pieces from their 2009 mini-album, Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age.

To be honest, I know very little about Micachu & the Shapes or Oliver Coates, so I shall reserve judgement until I get round to giving them a blast. In the meantime, doors for Ether 10 are at 7.30pm and tickets for this show are £15; however tickets are very limited, so be quick to get them.
Broadcast MySpace


Leigh

Goldfrapp "Rocket"

Having just heard the new single "Rocket", I have to admit that this is a it of a backward step for the British electronic duo, Goldfrapp. It's actually fairly shit electro-disco to be completely blunt in that it just reminds me of bad 80's electronic music... I mean the really bad stuff that you hear in shit disco's that still do "Sunday Night 80's sets" - the stuff that still makes people cringe in embarrassment.
Featuring some pretty poor Van Halen-esque sounding synths and a really weak piano synth module, I swear this was deliberately formulated to sound awful. Maybe we are about to enter the year where electropop becomes so irredeemably awful, that we will end up hurrying along the resurrection of Kurt Cobain.

I love Goldfrapp - Black Cherry and Supernature were wonderful albums from start to finish, but "Rocket" is just shit - it is Goldfrapp by numbers and probably the kind of song that would not have got passed the demo stage in previous years. This song has slight elements of attempting to recreate moments from the two aforementioned long players; however the rise of Lady Gaga (etc...) in the past couple of years sees this really falls down in comparison.
The new Goldfrapp album, Head First, is out on March 24th on EMI. I can only hope the rest of it is better than this.
Goldfrapp "Rocket" (embedding not available)


Leigh
(Fuck sake - I really need to stop being a fucking cock!! Sorry...)

Review: Los Campesinos "Romance is Boring"

Never been hugely familiar with Los Campesinos having only really heard bits and pieces; however I've been persuaded to try out their third full length effort Romance is Boring (at this point, I am declaring that We Are Beautiful, We Are Doom is an album whether the band like it or not).

Opening with "In Medias Res", Los Campesinos appear to spread their wings somewhat, by displaying more extrovert and jagged sounds signalling that are ready to depart and separate themselves from sugar-coated clowns of conveyor belt indie-pop. A more overt pop direction is grasped with the album's first single "There Are Listed Buildings". Minus some of the sonic challenges that sit within "In Medias Res"; however that is not to say that "There Are Listed Buildings" is your average indie-pop song. It shout, yelps and makes itself known - this is the equivalent of a musical teenager; albeit without the shit-stained lyricism of a broken 15-year-old. By the way, the next song is called "Romance is Boring" - please reread the last few lines and swap this title with "There Are Listed Buildings".
Now - continue. Wait... where was I?? Oh yes...

"We've Got Your Back" and "Straight in at 101" are both like really nice bowls of tomato soup with freshly buttered bread (i.e. - tasty); while its intermediate track "Plan A" is the sound of getting punched in the face with guitar that has procured miraculous hands - quite like Cap Pas Cap or possibly vice-versa or not at all; maybe even Bis if you remove the keyboard, which isn't Bis in the slightest, but attitude with guitars suckered to death by mouth-drying chewing gum. "200-102" reminds of a time I fell asleep on top of a pile of toilet roll in the stock room of a shopping centre - soft, subtle and endearing.
At this point in the album, I really do seriously needed some fucking sleep - or tea, but maybe sleep. Definitely sleep and ironically "Who Fell Asleep in?" is perfect for that. Easily one of the better songs thus far, I can easily wrap myself in a duvet to this - you know that feeling you get when you get all cosy and limbs momentarily tense up and scrunch and kind of make you sigh snugly - that what this song is.

Are the song titles getting longer all of a sudden? Yes, yes they are. Do Los Campesinos fit them into their songs? Sometimes yeah. The stop/start nature of "I Warned You! Do Not Make an Enemy of Me" revels in industrial coffee and ADD to be joined shortly by the disconcerted "I Just Sighed, I Just Sighed, Just So You Know". Don't know if it is an over-active imagination at work, but I swear that I can hear where the vocal lines have had drop-ins in the multi-track; if it is that, then it's a pretty shit error to make. Oooohh-errr... a bathroom-laden guitar... nice (to a degree).

"A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State; or Letters from Me to Charlotte". Not a bad song, but what the fuck is up with the titles? Do they know how difficult it is to memorise this shite - fuck sake!! Beginning to feel like repetition now... well, a little maybe.
The lyrics do endorse the idea of random train of thought principles; that an apparent stream of consciousness turns out to be carefully constructed narrative. It can be brilliant or awful or irrelevant or all three at once - "The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future" falls into the latter category. For a Cardiff band, there appears to be a tendency to flirt with London Libertine accents and even float into touches of Euro-Americanism that touches so many pop-punk or rock bands - why..? It gets irritating. Admittedly the strings are the nicest part of this album.

The intro to "Coda - A Burn Scar in the Shape of the Sooner State" is the sound of a conversation one has with a stranger on public transport, which gets me wondering if anyone noticed that it snowed again over the weekend? The only problem is that after a brief few moments with said stranger, you realise that they are actually a drunken lout badgering you about the wonders and beauty of football. "Sorry mate, I'm more of a car person" and which point the conversation grinds to a halt and an uncomfortable silence ensues. Round about this I decide to jump off at the next stop to avoid the awkwardness, but then again I am rather spineless like that...
Holy shit - it's over!! Hmmm... 15 songs that are OK, but sound mostly the same. Probably could have benefited from knocking off a few tracks and maybe should have had a tiny bit more variation. By the way, this came out yesterday.

Los Campesinos - Romance is Boring
(Spotify) / (Amazon.co.uk)
Rating: 3 out of 5


Leigh

Review: "Le Mans - The Deadliest Crash"

The Le Mans disaster remains, to this day, the most shocking and tragic incident in motorsports history. Approximately 2-and-a-half hours after the beginning of the great race on June 11th 1955, while attempting to avoid a rapidly slowing Mike Hawthorn, Pierre Levegh's Mercedes collided with the back of Lee Macklin. Levegh's car ramped up the rear of the Macklin's Austin-Healey and the Mercedes and its separated engine block plunged into the crowd in the main grandstand on the pit straight.
Levegh himself died, when his magnesium Elektron bodywork alloy burst into flames by the grandstand. Marshals unaware of the car's properties, attempted to douse the flames with water, which caused the Mercedes to be burn white hot and become an inferno.

An official death toll has never actually been tallied, but it is believed to be around 84 spectators and Pierre Levegh. This documentary by Bigger Picture Films contains much in the way of archive race footage and interviews with drivers, mechanics and some survivors from the main grandstand.
It is thorough without being sensationalist or grizzly and tells the story of a truly tragic incident that shaped how races were organised and marshalled for years to come.
The 1955 Le Mans disaster was an absolutely shocking tragedy that is often forgotten by motor racing fans unused to the dangers of the sport. If you need to see one documentary this year, make it this one.
Le Mans - The Deadliest Crash, 2009 (DVD)
Rating: 5 out of 5


Leigh

How to be a News Reporter

A clip from last weeks episode of the satirical BBC show Newsweek, as presented by Charlie Brooker. This excerpt deals with how news reports are constructed and delivered and could indeed represent the solid gold format that every station uses for news reporting - everywhere that is, except for RTE where it is still 1985. where staring blankly into a camera and talking in a dreadful stilted manner is vigorously encouraged.
Most of all, it is a sample of how the truly awful reporting on Sky News actually is for this is there mainstay style.

Charlie Brooker - Newswipe; Series 2, Episode 2



Leigh

F1: GP Prep Drivers Academy

Some thoughts and a quick overview posted at The Formula 1 and Motorsports Archive Centre.
(January 31st, 2010)
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