Swear I'm not Paul: 27/09/2009

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Thursday, October 1, 2009

Setlist: Pixies, Olympia Theatre, 30 September 2009

The Pixies only played 65 minutes last night at the Olympia, but when you get to hear the entire Doolittle album, who really cares?

Setlist:
Dancing the manta ray
Bailey's walk
Weird at my school
Manta Ray
Debaser
Tame
I Bleed
Here Comes Your Man
Dead
Monkey Gone To Heaven
Mr. Grieves
Crackity Jones
La La Love You
No. 13 Baby
There Goes My Gun
Hey
Silver
Gouge Away
---
Wave of mutilation (uk surf)
Into the white

Watch 'Debaser' from last night:


Loads more videos on Damien Mulley's blog here:
http://www.mulley.net/2009/10/01/pixies-at-the-olympia-september-30th-2009/

Live: Modest Mouse at Roisin Dubh/Radisson SAS

Bad news Modest Mouse fans, both Dublin shows have sold out. They're also playing the Radisson SAS in Galway via Roisin Dubh on December 5th. However this is also sold out too, and contrary to earlier rumours, they won't be playing Limerick.

Support comes from Frightened Rabbit. Oh you should check out toutless.com for any second-hand tickets which may come available!

Watch 'Float On' live on Kimmel:

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

List: Uncut's Top 150 Albums of the 00s

Uncut Issue 1

This month's Uncut Magazine has a list of their 150 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century so far (i.e. the best ones of the decade or noughties or whatever), and so far I've been unable to locate the full list online. Therefore I'm going to take the time to type them all out for you, and maybe even provide a little review or opinion piece at the end.

150 - Band of Horses Everything All the Time
149 - Ray Lamontagne Trouble
148 - Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand
147 - The Acorn Glory Hope Mountain
146 - Richard Thompson Front Parlour Blues
145 - Iron & Wine Our Endless Numbered Days
144 - Robert Wyatt Comicopera
143 - Leonard Cohen Ten New Songs
142 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever to Tell
141 - Rahel Unthank and the Winterset The Bairns

Great to see Richard Thompson of Fairport Convention making the list, and the stellar YYYs record, but it's a pity Sam Beam's only entry is OEND and at such a low position. And The Acorns album is one I really must check out.

140 - Espers Espers II
139 - Outkast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
138 - Wilco Sky Blue Sky
137 - Elliott Smith From a Basement on a Hill
136 - The Strokes Room on Fire
135 - Willard Grant Conspiracy Regard the End
134 - Radiohead Hail to the Thief
133 - Bruce Springsteen We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
132 - Drive-By Truckers Brighter Than Creation's Dark
131 - Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head

When Q Magazine does a similar list later in the year, expect that Coldplay album to be 100 places higher. Great to see DBT's latest proper album on there (although it's a pity no Jason Isbell solo album made it). I'm surprised at all the Wilco love, and Outkast's entry is more inline with this magazine than all Pitchfork's hip-hop loving.

130 - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
129 - Yo La Tengo And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
128 - Antony and the Johnsons I Am A Bird Now
127 - The Handsome Family In the Air
126 - Neil Young Prairie Wind
125 - The Hold Steady Stay Positive
124 - Brightback Morning Light Brightback Morning Light
123 - Doves The Last Broadcast
122 - Donald Fagen Morph the Cat
121 - Hot Chip The Warning

Doves' The Last Broadcast is one album I would've forgotteb about, but when they burst on the scene with this, we all expected great things. Antony's debut wasn't for everyone but those who liked it, loved it. Wouldn't have put that Neil Young album in my list though.

120 - MGMT Oracular Spectacular
119 - Scritti Politti White Bread, Black Beer
118 - Super Furry Animals Love Kraft
117 - At the Drive-In Relationship of Command
116 - Sufjan Stevens - Michigan
115 - Steven Malkmus & The Jicks Real Emotional Trash
114 - The Raconteurs Consolers of the Lonely
113 - The Shins Chutes Too Narrow
112 - Beirut The Flying Club Cup
111 - Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins Rabbit Furcoat

Aside from the part that they picked the wrong Beirut album, the glaring error here is the inclusion of MGMT. The album is so-so with just three or four good tunes and a lot of filler. It shouldn't be on any best of list.

110 - Steely Dan Everything Must Go
109 - The White Stripes Icky Thump
108 - Comets on Fire Avatar
107 - Paul Westerberg Come Feel Me Tremble
106 - The Go-Betweens The Friends of Rachel Worth
105 - Steely Dan Two Against Nature
104 - Grizzly Bear Veckatimest
103 - Missy Elliott Miss E...So Addictive
102 - The Felice Brothers The Felice Brothers
101 - Neko Case Blacklisted

What is with the Steely Dan/Donald Fagen love at Uncut? I just don't get it. Nor do I get why all these lists seem to include Missy Elliott! But that Felice Brothers record is fantastic, I recommend everyone check it out.

100 - Jim O'Rourke Insignificance
99 - Babyshambles Down in Albion
98 - The Avalanches Since I Left You
97 - Paul Weller 22 Dreams
96 - Rufus Wainwright Want One
95 - Grandaddy The Sophtware Slump
94 - Devendra Banhart Oh Me Oh My...
93 - The Streets A Grand Don't Come For Free
92 - Tom Waits Real Gone
91 - John Cale HoboSapiens

Being English, they had to include The Streets and Pete Doherty, so I'll forgive that. Huge props to Jim O'Rourke and John Cale though.

90 - Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake, it's Morning
89 - Neil Young Living With War
88 - The White Stripes Get Behind Me Satan
87 - Queens of the Stone Age Rated R
86 - PJ Harvey White Chalk
85 - MIA Arular
84 - David Bowie Heathen
83 - Outkast Stankonia
82 - Drive-By Truckers The Dirty South
81 - Okkervil River The Stage Names

Here it starts to get good. Really good. Bright Eyes' highpoint and DBT's highpoint. I think you're on to something. Especially with that White Stripes album and Okkervil River's splendid Stage Names.

80 - Levon Helm Electric Dirt
79 - Kings of Leon Only By the Night
78 - Johnny Cash American III: Solitary Man
77 - Kanye West The College Dropout
76 - Beck Seachange
75 - Gorillaz Demon Days
74 - Elbow Asleep in the Black
73 - Elliott Smith Figure 8
72 - Emmylou Harris Red Dirt Girl
71 - TV on the Radio Dear Science

Levon Helm's newest hasn't had time to grow on me yet, must give it another listen. KoL and TVotR were two of last year's biggest albums, and that Johnny Cash album is his finest 00s work in my opinion.

70 - The Good, The Bad & The Queen The Good, The Bad & The Queen
69 - Arctic Monkeys Favourite Worst Nightmare
68 - D'Angelo Voodoo
67 - Midlake The Trials of Van Occupanther
66 - Jay-Z The Blueprint
65 - Rufus Wainwright Poses
64 - Lift to Experience The Texas-Jerasulem Crossroads
63 - The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang
62 - Ghostface Killah Fishscale
61 - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds The Lyre of Orpheus/Abbatoir Blues

Whatever happened to D'Angelo anyway? That album wasn't too bad now that I remember. Although I don't know much about Lift to Experience, and I never thought that Stones album was all that fantastic.

60 - Loretta Lynn Van Lear Rose
59 - The White Stripes De Stijl
58 - Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
57 - Robert Wyatt Cukooland
56 - Sonic Youth Murray Street
55 - Bjork Vespertine
54 - Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs
53 - Interpol Turn on the Bright Lights
52 - Dizzee Rascal Boy in Da Corner
51 - Warren Zevon The Wind

That was the album Dizzee won the Mercury with, so a shoe-in. Great to see Loretta and Warren, as well as another Robert Wyatt album getting the credit they deserve.

50 - Cat Power The Greatest
49 - PJ Harvey Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
48 - Ry Cooder Chavez Ravine
47 - The National Alligator
46 - Drive-By Truckers Souther Rock Opera
45 - Solomon Burke Don't Give Up on Me
44 - The Libertines Up the Bracket
43 - The Streets Original Pirate Material
42 - Richmond Fontaine Post to Wire
41 - Bruce Springsteen Magic

Surprising that this is the only Libertines album to make it, as I think the self-titled follow-up is just as worthy. Also, no sign of Boxer which is equal to Alligator.

40 - Boards of Canada Geogaddi
39 - Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend
38 - Ryan Adams Gold
37 - The Raconteurs Broken Boy Soldiers
36 - Johnny Cash American IV: The Man Comes Around
35 - Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
34 - Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago
33 - Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion
32 - Calexico Feast of Wire
31 - My Morning Jacket It Still Moves

With lists like this, it's hard to fit newer albums into a whole decade. Thus Animal Collective's new one appears this high, as do Vampire Weekend and Bon Iver, but I feel in decades to come, Bon Iver is probably the only one any of us will still be listening to.

30 - Sufjan Stevens Illinois
29 - Neil Young Chrome Dreams II
28 - Queens of the Stone Age Songs for the Deaf
27 - The Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America
26 - Lambchop Nixonland
25 - Radiohead Kid A
24 - Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
23 - Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man Out of Season

22 - Blur Think Thank
21 - Joanna Newsom Ys

Far too much Neil Young on here (those albums are only good, not great), and Hold Steady hardcore fans would argue for their second album Separation Sunday, but the sore thumb here is that awful Beth Gibbons album. Nowhere near as good as anything Portishead have ever done. Joanna Newsom is fantastic though.

20 - Amy Winehouse Back to Black
19 - Bruce Springsteen The Rising
18 - Kate Bush Aerial
17 - The White Stripes - Elephant
16 - LCD Soundsytem Sound of Silver
15 - Radiohead In Rainbows
14 - Primal Scream XTRMNTR
13 - Gillian Welch Time (The Revelator)
12 - Portishead Third
11 - The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Great selection all-round, especially ranking In Rainbows ahead of Kid A. Aside from all the price fanfare, that's a phenomenal album, as is Kate Bush's Aerial. Got to love the inclusion of Gillian Welch too.

10 - Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes
9 - Ryan Adams Heartbreaker
8 - Bob Dylan Modern Times
7 - The Arcade Fire Funeral
6 - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Raising Sand
5 - The Strokes Is This It
4 - Brian Wilson Smile
3 - Wilco A Ghost is Born
2 - Bob Dylan Love and Theft
1 - The White Stripes White Blood Cells

Two Bob Dylan albums in the top ten? Now that's just wrong, and do the Fleet Foxes deserve to be there? probably not. But when it comes to the number one album, I'm hard pressed to find a real reason to disagree. It's one of the defining records of the decade (along with #5) and is definitely a worthy chart topper.

I recommend you buy the magazine itself, the album blurbs are fantastic, and the piece on Jack White is wonderful. (P.S. that's issue #1 in the picture above)

Stream: 7 Worlds Collide - Sun Came Out



7 Worlds Collide is the collaboration of Neil Finn, Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway, Johnny Marr, KT Tunstall, Lisa Germano, Wilco, Tim Finn, Bic Runga and Don McGlashan of the Mutton Birds. A whole cast of great musicians. Together they've made a fine album with some really great tunes (some filler too, especially on the double disc version). But it's an album worth hearing. It came out yesterday and you can stream it in full online.

Stream:
7 Worlds Collide - Sun Came Out

Live: The Low Anthem at Whelan's

Another 2010 gig announced! The Low Anthem will be playing Dublin's Whelan's on February 8th, 2010. Tickets will cost €18, and go on sale this Monday.

Watch The Low Anthem - 'Charlie Darwin':

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Stream: Miranda Lambert - Revolution

Miranda Lambert - Revolution

Miranda Lambert is one of the most consistent artists this decade, regardless of genre. Each and every one of her albums thus far (all two of them) has been fantastic, and her third Revolution promises to be just as stunning. The album came out today in the US, and if the Dead Flowers EP is anything to hint at (although there's only one new song on there), this is going to be one of the country albums of the year, and a pop-country classic. You can stream the album in full to see what I mean.

Stream:
Miranda Lambert - Revolution

Album News: Jason Molina and Will Johnson - Molina & Johnson

Molina and Johnson self-titled cover art

Jason Molina of Magnolia Electric Company and Will Johnson of Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel have teamed up to release their own self-titled record. Molina and Johnson will be out on November 3rd and promises to be a real subdued listen. It's going to be awesome.

Tracklist:
Twenty Circles To The Ground
All Falls Together
All Gone, All Gone
Almost Let You In
In The Avalon/Little Killer
Don’t Take My Night From Me
Each Star Marks A Day
Lenore’s Lullaby
The Lily & The Brakeman
Now, Divide
What You Reckon, What You Breathe
For As Long As It Will Matter
34 Blues
Wooden Heart

Setlist: CODES, The Academy, 26 September 2009

CODES played a wonderful headline show at the Academy on Saturday night to promote their debut album TreesDreamInAlgebra, which I previously reviewed here. They opened the show with the splendid 'Malfunctions', and from then on you knew it was going to be a marvellous show. If you get the chance to see them on the road any time in the future, I really suggest, nay, demand that you go!

Setlist:
Malfunctions
This Is Goodbye
Guided by Ghosts
Our Mysteries / {Missed Histories}
Cities
Starry Eyed
Truer Words
In Algebra
---
Acoustic intro >
You Are Here
Magnetic North
4 Winters

Here's a short clip of the gig that has made its way onto youtube:

Live: Baddies at the Academy 2

This week, the extremely promising Baddies will be playing the Academy in Dublin. They'll be downstairs at the lovely Academy 2 on October 1st, with tickets priced at a very cheap €11.50! Doors are at 8, and you can buy tickets at the door.

Watch Baddies 'Open One Eye':

Monday, September 28, 2009

TV: X-Factor 12 Live Finalists Leaked

So, Judge's Houses are next weekend. I bet you all can't wait. I know I can't. X Factor is one of my biggest guilty pleasures, because it actually features talented people. (Forget last year's Final Trio, that was a blip. But no-one can doubt the pop excellence of Shayne Ward and Leona Lewis!)

You came here looking to find out which twelve acts made the live finals, right? Well I've gotten my hands on what appears to be a leak of all the live acts, and if you don't want any spoilers, look away now. If you do want to know who made the live finals for 2009, keep reading...

BOYS
Lloyd Daniels


Rikki Loney


Joseph 'Joe' McElderry


GIRLS
Rachel Adedeji


Stacey Soloman


Lucie Jones


OVER-25s
Jamie Archer (Jamie Afro)


Danyl Johnson


Olly Murs


GROUPS
Kandy Rain


John And Edward Grimes


Miss Frank


Review
Oh and by the way, my favourite at this stage is Daniel Johnston, who is in the strongest category by miles, and my least favourite are those two Irish gobshites John and Edward in the worst category. The Overs have three very good acts, both Olly and Jamie Afro are exquisite showmen, but it's surprising one of the ladies didn't make it through there.

The Boys also have strong-ish acts, with Joe standing out so far for me. Plus he's from Cheryl's neck of the woods, so that'll help him get some extra tuition! The Girls have two strong acts in Rachel and Lucie, but the wrong Stacey from Judge's Houses was put through. Stacey McLean would've been better.

The Groups group is very disappointing this year, with only one good act - Miss Frank. They'll bring something different to the competition, as their unique takes on pop standards have shown so far. However, Kandy Rain are more style than substance, and John and Edward are the worst X-Factor act since Same Difference. In fact they are the worst sibling act I have ever seen, they make Donna & Joe look like Oasis.

Watch: Pearse McLoughlin - Ways to Kill a Werewolf

'Ways to Kill a Werewolf' is the new single from Pearse McLoughlin's excellent album Busy Whisper. Keeping it in the family, Pearse indulged in a bit of nepotism and enlisted his brother to direct this fantastic video.

Watch Pearse McLoughlin - 'Ways to Kill a Werewolf':