Download: Bon Iver - MySpace Transmissions EP

Thanks to nialler9 and his fancy new 3.0 blog for pointing out this to me. Bon Iver's MySpace session is available for free download from here:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=155754525&blogID=431845129

It's as always, excellent.

Stream: Ben Folds - Way to Normal

It's here. You can finally listen to the real Ben Folds album Way to Normal, on his MySpace here:
http://www.myspace.com/benfolds

It's the real deal, not the fake leak, the actual album. Although on first listen I may have prefered that fake stuff!

Also, the fake stuff was recorded in Dublin. That has to count for something!

Weekend Gigs: 26-28 September 2008

Friday, 26 September 2008

Joan Baez	Vicar Street	21:00	€44.20
Bowerbirds	Crawdaddy	20:00	€14
Fight Like Apes	Whelan's	20:00	€12
Loaded: Duff McKagan	The Academy	19:00	€28

Saturday, 27 September 2008

Joan Baez	Vicar Street	21:00	€44.20
Ladyhawk	Crawdaddy	20:00	€14
Teddy Thompson	Whelan's	19:30	€20

Sunday, 28 September 2008

OMD

Ambassador Theatre

19:30

€49.20

Download: Those Dancing Days 'Toxic'

One of the highlights of seeing Nickel Creek play CrawDaddy three or four years ago was their cover of Britney Spears' 'Toxic'. It's a great tune that reminds me of my dancing days in the Glenroyal nightclub in Maynooth during first year in college. Speaking of Those Dancing Days, Swedish band Those Dancing Days have covered the song, and have offered it up for download here:
http://www.radarmaker.co.uk/get/thosedancingdays/toxic.mp3

Their debut album In Our Space Hero Suits is released in two weeks' time, on the 6th of October.

Watch the excellent video for 'Home Sweet Home':

Live: Tina Turner sells out four shows

Planning on getting tickets for Tina Turner at the O2? Well, unfortunately the only place you can now get them is on toutless.com or from someone second-hand. Tine 'Simply the Best' Turner has sold out her original date and bonus dates at the O2 next April.

Watch her here from 24 years ago at the Grammy's! Yes, she's been around that long...

Stream: Travis - Ode to J Smith

Just read the reviews in the Metro this morning, and Travis's new record Ode to J. Smith got a whopping five stars. Up there with TV on the Radio. Big surprise, but does it merit that rating?

Find out here, as you can stream it on their MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/travis

Download: Travis - Live at Cois Farraige

Props to a great Irish blog, Indie Limerick for posting up Travis's show from Cois Farraige or Fharraige, I'm not sure, my own Irish isn't the greatest.

Anyhow, it's available from the blog, here:
http://indielimerick.blogspot.com/2008/09/travis-live-at-cois-fharraige-7092008_24.html

Live: Alabama 3 at Tripod

I always think of a country band whenever I hear the name Alabama 3, however these guys are more dirty rock than country. They played the Button Factory in April, and now they're back to perform at Tripod on December 15th.

Tickets cost €25 to €28 and are on sale tomorrow, Friday.

Watch 'Hypo Full of Love' from The Button Factory:

Stream: Vampire Weekend Peter Gabriel 'Ottoman'

Not only is Peter Gabriel covering Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend referencing Peter Gabriel and all that jazz; now they've collaborated on a tune: 'Ottoman'.

You can stream it exclusively here:
http://www.abeano.com/blog/exclusive-new-vampire-weekend-ottoman

Oh, it's worth the listen. Definitely.

Peter Gabriel 'Solsbury Hill' a classic:

Listen: Ryan Adams 'Fix It Up'

By the time you read this, Ryan Adams will have posted about twenty other blog comments. Between those you will find a clip of new song 'Fix It Up' from upcoming album Cardinology.

It's somewhere in here:
http://cave.cardinology.com/

Live: Keane at the O2

Act after act is being announced for the O2 Dublin, God it seems to be called something different everywhere I look. The latest in the line of artists to appear at the former Point Depot will be Keane, who play there on January 25th after their appearance at Belfast's Odyssey two nights before (January 23rd).

Tickets are €39.20, and go on sale this Saturday, September 27th.

Third album Perfect Symmetry will be released next month, on October 10th in Ireland. The tracklisting is as follows:
1 "Spiralling"
2 "The Lovers Are Losing"
3 "Better Than This"
4 "You Haven't Told Me Anything"
5 "Perfect Symmetry"
6 "You Don't See Me"
7 "Again And Again"
8 "Playing Along"
9 "Pretend That You're Alone"
10 "Black Burning Heart"
11 "Love Is the End"

Live: The Faint at Crawdaddy

The Faint are back. After a five year hiatus, they return with new album Fasciinatiion, which will be released this week.

In order to promote that, they're going on a UK & Ireland tour, which includes our very own Crawdaddy in Dublin. The gig takes place on November 17th, ticket details to be announced.

November
17 - Crawdaddy, Dublin
18 - Oran Mor, Glasgow
19 - Academy 3, Manchester
20 - Scala, London
21 - Brighton Digital, Brighton

Watch 'The Geeks Were Right':

Live: Boyzone at the O2 Point Depot

There's no getting rid of Ronan and the boyz! They're back again, on May 26th of next year to play a one-off show at Dublin's renamed O2 Arena.

Tickets are a slightly-alright €35.50 to €49.20, not bad for the Point. They go on sale this Friday.

Oh and I was too lazy to look for a photo or video. It's Boyzone, we know them too well already!

Stream: Fight Like Apes

I had assumed that everyone had heard about the Entertainment.ie stream, but it seems they hadn't. Anyhow, in case you haven't heard, you can stream the Fight Like Apes album, , in its entirety here:
http://entertainment.ie/fightlikeapes/

Oh God, it's good.

Stream: Ray LaMontagne 'Meg White'

No, it's not a duet, it's a tribute to Meg from the upcoming Ray LaMontagne album Gossip in the Grain.

The standout for me is the line "Meg White, You're the bomb". I don't agree, but it sure is funny!

Stream (scroll down to the bottom):
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94629406

Live: Vampire Weekend at the Ambassador

"Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?" may well be the lyric of the year. It will definitely please all those grammar Nazis out there.

New York new-punks Vampire Weekend will play Dublin's Ambassador Theatre on Thursday the 23rd of October. Doors open at half seven, for whatever very special guest is playing (no idea who yet). Tickets are actually on sale now, at a price of €28.

RIP: Mic Christopher

Great post on Mixtape4Melfi honouring what would have been Mic's 39th birthday (yesterday):
http://mixtape4melfi.blogspot.com/2008/09/mic-christophers-birthday-remembrance.html

As some of you know, Mic's Skylarkin is my favourite album ever. And that's a mighty fine achievement, because I'd say I've heard every single album in the book 1001 Albums to hear before you die.


One of my favourite live tracks of him and Glen busking -
Glen Hansard and Mic Christopher - 'You Ain't Goin' Nowhere':