There's a duet between John Mayer and Taylor Swift on John's new album Battle Studies, and you can stream it in full here. Woo!
Stream:
Also, listen to some more clips from Battle Studies here:
and here:
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Preview: X Factor 2009 Live Finals, Week 5
MOVIE WEEK this week on X Factor. Here are the songs all the acts are singing tonight.
Stacey: 'Son Of A Preacher Man' - Dusty Springfield
Lucie: This Is Me - Demi Lovato
Joe: 'Circle Of Life' - Elton John
Lloyd: 'Stand By Me' - Ben E. King
Danyl: 'Purple Rain' - Prince
Jamie: 'Crying' - Roy Orbison
Olly: 'Twist And Shout' - The Isley Brothers/Top Notes
John and Edward: Ghostbusters Theme - Ray Parker Jr.
Stacey: 'Son Of A Preacher Man' - Dusty Springfield
Lucie: This Is Me - Demi Lovato
Joe: 'Circle Of Life' - Elton John
Lloyd: 'Stand By Me' - Ben E. King
Danyl: 'Purple Rain' - Prince
Jamie: 'Crying' - Roy Orbison
Olly: 'Twist And Shout' - The Isley Brothers/Top Notes
John and Edward: Ghostbusters Theme - Ray Parker Jr.
Watch: Muse, o2 Dublin, 6 November 2009
Here's as much of the show that is on youtube so far. If you missed the show, why don't you watch Muse's Irish date at Dublin's O2 Arena last night. It used to be the Point Theatre, you know? The quality varies per video, but at least it'll give you a taste of the gig last night. Do note though, I went for length of song over quality of the video!
(I'll update this with any more I see when/if they are uploaded to youtube!)
Intro & 'Uprising':
'The Resistance':
'New Born':
'Map of the Problematique':
'Supermassive Black Hole':
'Guiding Light':
(Not uploaded yet...)
'Interlude':
'Hysteria':
'United States of Eurasia':
'Feeling Good':
'Unintended':
'Undisclosed Desires':
(not uploaded yet)
'Starlight':
'Plug In Baby':
'Time is Running Out':
'Unnatural Selection':
'Exogenesis Symphony Part I: Overture':
(Not uploaded yet)
'Stockholm Syndrome':
'Knights of Cydonia':
(I'll update this with any more I see when/if they are uploaded to youtube!)
Intro & 'Uprising':
'The Resistance':
'New Born':
'Map of the Problematique':
'Supermassive Black Hole':
'Guiding Light':
(Not uploaded yet...)
'Interlude':
'Hysteria':
'United States of Eurasia':
'Feeling Good':
'Unintended':
'Undisclosed Desires':
(not uploaded yet)
'Starlight':
'Plug In Baby':
'Time is Running Out':
'Unnatural Selection':
'Exogenesis Symphony Part I: Overture':
(Not uploaded yet)
'Stockholm Syndrome':
'Knights of Cydonia':
Setlist: Muse, O2 Dublin, 6 November 2009
I was at this gig in the O2 in Dublin last night, so I should have a live review up pretty soon of Muse's fantastic performance last night. But for now here's Muse's setlist from their only Irish date this year.
Setlist:
Uprising
The Resistence
New Born
Map of the Problematique
Supermassive Black Hole
Guiding Light
Interlude
Hysteria
United States of Eurasia
Feeling Good
Unintended
Bass and Drum Instrumental >
Undisclosed Desires
Starlight
Plug In Baby
Time is Running Out (Foxy lady riff tease outro)
Unnatural Selection
---
Exogenesis Symphony Part I: Overture
Stockholm Syndrome
Man With a Harmonica >
Knights of Cydonia
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Blogs What I Like: Simply Zesty
Simply put, Simply Zesty is one of the best blogs in Ireland. It may well be the best. Actually, it's one of the best blogs worldwide. If you're anyway interested in social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), blogging, search engines, or actually getting more from your internet experience, then this is the blog for you.
Simply Zesty is an Online PR & Social Media company, but one with a marvellous front-end to back up a similarly stellar back-end. They have many clients including telecomunications giants Vodafone, and will be running a "Future of Social Media" Conference next month. They are at the forefront of online marketing, and are a marvellous company.
But it's the blog that I keep revisiting. Full of insightful posts, ones which are incredibly useful to use bloggers, as well as those who just use twitter and facebook to chat to their mates. Some of my favourite posts are their "What is Google Wave" video, Turn Tweetdeck into a search engine, 30 Tips for Writing a Great Blog, and the Ultimate Guide to Facebook.
At the moment, Simply Zesty is Niall Harbison and Lauren Fisher. They're due to expand in the near future, and will probably expand exponentially after that. It's definitely one company I'd love to work for. But I love their blog even more.
Check it out here:
http://www.simplyzesty.com/
Download: Gemma Hayes - Live at Union Chapel, 8 September 2008 Bootleg
Facebook is a useful tool for chatting with your mates and sharing photos. It's also useful if you want something posted on here. Yesterday I asked using the Swear I'm Not Paul Facebook page what artist would my readers like a bootleg of. Andrew McG was the first to reply. He sent me off in search of a Gemma Hayes live show. Here is what I found. This is from Union Chapel in London from the 8th of September 2008. It was recorded by someone who goes by the name of Powermonkey, and is just over 100MBs as a bunch of zipped/rarred .mp3s. You can download a sample song via zshare, and also the entire thing via Megaupload.
Also, click on the pictures above and below for full-size images which you can use as covers - for those of you who still burn everthing to CD.
Setlist:
1] This Is What You Do
2] Happy Sad
3] Nothing Can
4] Home
5] In Over My Head
6] Farewell To The Pressure Kids (Broken Social Scene cover)
7] Chasing Dragons
8] Back Of My Hand
9] Intro >
10] Oliver
11] Something In My Way
12] Easy On The Eye
13] Out Of Our Hands
14] Evening Sun
Sample:
Gemma Hayes - 'Farewell to the Pressure Kids'
Download:
Full Show
And here's what 'Back of My Hand' looked like live that night:
Stream: Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young
Okay, okay, it's no Is This It, but were you really expecting it to be that good? Strokes singer Julian Casablancas released his new album Phrazes for the Young (complete with stupid spelling) in the US today. Thus you can stream the full album before you go off and download the mp3s. If you were looking forward to it as an avid Strokes fan, you probably have it already though.
Stream the full album here:
http://www.spinner.com/new-releases#/1
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Watch: Alphabeat - The Spell
The new single from the Danish popstars is as catchy as anything you'll hear all year. Plus it's way better than a lot of what's in the charts (cough Alexandra Burke cough). Here's the video, thanks to Muzu.tv
.
.
Interview: Glen Phillips of Works Progress Administration
he Works Progress Administration is not quite a supergroup (well it, is but...), instead they claim that it's an expandable collective, centred around Glen Phillips of solo and Toad the Wet Sprocket fame, Sean Watkins from Nickel Creek, and Luke Bulla who was a member of Lyle Lovett's large band. The WPA also features many other performers, including Sara Watkins (fiddle), Benmont Tench (piano), Greg Leisz (pedal steel), Pete Thomas (drums), and Davey Faragher (bass). The self-titled album also features some of the best album art/liner notes I have ever seen. Here is what frontman Glen Phillips had to say about his latest project.
It seems Americans have a fascination with FDR and his programs, Jason Isbell/Drive-By Truckers have 'Thank God for the TVA', and you've named yourself after the Works Progress Administration, why do you think this is? Has Obama's presidency invigorated Newer Deal thought, or is there a more personal reason behind the name?
I think people appreciate the idea of a nation seeing itself as a great community, as opposed to a collection of consumers. The US has confused democracy with unfettered capitalism over the last few decades. The New Deal was based on the idea that our individual labors had worth and dignity, and that our spirit and creativity mattered more than our incomes and possessions. I know that's a fairly basic concept in the rest of the world, but it's become revolutionary in America. I think Obama was voted in with great hopes for a return to those values, but I'm not sure how much change we'll really get. It would be an amazing step for us to get just get back to where we were under Clinton, but that's not quite the same as moving ahead.
When working in a collaboration like this, how do you decide who does what? Take the album for example, how was it decided what songs would appear on it? And when playing live, who orders the setlist? Is it arranged so everyone gets a turn?
Song selection was surprisingly democratic. The writers (Sean, Luke and I) brought in songs we thought would work for the project. We worked on the ones everyone favored. If someone thought something wasn't up to snuff it was shelved. There weren't any hurt feelings in the process. Ideas for covers would come from anybody who had a suggestion.
The three of us all chip in for set lists.
Is it easier to record an album without record company pressure? How does it differ from the usual process?
It's great recording without a company (aside from the lack of funds)- the musicians just choose the best songs and get them the way they want. Then again, I haven't been on a label for a long time, so for me, it's pretty standard. Back with my old band, Sony allowed us to do what we wanted. I didn't realize how unusual that was until later. The idea of signing a writer to a contract and then not trusting them to do good work is bizarre to me. Not that there aren't talented A&R people with good ideas and taste. I just trust musicians more to know what they're doing. We produced this as a group, and managed to put the record together with just 3 days of rehearsal and 5 days of recording. We re-recorded a couple lead vocals and overdubbed some harmonies, but what you're hearing is 99% what came out of us live.
Many of you have had solo careers alongside being in a band, has that helped you all bring something different to this record?
I suppose...I think the group's breadth experience has shown us all that there's no one way to do things, and that we can trust our instincts to lead us where we need to go. The focus is always on the song itself - nobody was concerned about how big their piece of the pie was, so people worked more to create space instead of filling it up. If everyone was showboating, it would be cacophony with eight people wailing away. By always keeping the song in focus, we were able to lay back and keep things from getting too dense.
And how is this record different than the Mutual Admiration Society album that some of the members made a few years back?
First of, Chris Thile isn't a part of it. MAS was Nickel Creek plus me, while this is a completely different monster. With WPA there were eight people with equal power in the studio, multiple lead singers, many more instrumental textures. There's also a lot more energy - MAS was a beautiful record, but a little sleepy. WPA drives a lot harder.
There's some cover tunes on the album, how did these come about?
Some of the covers had been played at Watkins Family Hour shows for a while, others we just picked up along the way.
Who are your main influences on the album?
Each other. The songs cover a lot of ground stylistically, and by sticking to the attitude of being individually minimal but large as an ensemble we fell into our own sound pretty quickly. There's influences from XTC to Hank Williams, Dylan to Radiohead. We're pretty omnivorous.
Do you feel that the WPA is a one-off, or should we expect future albums and tours after this one?
We'd like to do more records. The next one will likely have a slightly different lineup. We've been touring as a five piece, due to a combination of logistics and finances, and have been having a blast. We'll see how things evolve. This has been a real labor of love, and we'd like to keep it going. We'll all be getting back to other projects, but I think there's more to come.
You can find out more about WPA, as well as download their album here:
http://www.wpamusic.com/
Stream the album here:
It seems Americans have a fascination with FDR and his programs, Jason Isbell/Drive-By Truckers have 'Thank God for the TVA', and you've named yourself after the Works Progress Administration, why do you think this is? Has Obama's presidency invigorated Newer Deal thought, or is there a more personal reason behind the name?
I think people appreciate the idea of a nation seeing itself as a great community, as opposed to a collection of consumers. The US has confused democracy with unfettered capitalism over the last few decades. The New Deal was based on the idea that our individual labors had worth and dignity, and that our spirit and creativity mattered more than our incomes and possessions. I know that's a fairly basic concept in the rest of the world, but it's become revolutionary in America. I think Obama was voted in with great hopes for a return to those values, but I'm not sure how much change we'll really get. It would be an amazing step for us to get just get back to where we were under Clinton, but that's not quite the same as moving ahead.
When working in a collaboration like this, how do you decide who does what? Take the album for example, how was it decided what songs would appear on it? And when playing live, who orders the setlist? Is it arranged so everyone gets a turn?
Song selection was surprisingly democratic. The writers (Sean, Luke and I) brought in songs we thought would work for the project. We worked on the ones everyone favored. If someone thought something wasn't up to snuff it was shelved. There weren't any hurt feelings in the process. Ideas for covers would come from anybody who had a suggestion.
The three of us all chip in for set lists.
Is it easier to record an album without record company pressure? How does it differ from the usual process?
It's great recording without a company (aside from the lack of funds)- the musicians just choose the best songs and get them the way they want. Then again, I haven't been on a label for a long time, so for me, it's pretty standard. Back with my old band, Sony allowed us to do what we wanted. I didn't realize how unusual that was until later. The idea of signing a writer to a contract and then not trusting them to do good work is bizarre to me. Not that there aren't talented A&R people with good ideas and taste. I just trust musicians more to know what they're doing. We produced this as a group, and managed to put the record together with just 3 days of rehearsal and 5 days of recording. We re-recorded a couple lead vocals and overdubbed some harmonies, but what you're hearing is 99% what came out of us live.
Many of you have had solo careers alongside being in a band, has that helped you all bring something different to this record?
I suppose...I think the group's breadth experience has shown us all that there's no one way to do things, and that we can trust our instincts to lead us where we need to go. The focus is always on the song itself - nobody was concerned about how big their piece of the pie was, so people worked more to create space instead of filling it up. If everyone was showboating, it would be cacophony with eight people wailing away. By always keeping the song in focus, we were able to lay back and keep things from getting too dense.
And how is this record different than the Mutual Admiration Society album that some of the members made a few years back?
First of, Chris Thile isn't a part of it. MAS was Nickel Creek plus me, while this is a completely different monster. With WPA there were eight people with equal power in the studio, multiple lead singers, many more instrumental textures. There's also a lot more energy - MAS was a beautiful record, but a little sleepy. WPA drives a lot harder.
There's some cover tunes on the album, how did these come about?
Some of the covers had been played at Watkins Family Hour shows for a while, others we just picked up along the way.
Who are your main influences on the album?
Each other. The songs cover a lot of ground stylistically, and by sticking to the attitude of being individually minimal but large as an ensemble we fell into our own sound pretty quickly. There's influences from XTC to Hank Williams, Dylan to Radiohead. We're pretty omnivorous.
Do you feel that the WPA is a one-off, or should we expect future albums and tours after this one?
We'd like to do more records. The next one will likely have a slightly different lineup. We've been touring as a five piece, due to a combination of logistics and finances, and have been having a blast. We'll see how things evolve. This has been a real labor of love, and we'd like to keep it going. We'll all be getting back to other projects, but I think there's more to come.
You can find out more about WPA, as well as download their album here:
http://www.wpamusic.com/
Stream the album here:
Live: Passion Pit at the Olympia Theatre
Woo, Passion Pit have lined up yet another Irish date. They'll be returning to Dublin to play the Olympia Theatre on the 13th of March 2010 (that's a Sunday, so no unlucky Friday 13th nonsense). if you haven't had the chance to check them out live before, I suggest you do as soon as possible. Next March maybe?
Tickets are priced at €21 and go on sale this Thursday, the 5th, at 9 a.m.
Watch Passion Pit - 'The Reeling':
Tickets are priced at €21 and go on sale this Thursday, the 5th, at 9 a.m.
Watch Passion Pit - 'The Reeling':
Vintage Review: Common - BE
Common - BE
Originally reviewed: 25 May 2005
In Ireland and the UK, only the really mainstream hip-hop music infiltrates our musical radar. We get to hear songs by all the usual artists, the superstars. We get to hear Kanye West sometimes. But what we don’t hear is most of the albums he produces or his protégés. Thus the music of John Legend, Talib Kweli, Do or Die and Common is lost to all but the true hip-hop fans. Up to about a month ago I had never heard of Common, much less heard anything by him. So I’m coming into this album with a Common clean-slate. I won’t be comparing this to any of his five earlier albums, because I haven’t heard even one second of them. Maybe this is the best way to review music; you’ll have no expectations of what the album should be.
"Be means to do without trying hard. Be is being able to be natural, the simplicity of life, being in the present moment. Just being. I think some of the most important things I’ve been able to do in life is just be. Be who I am, and at this point in my career and in my life, I chose to just be.” That’s what Common says this album is about, and the album does indeed sell this message. Especially in the reverential closing song, which ends with a Martin Luther King type speech. Although a departure from the rest of the album, this quasi-sermon does not seem at all out of place.
The album includes no skits, as Common and producers Kanye West (who produced 9 of the 11 songs) and Jay Dilla (who produced the other two) wanted to give the album a unified pure sound. West can never be accused of over-producing on this album (as with John Legend’s Get Lifted which is very much under-produced), as it sounds slick and polished with a very tight feel. Kanye himself appears on four of the album’s eleven tracks. But never once overshadows the main event. Common himself declares “I made sure this album was me, I wanted people to feel who Common Sense is at this point. So I didn’t want to go and get a lot of guests, and even when I got people – I’ve got a song with Bilal and John Legend singing, its called ‘Faithful’ but they’re doing more background, it’s not like it’s featuring them. I wasn’t really into putting this guest guy over here, I just wanted to say as a hip hop artist I can hold my own on an album. You know? This album really is expressions of me, expressions of my friends that are married, that work, my younger cousins, you know like young cats I see on the street; I felt like I could be their voice too." This gives the album a much less fragmented sound than other hip-hop albums, and also means it will be far easier for Common to tour!
Lead single, “The Corner” is one of the few songs featuring guest work. But it greatly adds to the track. It has a great layered beat, and again features some Luther King style preaching. Common’s lyrics reflect as he says himself “the reality of the street”. The next single, “Go” also features sparse guesting, once again from Kanye, but also from Kanye’s new best buddy John Mayer. But relax music fans, Mayer does not ruin this track, he just sings very very very basic backing vocals (just the word “go” actually). It’s an excellent follow-up single, and complements “The Corner” perfectly as it follows it on the album. The title track features some nice electronica-style beats along with some really catchy strings, and opens the album perfectly.
“Faithful” is one of the best songs on the album. Bilal and John Legend beautifully accompany the piece. It has all the elements needed for success as a single if released. “Testify” samples a song which I just can’t place, but like the sampling on The College Dropout, this works perfectly. There’s only one qualm I have about this track – it ends too abruptly, and also far too soon. “Love Is” looks at love from various perspectives, and once again could be released as a single. The name of a Sum 41 album is starting to look like it would fit this album perfectly. “Chi-City” sounds like it comes directly from the early 90s. It’s a very straightforward track, with just Common rapping over some simple instrumentation. The only song that’s somewhat disappointing on the album is “The Food” which was recorded live at the Dave Chapelle show. It’s definitely the worst song on the album, and leaves the listener asking would it have been better in the studio? You really have to question what Kanye was thinking when including a live song in the middle of a studio album.
“Real People” brings the listener back to what made the album good in the first place: real lyrics combined with a great melody. The final two tracks are similarly good. John Legend gets some more vocal time on “They Say”, a track that’s better than most of his own Get Lifted album. “It’s Your World” closes the album perfectly, a great hip-hop tune, which segues into a motivational speech. The speech begins with some children saying what they want to be when they grow up, and then Common telling the listener what to be: “Be loved by God as much as God loved Ghandi and Martin Luther King.” What he should have said was “Be loved by God as much as people will love this album.”
Download these: The Corner, Faithful, Testify, Love Is, They Say, It’s Your World
Rating: 8.5 – An absolutely excellent album, which leaves Kanye a lot to do if he wants to better it himself. Only let down by one song, the rest however, are all good enough to be singles.
Originally reviewed: 25 May 2005
In Ireland and the UK, only the really mainstream hip-hop music infiltrates our musical radar. We get to hear songs by all the usual artists, the superstars. We get to hear Kanye West sometimes. But what we don’t hear is most of the albums he produces or his protégés. Thus the music of John Legend, Talib Kweli, Do or Die and Common is lost to all but the true hip-hop fans. Up to about a month ago I had never heard of Common, much less heard anything by him. So I’m coming into this album with a Common clean-slate. I won’t be comparing this to any of his five earlier albums, because I haven’t heard even one second of them. Maybe this is the best way to review music; you’ll have no expectations of what the album should be.
"Be means to do without trying hard. Be is being able to be natural, the simplicity of life, being in the present moment. Just being. I think some of the most important things I’ve been able to do in life is just be. Be who I am, and at this point in my career and in my life, I chose to just be.” That’s what Common says this album is about, and the album does indeed sell this message. Especially in the reverential closing song, which ends with a Martin Luther King type speech. Although a departure from the rest of the album, this quasi-sermon does not seem at all out of place.
The album includes no skits, as Common and producers Kanye West (who produced 9 of the 11 songs) and Jay Dilla (who produced the other two) wanted to give the album a unified pure sound. West can never be accused of over-producing on this album (as with John Legend’s Get Lifted which is very much under-produced), as it sounds slick and polished with a very tight feel. Kanye himself appears on four of the album’s eleven tracks. But never once overshadows the main event. Common himself declares “I made sure this album was me, I wanted people to feel who Common Sense is at this point. So I didn’t want to go and get a lot of guests, and even when I got people – I’ve got a song with Bilal and John Legend singing, its called ‘Faithful’ but they’re doing more background, it’s not like it’s featuring them. I wasn’t really into putting this guest guy over here, I just wanted to say as a hip hop artist I can hold my own on an album. You know? This album really is expressions of me, expressions of my friends that are married, that work, my younger cousins, you know like young cats I see on the street; I felt like I could be their voice too." This gives the album a much less fragmented sound than other hip-hop albums, and also means it will be far easier for Common to tour!
Lead single, “The Corner” is one of the few songs featuring guest work. But it greatly adds to the track. It has a great layered beat, and again features some Luther King style preaching. Common’s lyrics reflect as he says himself “the reality of the street”. The next single, “Go” also features sparse guesting, once again from Kanye, but also from Kanye’s new best buddy John Mayer. But relax music fans, Mayer does not ruin this track, he just sings very very very basic backing vocals (just the word “go” actually). It’s an excellent follow-up single, and complements “The Corner” perfectly as it follows it on the album. The title track features some nice electronica-style beats along with some really catchy strings, and opens the album perfectly.
“Faithful” is one of the best songs on the album. Bilal and John Legend beautifully accompany the piece. It has all the elements needed for success as a single if released. “Testify” samples a song which I just can’t place, but like the sampling on The College Dropout, this works perfectly. There’s only one qualm I have about this track – it ends too abruptly, and also far too soon. “Love Is” looks at love from various perspectives, and once again could be released as a single. The name of a Sum 41 album is starting to look like it would fit this album perfectly. “Chi-City” sounds like it comes directly from the early 90s. It’s a very straightforward track, with just Common rapping over some simple instrumentation. The only song that’s somewhat disappointing on the album is “The Food” which was recorded live at the Dave Chapelle show. It’s definitely the worst song on the album, and leaves the listener asking would it have been better in the studio? You really have to question what Kanye was thinking when including a live song in the middle of a studio album.
“Real People” brings the listener back to what made the album good in the first place: real lyrics combined with a great melody. The final two tracks are similarly good. John Legend gets some more vocal time on “They Say”, a track that’s better than most of his own Get Lifted album. “It’s Your World” closes the album perfectly, a great hip-hop tune, which segues into a motivational speech. The speech begins with some children saying what they want to be when they grow up, and then Common telling the listener what to be: “Be loved by God as much as God loved Ghandi and Martin Luther King.” What he should have said was “Be loved by God as much as people will love this album.”
Download these: The Corner, Faithful, Testify, Love Is, They Say, It’s Your World
Rating: 8.5 – An absolutely excellent album, which leaves Kanye a lot to do if he wants to better it himself. Only let down by one song, the rest however, are all good enough to be singles.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Interview: The Chapters
I've been lucky enough to get to talk to Turlough Gunawardhana from the Chapters, who is having a very busy week this week promoting their excellent new single 'Moving' which was released over the weekend. Here he talks about making their album Perfect Stranger, supporting Neil Young, playing the o2 Blueroom, new single 'Moving', and headlining Dublin's Academy.
Your debut single with 3u came out in April, and the album followed soon after, has everything seemed to happen together? Have you had time to look back on it and think how far you've come already this year?
Everything has happened quite quickly. From signing to 3u - recording the album and then releasing it. It all happened within 4 months. I guess we're always striving to be better so we have to look back and review things but I'm never happy with how things are going. I get a bit anal about things. And if I was 100% happy I'd give up!
The 3u deal was a defining moment for you, especially after all the false starts. You've been together since 2007 and relentlessly touring, was there a time when you felt you'd never make it?
I guess for every Musician/Artist there are always setbacks. It's how you learn form them and move on in the hope of not making similiar mistakes. I think I still have times when I get disillusioned but I think that's all part of being a Moody Musician. Ha. I dont think we've made it. It's just the start and i hope we can grow from here.
You don't think you've made it yet? What about when you supported Neil Young? Surely that was a "we're here" moment?
That was definately a moment I'll never forget. However, I'll be saying we've made it when our Music becomes as timeless as Neil Young's!
Haha, very true. Not many artists make it that far. For now though, you have one excellent album under your belt. Tell us about that.
What would you like to know about the album?
Perhaps about the process of writing and recording it. How you already had some of it done before your record deal fell through.
Well we had around thirty tracks already written before we recorded the album. However, a few weeks before we recorded the album we wrote 'Videotapes' (the first single from the album) and also 'Ukiyo'. We all write together. When we first started playing we agreed that everything would be split equally. We all trust each other's ability musically and when composing. A bass line is just as important as a lyric. Thats our motto! We recorded the album with long time friend and producer of the band, Ciaran Bradshaw. We had approached a lot of producers before one of the deals broke down. But when we signed with 3u we knew there was only one man who could put up with our banter... and it was Ciaran.
Was that an issue with 3u? Were you allowed to choose your own producer or did you agree beforehand that Ciaran Bradshaw would be in control of the album and no-one else?
3u were magnificent when it came to the creative process. They left us alone. They wanted us to go with someone we were happy with. The label didnt listen to the album until we had to decide tracklisting after mixing. Once we chose the track listing it was off to New York to get it mastered. When we gave them 15 tracks... Joe O'Reilly (the head of the label) turned around and said he absolutely loved it! He said "Every song is a single"
What have you done with the tracks that didn't make the cut? Will we see a Neil Young-aping Anthology released way down the line with a bunch of outtakes? Or have those songs been scrapped forever?
Well some of them are played live. We have a song called 'Heart of Glass' which is a alot of peoples favourite song. We had it on an EP and did an Acoustic version of it and had it as a B-side. it got great feedback. But it didnt make the cut as we felt we didnt do it justice when recording it. I would like to think it'll be on the second album, but not sure yet. The new material is slightly different to the first album. I am sure we'll try and do something with the songs that didnt make the first album.
Are there any plans to record that second album in the near future? Or are you going to push Perfect Stranger as much as possible before moving on?
We definately plan on recording the second album very soon. I think the plan is to record it next Summer. But we still plan on pushing 'Perfect Stranger'. We've had alot of interest abroad including Film and TV. So if things work out in that area it might be a good opportunity for Perfect Stranger to grow outside of Ireland.
Yes, I heard about the TV interest. You're going to have some songs on Emmerdale, isn't that right? How did that come about?
Yes Videotapes will be played on Bonfire night on Emmerdale. Our album was passed onto a Script Writer of the show by a friend, and they liked it.
As easy as that! TV is a great way to increase your audience, but has there been any TV or radio shows that you'd never go back to?
Well I have always enjoyed Interviews and playing acoustic sets. We did an Interview with Tony Fenton. And we also played a tune. He was a lovely man. I have to say Today FM was a great studio to be in. Also the staff were very very nice. I've been in a good few stations and some of them have a stale Corporate feel. iRadio 102 Breakfast is great too. The lads and Lass are greta in there. I don't know how they get away with some of the stuff on that show. We just recently did a Live Set in the O2. Which was some experience. It should be online soon. But the crew at the O2 Bluerooms are lovely. I think its its one of very few production companies who know what they are doing when it comes to Live Music on TV.
Hopefully one day you'll be headlining the main stage at the O2, but you do have a huge headlining gig coming up at the Academy. Are you looking forward to that?
Yeah, I can't wait for that one. We've been thinking of ways to make the show interesting. We have a few interesting tricks up our sleeves. I guess we always work hard on our Live show. And we want to make our shows value for money. Only recently Ross (the band's lead singer) has come out of his shell and started running into the crowd. So I/we promise an Entertaining show!
Sounds like it's going to be a fantastic night. Your latest single 'Moving' was released over the weekend, and is getting a lot of airplay. Do you feel it's your best work?
Yeh 'Moving' is regarded by some as the best song on the album.. For me I am a favourite of 'Black Room'. We actually wrote 'Moving' three years ago. But like us it matured.
Like this interview, the decade is just finishing up, so I have to ask: What has been your favourite album of the decade? And do you have a favourite Irish album of the decade?
Good Question, I have to dig deep. Best Irish Record in the last Decade: Fionn Regan The End of History. I love this album. Overall it'd be Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago. The first time I heard his voice I thought it was an African-American from the 60s. I've loved it since.
The Chapters will be playing the Academy on November 20th. Tickets are on sale now and cost €14.50.
Buy the single 'Moving' here:
iTunes
Watch 'Moving':
Your debut single with 3u came out in April, and the album followed soon after, has everything seemed to happen together? Have you had time to look back on it and think how far you've come already this year?
Everything has happened quite quickly. From signing to 3u - recording the album and then releasing it. It all happened within 4 months. I guess we're always striving to be better so we have to look back and review things but I'm never happy with how things are going. I get a bit anal about things. And if I was 100% happy I'd give up!
The 3u deal was a defining moment for you, especially after all the false starts. You've been together since 2007 and relentlessly touring, was there a time when you felt you'd never make it?
I guess for every Musician/Artist there are always setbacks. It's how you learn form them and move on in the hope of not making similiar mistakes. I think I still have times when I get disillusioned but I think that's all part of being a Moody Musician. Ha. I dont think we've made it. It's just the start and i hope we can grow from here.
You don't think you've made it yet? What about when you supported Neil Young? Surely that was a "we're here" moment?
That was definately a moment I'll never forget. However, I'll be saying we've made it when our Music becomes as timeless as Neil Young's!
Haha, very true. Not many artists make it that far. For now though, you have one excellent album under your belt. Tell us about that.
What would you like to know about the album?
Perhaps about the process of writing and recording it. How you already had some of it done before your record deal fell through.
Well we had around thirty tracks already written before we recorded the album. However, a few weeks before we recorded the album we wrote 'Videotapes' (the first single from the album) and also 'Ukiyo'. We all write together. When we first started playing we agreed that everything would be split equally. We all trust each other's ability musically and when composing. A bass line is just as important as a lyric. Thats our motto! We recorded the album with long time friend and producer of the band, Ciaran Bradshaw. We had approached a lot of producers before one of the deals broke down. But when we signed with 3u we knew there was only one man who could put up with our banter... and it was Ciaran.
Was that an issue with 3u? Were you allowed to choose your own producer or did you agree beforehand that Ciaran Bradshaw would be in control of the album and no-one else?
3u were magnificent when it came to the creative process. They left us alone. They wanted us to go with someone we were happy with. The label didnt listen to the album until we had to decide tracklisting after mixing. Once we chose the track listing it was off to New York to get it mastered. When we gave them 15 tracks... Joe O'Reilly (the head of the label) turned around and said he absolutely loved it! He said "Every song is a single"
What have you done with the tracks that didn't make the cut? Will we see a Neil Young-aping Anthology released way down the line with a bunch of outtakes? Or have those songs been scrapped forever?
Well some of them are played live. We have a song called 'Heart of Glass' which is a alot of peoples favourite song. We had it on an EP and did an Acoustic version of it and had it as a B-side. it got great feedback. But it didnt make the cut as we felt we didnt do it justice when recording it. I would like to think it'll be on the second album, but not sure yet. The new material is slightly different to the first album. I am sure we'll try and do something with the songs that didnt make the first album.
Are there any plans to record that second album in the near future? Or are you going to push Perfect Stranger as much as possible before moving on?
We definately plan on recording the second album very soon. I think the plan is to record it next Summer. But we still plan on pushing 'Perfect Stranger'. We've had alot of interest abroad including Film and TV. So if things work out in that area it might be a good opportunity for Perfect Stranger to grow outside of Ireland.
Yes, I heard about the TV interest. You're going to have some songs on Emmerdale, isn't that right? How did that come about?
Yes Videotapes will be played on Bonfire night on Emmerdale. Our album was passed onto a Script Writer of the show by a friend, and they liked it.
As easy as that! TV is a great way to increase your audience, but has there been any TV or radio shows that you'd never go back to?
Well I have always enjoyed Interviews and playing acoustic sets. We did an Interview with Tony Fenton. And we also played a tune. He was a lovely man. I have to say Today FM was a great studio to be in. Also the staff were very very nice. I've been in a good few stations and some of them have a stale Corporate feel. iRadio 102 Breakfast is great too. The lads and Lass are greta in there. I don't know how they get away with some of the stuff on that show. We just recently did a Live Set in the O2. Which was some experience. It should be online soon. But the crew at the O2 Bluerooms are lovely. I think its its one of very few production companies who know what they are doing when it comes to Live Music on TV.
Hopefully one day you'll be headlining the main stage at the O2, but you do have a huge headlining gig coming up at the Academy. Are you looking forward to that?
Yeah, I can't wait for that one. We've been thinking of ways to make the show interesting. We have a few interesting tricks up our sleeves. I guess we always work hard on our Live show. And we want to make our shows value for money. Only recently Ross (the band's lead singer) has come out of his shell and started running into the crowd. So I/we promise an Entertaining show!
Sounds like it's going to be a fantastic night. Your latest single 'Moving' was released over the weekend, and is getting a lot of airplay. Do you feel it's your best work?
Yeh 'Moving' is regarded by some as the best song on the album.. For me I am a favourite of 'Black Room'. We actually wrote 'Moving' three years ago. But like us it matured.
Like this interview, the decade is just finishing up, so I have to ask: What has been your favourite album of the decade? And do you have a favourite Irish album of the decade?
Good Question, I have to dig deep. Best Irish Record in the last Decade: Fionn Regan The End of History. I love this album. Overall it'd be Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago. The first time I heard his voice I thought it was an African-American from the 60s. I've loved it since.
The Chapters will be playing the Academy on November 20th. Tickets are on sale now and cost €14.50.
Buy the single 'Moving' here:
iTunes
Watch 'Moving':
Review: X Factor 2009 Live Finals Week 4
Sham Rock Week this week on X Factor, as it all proved a bit too much for most of the contestants. Luckily, in the end, it all worked out as the worst overall act was voted off, but somehow I doubt that this first-time experience will be repeated next year in Series 7. It would have been a good idea if John Bon Jovi had been their mentor, but as the band were touring, there was no mentor this week. Thus it didn't really matter what week it was. Although Louis did point out that the first time Simon had a rock act, there was a rock week. Don't think that's too far from the truth.
Current bookies' favourite Joe McElderry opened Saturday's live show with the classic cheese rock 'Don't Stop Believin'' by Journey. It was an inspired choice, and made us all feel that Rock Week was going to be a great success. It's no wonder he's the favourite either. A good singer, and he can't stop smiling. Unlike the Incredible Sulk (but more on that later).
My own favourite Lucie Jones was a little out of her depth this week. In her future singing career (if she sticks with it), she'll never be singing rock. She did a soft version of Guns N' Roses 'Sweet Child o' Mine'. A cautious choice, which worked out well, as it didn;t show her failings as a rocker.
Mister strop Danyl Johnson sulked his way through Rock Week when he should've been using it as a chance to shine. Luckily he didn't end up in the bottom two, but with a personality like that, he's sure to exit the show sooner rather than later. He has ruined his image, in my eyes. You'd think a teacher would know better. He did Aerosmith's 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing'.
Lloyd Daniels was having throat problems this week, so a lot was made of that. (The twins were sick too) Luckily X Factor allows sick notes, so Lloyd luckily made it through to the next round. He sang a poor version of Katy Perry's pop tune 'I Kissed a Girl', but was saved in Deadlock by the voters.
I'll only talk about her singing this week, as the rest makes my blood boil. Stacey Solomon sang 'Somewhere Only We Know' by Keane, and did a decent performance of the pop-rock song. Not too many of these songs where straight out rock. Where were the White Stripes or Zep songs? Sorry, I had to distract myself, otherwise I might have talked about Stacey's horrendous voice.
The man with the dead cat on his head, Jamie Archer was in his element this week with Rock Week (specifically for him!). He sang 'Rocks' by Primal Scream, better known as 'Get Your Rocks Off'. He really should've stood out, but was very much pedestrian, and missed his chance to shine. A bit like his hair. No shine whatsoever.
Thank God, this was the week where the awful Rachel Adedeji was voted off. She sang 'One' by U2 (which is probably U2's least rock song). She was actually better than many of the others this week, but I can't stand her and wanted her out. She should've gone a few weeks ago when she was up against Rikki.
Everyone was waiting to see what John and Edward were going to do, and the twins did not let us down this week. They took on the Five version of Queen's 'We Will Rock You' and were highly entertaining (and out of tune) once again. They were sick this week, so there wasn't as much bounding around the stage. That said, they were still fantastic.
Olly Murs closed the show with a very strange song choice. 'Come Together' by the Beatles (and later covered by Michael Jackson) isn't so much a rock song as a jokey pop song. Olly was very good though, and could well make it to the final. He's by far the best of Simon's three acts.
Sunday's live results show brought a version of 'Walk This Way' by Aerosmith, which gave the twins a chance to shine, but didn't really show off anyone else. If there was a rap week, the twins would be brilliant, because they only talk anyway. But that'll never happen. Especially now that Miss Frank are gone, and by the fact that he didn't have them in his category either.
Bon Jovi's new single 'We Weren't Born to Follow' sounds the same as everything else they've ever done, but there was a great moment after when Dermot O'Leary lived his dream and high-fived Richie Sambora! JLS are another X Factor success story (despite being dressed by Louis last year), and they sang new single 'Everybody in Love'. Not my cup of tea, but teen girls love it. Amazingly, they kept their shirts on for the whole thing.
The bottom two saw Rachel battling against Lloyd. Rachel sang Oasis' 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out', and Lloyd took on Billy Preston's 'You are So Beautiful'. The judges once again went to deadlock and Rachel left the show with the least votes. I don't like the whole Deadlock thing. It's a way of pussying out of making a decision. They should bring over Len Goodman to decide. He'd do a great job.
Next week is Movie Songs Week. X Factor winner Leona Lewis will be promoting upcoming single 'Happy', and Cheryl's buddy Will.I.Am will be joined by his Black Eyed Peas. He might even be the mentor too. Might. Til next Saturday...
I leave you with Rachel's finest moment:
Current bookies' favourite Joe McElderry opened Saturday's live show with the classic cheese rock 'Don't Stop Believin'' by Journey. It was an inspired choice, and made us all feel that Rock Week was going to be a great success. It's no wonder he's the favourite either. A good singer, and he can't stop smiling. Unlike the Incredible Sulk (but more on that later).
My own favourite Lucie Jones was a little out of her depth this week. In her future singing career (if she sticks with it), she'll never be singing rock. She did a soft version of Guns N' Roses 'Sweet Child o' Mine'. A cautious choice, which worked out well, as it didn;t show her failings as a rocker.
Mister strop Danyl Johnson sulked his way through Rock Week when he should've been using it as a chance to shine. Luckily he didn't end up in the bottom two, but with a personality like that, he's sure to exit the show sooner rather than later. He has ruined his image, in my eyes. You'd think a teacher would know better. He did Aerosmith's 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing'.
Lloyd Daniels was having throat problems this week, so a lot was made of that. (The twins were sick too) Luckily X Factor allows sick notes, so Lloyd luckily made it through to the next round. He sang a poor version of Katy Perry's pop tune 'I Kissed a Girl', but was saved in Deadlock by the voters.
I'll only talk about her singing this week, as the rest makes my blood boil. Stacey Solomon sang 'Somewhere Only We Know' by Keane, and did a decent performance of the pop-rock song. Not too many of these songs where straight out rock. Where were the White Stripes or Zep songs? Sorry, I had to distract myself, otherwise I might have talked about Stacey's horrendous voice.
The man with the dead cat on his head, Jamie Archer was in his element this week with Rock Week (specifically for him!). He sang 'Rocks' by Primal Scream, better known as 'Get Your Rocks Off'. He really should've stood out, but was very much pedestrian, and missed his chance to shine. A bit like his hair. No shine whatsoever.
Thank God, this was the week where the awful Rachel Adedeji was voted off. She sang 'One' by U2 (which is probably U2's least rock song). She was actually better than many of the others this week, but I can't stand her and wanted her out. She should've gone a few weeks ago when she was up against Rikki.
Everyone was waiting to see what John and Edward were going to do, and the twins did not let us down this week. They took on the Five version of Queen's 'We Will Rock You' and were highly entertaining (and out of tune) once again. They were sick this week, so there wasn't as much bounding around the stage. That said, they were still fantastic.
Olly Murs closed the show with a very strange song choice. 'Come Together' by the Beatles (and later covered by Michael Jackson) isn't so much a rock song as a jokey pop song. Olly was very good though, and could well make it to the final. He's by far the best of Simon's three acts.
Sunday's live results show brought a version of 'Walk This Way' by Aerosmith, which gave the twins a chance to shine, but didn't really show off anyone else. If there was a rap week, the twins would be brilliant, because they only talk anyway. But that'll never happen. Especially now that Miss Frank are gone, and by the fact that he didn't have them in his category either.
Bon Jovi's new single 'We Weren't Born to Follow' sounds the same as everything else they've ever done, but there was a great moment after when Dermot O'Leary lived his dream and high-fived Richie Sambora! JLS are another X Factor success story (despite being dressed by Louis last year), and they sang new single 'Everybody in Love'. Not my cup of tea, but teen girls love it. Amazingly, they kept their shirts on for the whole thing.
The bottom two saw Rachel battling against Lloyd. Rachel sang Oasis' 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out', and Lloyd took on Billy Preston's 'You are So Beautiful'. The judges once again went to deadlock and Rachel left the show with the least votes. I don't like the whole Deadlock thing. It's a way of pussying out of making a decision. They should bring over Len Goodman to decide. He'd do a great job.
Next week is Movie Songs Week. X Factor winner Leona Lewis will be promoting upcoming single 'Happy', and Cheryl's buddy Will.I.Am will be joined by his Black Eyed Peas. He might even be the mentor too. Might. Til next Saturday...
I leave you with Rachel's finest moment:
Watch: Mumford and Sons - Bookshop Sessions
These videos are all taken from an intimate acoustic session Mumford and Sons did in a bookshop. Their album Sigh No More entered the charts at number 11 in the UK last week, and this week I heard them a few times on 2fm. Not too shabby. The last of the four songs, 'Winter Winds' will be released as their next single on December 7th via Gentlemen of the Road and Island Records. Hopefully it'll get even more airplay!
Watch 'White Blank Page' (Bookshop Sessions):
Watch 'The Cave' (Bookshop Sessions):
Watch 'Little Lion Man' (Bookshop Sessions):
Watch 'Winter Winds' (Bookshop Sessions):
Watch 'White Blank Page' (Bookshop Sessions):
Watch 'The Cave' (Bookshop Sessions):
Watch 'Little Lion Man' (Bookshop Sessions):
Watch 'Winter Winds' (Bookshop Sessions):
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