Swear I'm not Paul: 15/11/2009

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Preview: X Factor 2009 Live Finals, Week 7

Wham and George Michael Week this week on X Factor, where we're into the seventh of the live finals! What are the twins singing this week? And do you have 'Faith' that Lloyd will stay in?

Stacey Solomon - 'I Can't Make You Love Me'

Joe McElderry - 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me'

Lloyd Daniels - 'Faith'

Danyl Johnson - 'Careless Whisper'

Olly Murs - 'Fast Love'

John and Edward Grimes - 'I'm Your Man'

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Watch: Mumford and Sons - Winter Winds

'Winter Winds' is the latest single from Mumford and Sons' splendid debut album Sigh No More. They've released a lovely little video for it. Check it out here.

Cancelled: Elton John at the O2 Fully cancelled

Elton John's postponed gig has now been fully (and officially) cancelled. Thus there won't be a new date in December as expected. You can get a full refund on your tickets at point of purchase.

Elton was meant to be playing the O2 on October 30th, but cancelled due to illness.

Here's what you missed out on:

RIP: Ireland's World Cup

Another empty summer. There has and will be loads written and said about what happened last night. Here are some of my favourites already.

Niall wrote an excellent piece on why we should take positives from last night:
http://sarxos.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/a-salute-to-the-boys-in-green/

My own epic poem on culch.ie:
http://www.culch.ie/2009/11/19/on-the-main-an-epic-tragedy-in-six-halves/

Blaithín encourages you to complain (without swearing) to FIFA:
http://www.culch.ie/2009/11/19/handballgate-a-nation-in-mourning/

My favourite of the Facebook groups:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thierry-Henry-should-play-GAA/198139629574?ref=nf&v=wall

Dave and Siobhan from Dublin's 98 fm do a pastiche of 'Beat It':

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Download: John Mayer - Williamsburg Bootleg (11.16.09)

This excellent recording and upload was provided by Miguel (Geckoman) of John Mayer at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York, from Monday night. (Yes, there's a bootleg out there already). Thanks so much to Miguel for this, and to Lenny for the oh-so-fantastic cover art.

John plays a lot of material from the new album Battle Studies, and you can download a sample mp3 of 'Who Says' live in NYC below, before downloading the full .zip file.

John Mayer
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, New York City, NY
November 16, 2009

Waiting was cut off, I must have pressed the pause button but I resumed it towards the end. Missing the last minute (maybe less) of FLON

1. Heartbreak Warfare
2. Vultures
3. Crossroads*
4. I Dont' Trust Myself (With Loving You)
5. Perfectly Lonely
6. John talking
7. John talking
8. John talking
9. Why Georgia
10. Steve Jordan drumming > Waiting on the World to Change (cut)
11. end of Waiting
12. Comfortable > Free Fallin'
13. Edge of Desire
14. Belief
15. War of My Life
16. Half of My Heart
17. Bigger than My Body
18.. Gravity part 1
19. Gravity part 2
20. Who Says
21. John's "congregation"
22. Friends, Lovers Or Nothing (cut by 30 secs. to 1min)

Sample:
John Mayer - 'Who Says' (16 Nov 09)

Download:
Full Show

Album News: Beach House - Teen Dream

Beach House are another band who have announced a 2010 album. But their 2010 album has already leaked to the internet in 2009. I haven't heard it myself, but people are telling me that Teen Dream is their best and most consistent record yet. So it'll be great when it actually does come out properly on January 26th (that's the same date as the Magnetic Fields, below). For those of you sticking on the legal side of things, you can download an mp3 of 'Norway' below.

Tracklist:
01. Zebra
02. Silver Soul
03. Norway
04. Walk in the Park
05. Used to Be
06. Lover of Mine
07. Better Times
08. 10 Mile Stereo
09. Real Love
10. Take Care

Download:
Beach House - 'Norway'

Album News: The Magnetic Fields - Realism

Following on from their excellent Distortion, The Magnetic Fields are set to drop Realism in early 2010. It'll come out on January 26th and should be excellent. Nonesuch had this to say about the record: "The follow-up to 2008’s Distortion finds Stephin Merritt drawing inspiration from late 1960s / early 70s orchestral and psychedelic folk for an all-acoustic set." Nice!

Tracklist:
01 "You Must Be Out of Your Mind"
02 "Interlude"
03 "We Are Having A Hootenanny"
04 "I Don't Know What To Say"
05 "The Dolls' Tea Party"
06 "Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree"
07 "Walk a Lonely Road"
08 "Always Already Gone"
09 "Seduced and Abandoned"
10 "Better Things"
11 "Painted Flower"
12 "The Dada Polka"
13 "From a Sinking Boat"

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

List: NME's Top 50 Albums of the 00s

Yet another list from a UK Music Magazine. NME always prided itself on being the cool UK Magazine, well since it changed its name from New Musical Express, and since Melody Maker disappeared along with Cliff Richard's shadows. So what's their list of the Best albums of the decade like? Keep reading.

50. MIA - Arular
49. Muse - Absolution
48. Walkmen - Bows and Arrows
47. Brendan Benson - Lapalco
46. Delgados - The Great Eastern

This list starts so much better than many others. It's great to see one of Benson's solo albums getting a mention, especially Lapalco rather than The Alternative to Love. MIA's Arular is also a great choice. Muse's Absolution is half a great album, and half an average one. Their follow-up was far better.

45. Avalanches - Since I Left You
44. Outkast - Loveboxxx/The Love Below
43. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
42. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
41. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

The Avalanches are also a fantastic pick, Since I lfet You is a marvellous album. Outkast's record was overrated at the time, and people should have realised that by now. Yes, it had some fantastic singles, but it had little else. YHF: yes!!!!!!!

40. Ryan Adams - Gold
39. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
38. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
37. The Knife - Silent Shout
36. Spirtualized - Let it Come Down

The Knife are one of those Picthfork-hyped bands that people should have enough sense not to listen to. Yes, they are alternative and all, but the music is awful. Bloc Party's debut was fantastic, and Ryan Adams' second album is even better. Pity it's his only entry on the list.

35. Babyshambles - Down In Albion
34. Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump
33. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
32. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
31. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

This is where the English love-in starts. Babyshambles album one of the best of the decade? I hardly think so. I love Pete and all, but the two Libertines records are more than enough. However, I can't argue with the inclusion of any of the other four albums. Yes, even Neon Bible. Looking back, it's probably a better album than Funeral. It's more consistent, certainly.

30. Elbow - Asleep In The Back
29. Super Furry Animals - Rings Around The World
28. Johnny Cash - Man Comes Around
27. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
26. Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner

More and more UK albums starting to appear now (don't worry, I'll offset this by having Irish albums in my best albums of the decade list). Great to see a nod to Johnny Cash and the Furries. No problems with either of the other three either.

25. Rapture - Echoes
24. The Libertines - The Libertines
23. Klaxons - Myths Of The Near Future
22. Jay-Z - The Blueprint
21. The Coral - The Coral

However, here I have some problems. There is no way either the Rapture or the Coral should be here. Especially the Coral. If you want to include them on a list, put them at number 50, not 21. The new Klaxons album I'm not sure about either. There were many albums ranked lower that are far better in every way.

20. Blur - Think Tank
19. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
18. The White Stripes - Elephant
17. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
16. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free

Having two White Stripes albums in a row is very strange, but it's also damn accurate. They all should be on this list. Ahead of the Streets though. Major props to putting Think Tank on here, as it's a fantastic album that many have forgotten about - especially since they got back together and performed at Glastonbury.

15. Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf
14. Radiohead - Kid A
13. The Shins - Wincing The Night Away
12. LCD Soundsystem - The Sound Of Silver
11. At The Drive In - Relationship Of Command

Fantastic to see Kid A not topping this poll. In no way is it the best album of the decade. One of the best surely, but not worthy of the number one spot. Songs for the Deaf is Josh Homme's finest moment, and something he will never top. I never got into ATDI though.

10. Radiohead - In Rainbows
9. The Streets - Original Pirate Material
8. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
7. Arcade Fire - Funeral
6. PJ Harvey - Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea

In Rainbows ahead of Kid A? Controversial. But correct. It's a much better album. Especially after you forget about how much you actually paid for it. Meh on the Streets' debut though. But PJ Harvey's Stories is all kinds of amazing.

5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell
4. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
3. Primal Scream - xtrmntr
2. The Libertines - Up The Bracket
1. The Strokes - Is This It

That is a fine top five. Whether we'll be looking back in twenty years time on Alex Turner's first impression is another question, but it certainly deserves praise. (Although Sheffield's Richard Hawley also does, and there's no sign of him on this list!) The top 3 is nice. The Strokes album could well be the best album of the decade. It certainly inspired more albums and bands than any other record this decade.

Album News: The Very Most - Winter EP

It's that time again, the lights are on in Dublin, A Christmas Carol is on in the cinema, Richard Hammond is advertising crap on TV, and Marks and Spencers think we associate a girl in knickers with Christmas. Red and white knickers and a long white beard maybe, but not the one in their ads.

It's also time for the Very Most to release their final seasonal EP, Winter. You can stream it entirely at Indiecater Records, and then buy it for 2 euro. 2. Two! Bargain!

Also, you can download a little sample mp3 of it here, if you really want. But 2 euro!

Sample:
The Very Most - 'Away in a Manger'

More info/buy:
http://www.indiecater.com/the-very-most-winter/

Album News: Wanda Jackson featuring Jack White - Untitled

Yet another Jack White project planned for 2010. He already is intending a second Dead Weather album and a new White Stripes record, Jack is also going to produce another album from a legend.

He produced Loretta Lynn's stunning Van Lear Rose back in 2004, and will now be producing Wanda Jackson's new album. Here is what Jackson had to say about working with White: "They had a super album, but he didn't have her do anything different. She just did her little Loretta Lynn songs. But he told me he's gonna stretch me some, so we'll see."

She still sounds great. Check her out here in 2007:

Monday, November 16, 2009

Download: The Hold Steady - Manchester Academy 2008 Bootleg

The Hold Steady are known for putting on great live shows. I haven't been able to get my hands on a bootleg from any of their Irish gigs (they played Dublin's Academy a few times), but here's the closest I could get, from Manchester's venue of the same name. Academy 2 on February 26th, 2008.

Setlist:
01. Hornets! Hornets!
02. Stuck Between Stations
03. Banging Camp
04. Chips Ahoy!
05. Massive Nights
06. Party Pit
07. Constructive Summer
08. Multitude of Casualties
09. Stevie Nix
10. You Can Make Him Like You
11. Cattle and the Creeping Things
12. Stay Positive
13. Your Little Hoodrat Friend
14. Southtown Girls
15. First Night
16. How a Resurrection Feels
17. Killer Parties

Download:
Part 1
Part 2

Watch 'Stay Positive' from the gig:

Review: X Factor 2009 Live Finals Week 6

Stage Invasions, Deadlock, Vanilla Ice, Pineapples, this week's X Factor had it all. Especially the bloody deadlock. Six weeks in, five deadlocks. It's getting bloody ridiculous. Just as ridiculous as that stupid noise when it goes to Deadlock. It's not tense the fecking fifth time!

Anyhow, on with the show review. This week was Queen Week, so Brian May and Roger Taylor were celebrity mentors (yay! The mentors are back). So every song was a cover of a Queen song. Well, except one. But if Simon can bend the rules, certainly Louis can too! (Oh and I predicted the bottom two right on twitter yet again.)

Jamie Archer opened the show with 'Radio Ga Ga'. It was probably his worst performance of the series, and a far cry from his first audition where he sang 'Sex on Fire' by Kings of Leon. I always thought he was a bit pompous anyway. We won't be seeing any more of him as the arrogant git lost out in Deadlock. Obviously the public liked him as much as his barber. Maybe now he can wash and get rid of those lice.

Lloyd Daniels was better this week, but even still he's the worst in it by a mile. At least John and Edward are entertaining. Lloyd is dull. And have you heard him being interviewed? I've had better conversations with my morning Weetabix! He sang 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', but I didn't really notice what he was doing due to the fact he was using my draughts/checkers board as a costume, complete with dire leather trousers. Lucky to stay in. Very, very lucky.

Eventual winner Olly Murs (yes I know I said Lucie a few weeks back, but people are stupid) sang 'Don't Stop Me Now' and was once again very assured. He's the most consistent performer and is a great entertainer. Pity he wears awful Fred Perry clothes. He's better in a suit.

Teen heartthrob Joe McElderry once again performed the 10 degree head tilt. (See Popjustice's hilarious article on it here.) Oh yeah, sorry, where was I? Yes, he sang 'Somebody to Love' which was great. He'll be in the final too. The ladies love him. Awww, he's so cute.

Every week, we wait for John and Edward, and every week they are fantastic. (This week I watched the repeat, not the live show, as Ireland were playing France, but had to still watch the twins regardless. I missed nothing in the game, luckily.) They sang, no wait, rapped 'Ice Ice Baby' with about twenty seconds of 'Under Pressure', but it all makes Brian May more money, so why dispute it? They were hilarious, and are actually improving from week to week. Simon even liked it, saying that it was good for "JEdwardland". Think he's coined a phrase there. I don't think it was fair on the other acts that they already had their celebrity duet though. Calvin Harris did his best to show them up by dancing beside them with a pineapple on his head and then ran off. At the time it seemed like a natural part of the performance, but Holly told us it wasn't on Xtra Factor. Still great though.

Stacey Solomon is a totally different person on stage than when speaking according to Brian May. No shit. You can actually understand her when she's singing. This week her nose took on 'Who Wants to Live Forever'. I was bored, but plenty weren't. She's still in it. God is she dull. And absolutely crazy. In a bad way. Not in the kooky Paul Thomas Anderson way.

Massive mouthed Danyl Johnson (who am I to talk, my mouth is huge too) opened his gob this week to ~~let bats fly out~~ sing 'We Are The Champions' complete with stage school clapping. It was like a horrid adult High School Musical. Terrible. Hopefully him or gormless Lloyd will go next week.

The Group song this week for Sunday's Live results show was a very much lip-synced 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. I thought this was a singing show. Obviously none of the contestants have the X Factor either. In my opinion, John and Edward should just be allowed mime every week now. Alexandra did it, why can't they?

Shakira's new song may sound good on the radio but live it was horrible. She also had some limboing drummers which made absolutely no sense. Although if I could shake my belly I'd make a career out of it too.

This year the charity single which is destined for number one is all 12 finalists singing the late Michael Jackson's 'You Are Not Alone'. They mimed that too, but even still Rikki Loney did not miss his chance to be awful. And it was nice to see Kandi Rain take time out from filming their latest porno movie to come back on the show.

The sing-off was Jamie and Lloyd this week, and once again went to deadlock. Lloyd was actually better in the singoff, in my opinion, as Jamie's song choice of 'The Show Must Go On' was awful. He did not do it any justice. Lloyd played safe, but it worked. He's still on the show. For only one more week, hopefully.

Next week is... I'm not sure. But Susan Boyle and Mariah Carey will be on it. Come on the SuBo! She's crazy in a good way, unlike Stacey. "Rarer than caviar" allegedly.

Live Review: Yusuf Islam, O2 Dublin, 15 November 2009

Cat Stevens has long been a divisive fellow. From his name change to Yusuf Islam and his conversion to a different religion, he's always gotten strange gasps from even his most ardent followers. Last night at the O2 in Dublin was no different. It was definitely one of those "you had to be there" moments. Billed as Yusuf/Cat's first ever live performance in Ireland, it half lived up to the billing.

To sum up what happened (how can you really sum up what happened?), Yusuf Islam performed for around twenty minutes acoustically, then introduced his band, and played another twenty minutes with them. After that, he introduced his intermission act, 'Moonshadow the Musical'. The musical was a treat, it really was, but a lot of the fans who paid almost a hundred euro for tickets did not want to see the Irish debut of a West End performance when they had paid for the Irish debut of Cat Stevens.

Following the musical, he and his band returned to the stage again, by this time however, some of the disenchanted audience had left (they had booed too), but those who had stayed on heard him joke that he now knew how he fell when Dylan turned electric. They also got a very special encore performance of 'Father and Son' where Cat was joined by Ronan Keating.

The musical itself is a bit unusual, the story is quite complex, but allegedly what we got last night was a preview of it. I doubt many people will be going over to London especially for it, nor will a quarter of the audience plan on seeing Yusuf Islam in a live setting again. (It wasn't a fifty-fifty split, although some of the people who did stay on were only holding out hope he would return.)

Everybody else though, seemed to really enjoy it. Especially when Cat Stevens was on stage himself doing what he does best. I did not know too many of the newer songs, such as 'Roadsinger', but old hits such as 'Peace Train, 'Where Do The Children Play' and 'Moonshadow' went down a treat. 'Tuesday's Dead' was a real highlight of the show, and Islam/Stevens was really in flying form once he got going.

The tour was billed as the I Guess I'll Take My Time tour, and it certainly lived up to its name. But for some people (not the majority) far too much of their time was taken up. It's an awful pity that the return of a legendary performer didn't go down better.

(Photo thanks to mgonamission, see more here.)

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Setlist: Backstreet Boys, O2 Dublin, 13 November 2009

Everybody! Backstreet's Back in Dublin. Well they were, for one night only. Backstreet Boys played Dublin's O2 Arena (formerly the Point Theatre) on Friday night, and went down a storm! They visited Ireland as part of their European This Is Us tour.

Setlist:
1. Backstreet's Back
2. We've got it Going on
3. PDA
4. Quit playing games
5. As long as you love me
6. This is us
7. Show me the meaning
8. All I have to Give
9. She's A Dream
10.I'll never break your heart
11.The Call
12.The One
13.Bigger
14.Shape of my Heart
15.I want it that way
16 More Than That
17 Undone
18 Incomplete
19 All Of Your Life (you need love)
20 Larger Than Life
21 Bye Bye Love
22 Straight Through My Heart

Watch 'Backstreet's Back' live at the O2 Dublin:

Swear I'm not Paul

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Preview: X Factor 2009 Live Finals, Week 7

Live Review Index

Album Review Index

Irish Setlist Index

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Watch: Mumford and Sons - Winter Winds

Cancelled: Elton John at the O2 Fully cancelled

RIP: Ireland's World Cup

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Download: John Mayer - Williamsburg Bootleg (11.16.09)

Album News: Beach House - Teen Dream

Album News: The Magnetic Fields - Realism

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

List: NME's Top 50 Albums of the 00s

Album News: The Very Most - Winter EP

Album News: Wanda Jackson featuring Jack White - Untitled

Monday, November 16, 2009

Download: The Hold Steady - Manchester Academy 2008 Bootleg

Review: X Factor 2009 Live Finals Week 6

Live Review: Yusuf Islam, O2 Dublin, 15 November 2009

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Setlist: Backstreet Boys, O2 Dublin, 13 November 2009

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Saturday, November 21, 2009

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Monday, November 16, 2009

Sunday, November 15, 2009

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