Stream: The Roots - How I Got Over

The Roots new album promises to be something special. It features brilliant, inspired samples, as well as guest performances from a range of acts. You can stream 90 second samples of all the tunes below, including the brilliant Monsters of Folk sampling 'Dear God 2.0' and their take on Joanna Newsom with 'Right On'. the album comes out on Tuesday in the US.

Tracklist:
1. "A Peace of Light" (feat. Amber Coffman, Angel Deradoorian & Haley Dekle of Dirty Projectors) 1:50
2. "Walk Alone" (feat. Truck North, P.O.R.N. & Dice Raw) 3:55
3. "Dear God 2.0" (feat. Monsters of Folk) 3:59
4. "Radio Daze" (feat. Blu, P.O.R.N. & Dice Raw) 4:16
5. "Now Or Never" (feat. Phonte & Dice Raw) 4:34
6. "How I Got Over" (feat. Dice Raw) 3:36
7. "DillaTUDE (The Flight of Titus)" 0:42
8. "The Day" (feat. Blu, Phonte & Patty Crash) 3:44
9. "Right On" (feat. Joanna Newsom & STS) 3:36
10. "Doin' It Again" (feat. John Legend) 2:24
11. "The Fire" (feat. John Legend) 3:41
12. "Tunnel Vision" 0:40
13. "Web 20/20" (feat. Peedi Peedi & Truck North) 2:46
14. "Hustla" (feat. STS) 2:56

Album News: Eels - Tomorrow Morning

Mister E must be the most prolific artist around, it seems every month I'm posting news of a new Eels album. The latest of which is Tomorrow Morning. It's due out on August 24th and ends the trilogy of albums that started with El Hombre Loco. End Times was a pretty good album, so hopefully part 3 of 3 can keep the trend going.

Tracklist:
01 “In Gratitude For This Magnificent Day”
02 “I’m A Hummingbird”
03 “The Morning”
04 “Baby Loves Me”
05 “Spectacular Girl”
06 “What I Have to Offer”
07 “This Is Where It Gets Good”
08 “After The Earthquake”
09. “Oh So Lovely”
10 “The Man”
11 “Looking Up”
12 “That’s Not Her Way”
13 “I Like the Way This Is Going”
14 “Mystery Of Life”

Album Review: The Drums - Self-titled

The Drums - The Drums

It would be easy to write-off the Drums as yet another throwback pop band. However, that would be too simple to do. Don't we all want some new Smiths material? Or how about something that sounds like them, Joy Division, the Cure, and all the rest of those great 80s acts? The Drums may be the band that has come up with the best effort so far. There's been much eightiesgazing, but so far none have been this good.

The Drums self-titled debut album stands out because these guys know their way around a pop hook. Opener 'Best Friend' sounds like it could have been a huge hit for the Sundays, and they performed a wonderful version of the song on Jonathan Ross just a few weeks back. In fact, BBC seems to be promoting them a fair bit, probably because they came in fifth on the BBC Sound of 2010 Poll. So far, this is far and away the best release from anyone on that poll. Yeah, I said it, screw you Ellie and Marina!

The whole thing is very head-down, arms-straight-down danceable - the kind of thing my old college housemate would have loved. He couldn't dance to the like of Justin Timberlake or whatever the clubs are banging out these days, but he could definitely dance to this. And whistle along. Every album needs whistling. It's featured here on the single 'Let's Go Surfing', which is probably the album's worst moment. It's a song that tries too hard to be a hit. The Drums work much better when they're just enjoying it.

There's plenty to enjoy here, 'Book of Stories' and 'Forever and Ever Amen' are highpoints, particularly the former, which is a real smooth summery Cure-type track. Overall, the album is nothing amazing, it's far from groundbreaking, but it is a lot better than all the rest of the 80s pastiches out there. If they can build on this, the follow-up should be superb.

Stream: MIA - MAYA

The new album from MIA, called /\/\/\Y/\, is due for release on July 12th, but can now be streamed in full at the People's Music Store website. The stream allows you to listen to 30 second snippets of the entire thing, so in theory you can listen to all the album. You just have to reload every 30 seconds!

Tracklist:
1 “The Message” 0:57
2 “Steppin' Up” 4:01
3 “XXXO” 2:54
4 “Teqkilla” 6:19
5 “Lovalot” 2:50
6 “Story Told” 3:32
7 “It Takes a Muscle” 3:00
8 “It Iz What It Iz” 3:29
9 “Born Free” 4:07
10 “Meds and Feds” 3:08
11 “Tell Me Why” 4:10
12 “Space” 3:08

Stream:
http://peoplesmusicstore.com/catalogue_items/649539

Stream: James Vincent McMorrow - Early in the Morning

Noticed this embeddable album stream over on Nialler9 during my daily browse of Ireland's best music blogs. He says that this album went under his radar, and a little birdy told me that it was because of yours truly that it did find its way onto said radar. Now whether that is true or not, only Niall himself knows. Either way, you can stream the entire debut album from James Vincent McMorrow, Early in the Morning, below. It's my favourite Irish album of the year, and I cannot praise it enough.

Latest tracks by jvmcmorrow

Album News: Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

Not only will Irish fans get the chance to see Iron Maiden live this summer at the O2 on July 30th, but two weeks later can get the chance to hear brand new studio tracks on the band's fifteenth album, The Final Frontier. Better still, the band are giving away one of the album's ten songs, 'El Dorado', as a free mp3 download on their official site from today.

Tracklist:
1. Satellite 15.....The Final Frontier 8:40
2. El Dorado 6:49
3. Mother Of Mercy 5:20
4. Coming Home 5:52
5. The Alchemist 4:29
6. Isle Of Avalon 9:06
7. Starblind 7:48
8. The Talisman 9:03
9. The Man Who Would Be King 8:28
10. When The Wild Wind Blows 10:59

Download 'El Dorado':
http://www.ironmaiden.com/download/index.html

Album Review: Ryan Adams - Orion

If you follow the comings and goings of the maverick born David Ryan Adams, you'll probably have heard of his new metal-country album. "Oh Ryan..." Yeah, that's what it's called. It's a clever pun, and is a great title for the record. Not because you'll find yourself with your head in your hands after listening to it, but for the fact that it's sort of a sci-fi concept album. (Sort of - you can never make sweeping statements when Ryan Adams is concerned.)

I'm not sure if this was the proposed 2006 album Star Wars, but it does come from that time, and is produced by the man who helmed Easy Tiger, Jamie Candiloro, and is an album full of songs like 'Halloweenhead'. So if you thought that was the weak link on ET, stay away from this one. On the other hand, if you loved that tune and are looking for something louder and shoutier, Orion is definitely for you.

It's hard to know what to make of the record. It's nothing like Heartbreaker, Gold, or any of his previous releases. It is however, like some of the online stuff he streamed in 2006-2007 under various ridiculous monikers: Sad Dracula, Rhoda Ro, and Warren Peace. In actual fact, one of the songs here, 'Fire and Ice' was originally featured on a Warren Peace album (yeah, that name is another pun too). It was probably the best Warren Peace song too.

The songs are quick sub-three minute rock riots where Adams screams nonsense lyrics about galaxies, intergalactic wars, metal spiders, and all the rest of that stuff you'll find in a teenager's science fiction wet dream. It would be terrible only for the fact that it's actually great fun. It's hilarious, but also so much better than anything a teenager could concoct. Some of the riffs are among Adams' best guitarwork. 'Signal Fade' has a fantastic solo, and 'Disappyramid' is musically wonderful from the outset.

By now, you should have an inkling whether you want to hear this album or not. Unfortunately, only a limited number of vinyl copies were pressed, and it hasn't been released on CD. So you may have to find other means to get your hands on it. Have a look at eBay, I'm sure you can get really ripped off for a copy on there.

If you're in two minds about buying the record for a hiked-up price, then this should sway you. There's a song halfway through the album called 'Ghorgon, Master of War', and yes, it's every bit as good as it sounds.

Overall, this is actually worth listening to. It's not for everyone, and will probably only appeal to hardcore Ryan Adams fans. But it's great that's he's back releasing music. Hopefully that trend will continue and we'll get more unreleased albums, like Darkbreaker, or perhaps even that track-by-track cover album of the Strokes' Is This It. Maybe he'll go back into the studio and do something totally new. Nobody knows. I doubt he does himself. We'll just have to wait and see.

Album Review: Villagers - Becoming a Jackal

Conor O'Brien is receiving a lot of hype from all directions. Critics are praising him everywhere. And justifiably so. His debut album as Villagers, Becoming a Jackal, is yet another reason why 2010 is turning out to be the best year for Irish music ever.

Since the dissolution of the Immediate a few years ago, you'd think that O'Brien may have gotten rusty, but if anything, his vocals have improved tenfold since then. His voice is glorious and soars on many of the tracks. 'I Saw the Dead' is a perfect album opener, with a wonderful entwining piano melody and enchanting vocals from O'Brien.

The album's highpoint is the title track, and the song which introduced him to the world on Later with Jools Holland a few weeks back. It's one of the songs of the year, regardless of nationality. But luckily for us, the album is full of gems. The first four songs are as good as any opening run in recent memory. 'Ship of Promises' could be a fantastic radio single, and if his new label Domino have the sense (which I imagine they do, they've done everything else perfectly up til now) then it will be all over the airwaves this summer.

'The Meaning of the Ritual' had been originally on last year's Hollow Kind EP, but has been spruced up for the full-length, and I must say the improvements have turned it into a better song. The album's guitarist Tommy McLaughlin was in charge of production duties, and this hands-on approach has really added a warmth to the album. This can be heard throughout, particularly in the breezy 'That Day'. It's also perfect for radio, as is 'Home' and 'The Pact'.

'Set the Tigers Free' is yet another highpoint, as is the growl of 'Pieces'. There's some more straightforward singer-songwriter tunes on here too, such as 'Twenty Seven Strangers' and the splendid closer 'To Be Counted Among Men'. In fact, there's not a weak point on the album. It's a perfectly well rounded record

Stream: Tift Merritt - See You on the Moon

2008's Another Country was a decent country-pop record from Tift Merritt. For her new album, however, Merritt has taken out most of the pop and made a more straight-up country album. It's more of a throwback to her first and second albums, and is sure to please her early fans. See You on the Moon has just been released in America, and can be streamed in full on Merritt's official website. (The album cover isn't great though!)

Tracklist:
Mixtape
Engine To Turn
Things That Everybody Does, The
Six More Days of Rain
Feel Of The World (with Jim James)
Never Talk About It
All The Reasons We Don’T Have To Fight
Live Till You Die
Papercut
See You On the Moon
Danny’S Song
After Today
Bar With A TV On

Stream:
http://www.tiftmerritt.com/discography/see-you-on-the-moon/

Album News: Ryan Bingham - Junky Star

After getting my hands on new albums from Villagers, Divine Comedy, Drive-By Truckers, the National, the Hold Steady, and many more, I wasn't quite sure what to look forward to for the rest of 2010. Luckily, there's still a few more great albums on the way (Justin Townes Earle' Harlem River Blues, Drive-By Truckers Go Go Boots, and the new Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit record to name a few). So now I'm even more delighted that Academy Award winner Ryan Bingham is back with a new album in September.

It'll be under the moniker Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses, and is called Junky Star. It's due out in America on Lost Highway on September 7th, so expect it on the 4th in Ireland. It's produced by T-Bone Burnett, who was also responsible for that excellent Oscar winning song 'The Weary Kind'.

You can also hear two new songs from the album on Bingham's MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/ryanbingham

Album News: Guggenheim Grotto - The Universe is Laughing

The Guggenheim Grotto's last album (their second), Happy the Man, was one of my favourite Irish albums of 2008. It was a marvellous pop-rock record. So when I saw over on IndieLimerick that there was a new one imminent, I had to find out more.

The Universe is Laughing is the band's third full-length, and has been release online on their official website.

Tracklist:
1. Trust Me I’m A Thief
2. Map Of The Human Heart
3. Wings And Feathers
4. Never Before
5. Concentrate
6. Wisdom
7. Ruby Heart
8. The Spiegel Song
9. The Universe Is Laughing
10. Diamond.

Stream 'Wisdom':

More info/buy:
http://www.guggenheimgrotto.com/

Album News: Rhymefest - El Che

Rhymefest has had a very succesful career so far even though the man born Che Smith has only released one proper album so far. He's a Grammy Award winning songwriter, having co-wrote 'Jesus Walks' with Kanye West, and his Man in the Mirror mixtape (released before Michael Jackson's death) is one of the finest mixtapes I have heard in years. His debut album Blue Collar came out in 2006, and next week he's due to release the follow-up El Che. It's set to be good, the man is damn talented.

Tracklist:
1. "Intro: The Agent"
2. "Talk My Shit"
3. "Say Whassup" (feat. Phonte of Little Brother)
4. "How High" (feat. Little Brother & Darien Brockington)
5. "Chocolates"
6. "One Arm Push Up"
7. "Prosperity"
8. "Truth On You" (feat. Twone Gabz)
9. "Intermisson: Juan Carlos"
10. "Chicago"
11. "Agony" (feat. Glenn Lewis)
12. "Last Night"
13. "Give It to Me" (feat. Saigon & Adad)
14. "Intermission: No Help"
15. "City Is Fallen" (feat. Slique)
16. "Celebration"

Album Cover: Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

It's not just the new Arcade Fire 7" that's called The Suburbs, it's also been confirmed as the title of their new album, which is due on August 2nd/3rd (July 30th in Ireland). BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe played both of the new songs, 'The Suburbs' and 'Month of May' in their entirety yesterday, so you can have a listen to them in full below.

Stream 'The Suburbs':


Stream 'Month of May':

Album Review: Cathy Davey - The Nameless

Cathy Davey - The Nameless

After being knocked off her one-week perch at number 1 in the Irish charts, Cathy Davey could not have asked to have been supplanted by anyone closer to home. Conor J O'Brien did not only record Villagers' Becoming a Jackal recently, he also was involved in the entirety of Cathy Davey's third album The Nameless. Oh and it's still #2 this week. Not a bad 1-2, right?

Davey's third record may well be her best yet. It takes everything that made Something Ilk and Tales of Silversleeve great and turned them up a notch. Her singing is as bewitching as ever, and her and O'Brien's music is first-rate throughout.

Opening song and title track 'The Nameless' is a captivating tune, showing off her powerful vocals, especially during the splendid closing section. It's like wrapping yourself in the warmest of blankets and blocking everything else out.

There's much to enjoy here, 'Army of Tears' with Neil Hannon is led by wonderful strings until it leaps into a wonderful chorus. Symphonic brilliance. The press release calls the tune the best ever Eurovision song not to appear at the Eurovision, but I feel that belittles it. It's so much better. 'In He Comes', 'Bad Weather', and 'Wild Rum' are equally beautiful, the first is a particular standout in the Kate Bush mould.

Single 'Little Red' showcases her talents further, and highlights how her move away from a major label has actually helped rather than hindered her career. It has given her the time to record something as mystifyingly beautiful as this.

The album is masterfully arranged, a tremendous job has gone into the album, from everyone involved. But the star of the show remains that gorgeous voice. There isn't many better instruments in Ireland. Glorious, and yet another reason why 2010 is proving to be the best year ever for Irish music.

Album News: Made in Iceland 3

Compilation albums are tricky things. Most of the time they're not successful, as one act always shines far above the others. On the flip side, compilation albums are great because you get to hear songs and bands you would have never heard otherwise (unless it's a Now That's What I Call Music record). Made in Iceland 3 features some new(ish) tracks from most of Iceland's best loved musicians. As well as a tune from Sigur Rós's Jonsi ('Boy Lilikoi'), there's excellent songs from Olafur Arnalds and Valgeir Sigurdsson.

Made in Iceland III is out now on Iceland Music Export.

TRACKLISTING:
1. For a Minor Reflection // Dansi Dans
2. Jonsi // Boy Lilikoi
3. Hjaltalin // Suitcase Man
4. Reykjavik! // Repticon
5. Seabear // I'll Build You a Fire
6. Ben Frost // Hibakusja
7. Stafraenn Hakon // Temporality
8. Berndsen // Supertime
9. Kimono // Tomorrow
10. Valgeir Sigurdsson // Past Tundra
11. Benni Hemm Hemm // Retaliate
12. Pondus // Not Again
13. Lay Low // Aukalagid
14. Feldberg // Dreamin'
15. Snorri Helgason // Freeze Out
16. Sam Amidon // How Come That Blood
17. SkakkaManage // Now or Never
18. Sudden Weather Change // St. Peter's Day
19. Emiliana Torrini // Beggar's Prayer
20. Olafur Arnalds // Tunglid

Sample:
Olafur Arnalds - 'Tunglid'
Hjaltalin - 'Suitcase Man'

More info:
www.icelandmusic.is

Stream: Muse - Neutron Star Collision

Muse premiered their brand new single 'Neutron Star Collision (Love is Forever)' last night. It's due to appear on the soundtrack for the third Twilight movie, Eclipse which comes out next month. The soundtrack itself is due June 8th.

Tracklist:
1. Metric – "Eclipse (All Yours)"
2. Muse – "Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)"
3. The Bravery – "Ours"
4. Florence + the Machine – "Heavy in Your Arms"
5. Sia – "My Love"
6. Fanfarlo – "Atlas"
7. Metallica - "Blackened"
8. The Black Keys – "Chop and Change"
9. The Dead Weather – "Rolling in on a Burning Tire"
10. Beck and Bat for Lashes – "Let's Get Lost"
11. Vampire Weekend – "Jonathan Low"
12. UNKLE featuring The Black Angels – "With You in My Head"
13. Eastern Conference Champions – "A Million Miles an Hour"
14. Band of Horses – "Life on Earth"
15. Cee-Lo Green – "What Part of Forever"
16. Howard Shore – "Jacob's Theme"


Stream:

Album News: Wolf Parade - Expo 86

The third album from Spencer Krug's excellent Wolf Parade, Expo 86 is due for release in June, and from the previews of it (i.e. it leaked at the weekend), it's going to be mega. If you want to steer on the legal side of things, have a listen to mp3s of two of the songs below (thanks to Pitchfork).

Tracklist:
1. "Cloud Shadow on the Mountain" - 4:22
2. "Palm Road" - 4:41
3. "What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)" - 5:42
4. "Little Golden Age" - 5:00
5. "In the Direction of the Moon" - 5:46
6. "Ghost Pressure" - 5:16
7. "Pobody's Nerfect" - 5:50
8. "Two Men in New Tuxedos" - 3:09
9. "Oh You, Old Thing" - 5:46
10. "Yulia" - 3:47
11. "Cave-o-Sapien" - 6:19

Download:
Wolf Parade - 'Ghost Pressure'
Wolf Parade - 'What Did My Lover Say'

Watch: The Divine Comedy - At the Indie Disco

The Divine Comedy's tenth album (yes, ten, impressive eh?) Bang Goes the Knighthood will be released on May 31st, and is sure to be every bit as good as their past attempts, especially if lead single 'At the Indie Disco' is anything to go by. Watch the video for it below.

Tracklist:
1. "Down In The Street Below"
2. "The Complete Banker"
3. "Neapolitan Girl"
4. "Bang Goes The Knighthood"
5. "At The Indie Disco"
6. "Have You Ever Been in Love"
7. "Assume the Perpendicular"
8. "The Lost Art of Conversation"
9. "Island Life"
10. "When a Man Cries"
11. "Can You Stand Upon One Leg"
12. "I Like"


Watch The Divine Comedy 'At the Indie Disco':

Album News: Fast Forward - An Indie Music Compilation to World Cup 2010

This is perhaps one of the best ideas I've seen in a very long time. It's a collection of 32 songs - one for each team - about the World Cup, featuring some of Ireland's finest artists. Well it's about as close as we're going to get to the World Cup, especially when you look at the French tune, 'Irlande' from the Very Most. Some of the highlights for me have to be Grand Pocket Orchestra, Pearse McLoughlin, Hunter-Gatherer, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

There's some wonderful tunes on here, and it's an album you'll keep coming back to. You can stream it in full over at Indiecater Records' website, or else buy the whole damn thing for €5. A measly €5 for 32 songs!

1) Cop On The Edge - Bafana Bafana (RSA)
2) Standard Fare - Vaya Vaya México! (MEX)
3) Showstar - Uruguay! (URU)
4) The Very Most - Irlande (FRA)
5) The Dirty 9s - Ballad of El Diego (ARG)
6) Grand Pocket Orchestra - Nigeria (NGA)
7) Pearse McLoughlin - Jongmyo Shrine (KOR)
8) At Last An Atlas - The Pirate Ship (GRE)
9) Detox Cute - St George's Day (ENG)
10) Echo Orbiter - Game Without A Name (USA)
11) Boca Chica - Wildlife of Algeria (ALG)
12) Lightholler - Slovenia's Dream (SVN)
13) Betty and the Cavalero - Meet Me At The Red Light (GER)
14) Sleep Good - Australia (AUS)
15) Hunter-Gatherer - Serbia (SRB)
16) The Invisible Clock Factory - We Are The Black Stars (GHA)
17) Burning Codes - Wooded Land (NED)
18) Cleemann - Princes of Denmark (DEN)
19) Goatboy - Japanese City Nights (JPN)
20) Spirit Spine - Field Way (Song For Cameroon) (CMR)
21) Le Man Avec Les Lunettes - Don't Get Fooled By The Football
Players' Summery Outfit (ITA)
22) Harry Bird - Pesadilla No.7 (PAR)
23) Adam & Darcie - Aotearoa (NZL)
24) Escape Act - Slovakia (SVK)
25) Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Back To You (BRA)
26) Francis Bacon's Ghost - Kim Jung II (PRK)
27) Storkboy Choons - Côte d'Ivoire (CIV)
28) Tap Tap - Dry Dry Land (POR)
29) The Yellow Melodies - Vamos A Ganar El Mundial (ESP)
30) Candy Claws - Alp Sway Snow Team (SUI)
31) My Brother Woody - Carlos Dreams of World Cup Glory (HON)
32) Manwomanchild - Chile La Roja (CHI)

Sample:
Le Man Avec Les Lunettes - Don't Get Fooled By The Football
Players' Summery Outfit (ITA)

More info/Buy:
http://www.indiecater.com/fast-forward-an-indie-music-companion-to-south-africa-2010/

Album Review: The Butterfly Graveyard

The liner notes/booklet for the self-titled album from The Butterfly Graveyard (which is the brainchild of Terence O'Connor along with the Corkonian producer Herbie Macken) would indicate you're in for something overly-lyrical and self-indulgent. There's references to Shelley and Prospero, as well as songs about Fenian mythology. However, on the surface (all that is under the surface to be explored on further listens), it's a wonderfully melodic album in the vein of Blue Nile's Hats.

Opening song and debut single 'Writing You Off' is a gorgeous tune carved out on a wonderful ambient landscape. Herbie Macken did a great job here (he has previously worked with Gavin Friday, Daniel Lanois, and Bic Runga) and no note seems superfluous.

'Underdog' is a gritty Jack White-style tune, and is much more aggressive than the opener. The album mixes these ups and downs, the mellow and the heavy perfectly. It's a wonderful meld, but wouldn't be complete without O'Connor's sharp vocal. Three years in the making, this is an album that epitomises hard work, and shows in its construction.

'Pray' is the song that stands out as being the most influenced by the Blue Nile, and the whole thing is sure to appeal to fans of the Scottish band (particularly as there's been nothing from the Blue Nile in 6 years!)

The album contrasts brilliantly: 'One in a Million' is a haunting, sensitive tune, whereas 'Sunburn' could easily be a radio single.

Overall, it's an enchanting record that yields more with each listen - especially when you take time to investigate the beautiful lyrics. 'Butterfly Graveyard' particularly, it's full of fantastic lines "The sad muse sat like a photograph / Biting her nails with worry / And the lark sang and his song it rang / It was me for you and you for me".

A wonderful debut, it's out now on Oracle Records.