Album Review: An Taobh Tuathail Vol III

An Taobh Tuathail is an RTE Radio na Gaeilge (RnaG) show, which is presented by Cian Ó Cíobháin, and is on Monday-Friday from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. This is the third volume of their compilation series of albums, featuring the best music from the show.

RnaG wouldn't be a station I'd usually listen to, but their nightshift programming is excellent. They combine brilliant instrumentals with wonderful soft vocal-led tunes. This sort of variety is what makes the latest CD release worth owning.

Opening song 'Frozen Grass' from Loner Deluxe, is a sleepy instrumental song, easing the listener into the record. Vocals kick in on the second, 'Nightswimming' by Roshi featuring Pars Radio. I had not heard of Roshi before this release, but her vocals here are splendid. Think of a less twee Lisa Hannigan. Essie Jain's 'Haze' is a piano-led tune, which is beautifully sombre, but also marvellously inspiring.

There are local and international acts on the compilation, with appearances from Kilkenny's own R.S.A.G., as well as Animal Collective's 'Loch Raven'. 'Dwelling on the Past' is taken from R.S.A.G.'s splendid Organic Sampler, and fans of Animal Collective will know 'Loch Raven' from Feels.

Jacaszek's 'Walc' is probably the most out-there tune on here, with a brilliant syncopated beat, as well as glimpses of haunting vocals, which never quite appear. There are many highlights on this album, 'Able' by Them Use Them is a standout, as well as closer 'The Highway' from Peter and the Wolf.

If you've picked up this album and are wondering whether it's worth getting, it probably is. If you're a fan of any of the artists involved, you'll like it. Anyone who turned on Merriweather Post Pavilion on a regular basis will love this, and it'll probably turn you on to more great acts of a similar vein.

And I hope you'll be tuning in every night from now on too. 92-94FM, 102.6 FM, Sky channel 0166 and NTL channel 905.

More info:
http://www.rte.ie/rnag/antaobhtuathail.html
http://www.psychonavigation.com/antaobhtuathail3html
http://www.myspace.com/antaobhtuathail

Live: Panda Bear at Vicar Street

Animal Collective's Panda Bear (who is a worthy solo artist in his own right) will be returning to Dublin's Vicar Street on Friday the 12 of March. Not sure about ticket prices yet, but I'll let you know when I hear more!

Watch Panda Bear 'Comfy in Nautica':


and a surprise:

List: Q Magazine's Top 50 Albums of the Year

Q Magazine is always a bit more poppy than the other magazines. Uncut is the one that your Dad can agree with, and NME is a bit more clued in with the Pitchfork hipsters. Q was always a fan of everything. And 2009's Best of albums list is no different.

50. Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications
49. Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
48. Ian Brown - My Way
47. Madness - The Liberty of Norton Folgate
46. Golden Silvers - True Romance

I bet this is the only list this year where you'll see Madness. Comeback of the year? Maybe. It lasted longer than Jacko anyhow. So far, the list is just a case of oldies adding to their already well-rounded back catalogues. Bob Dylan probably appears in this list every year. That Jarvis solo album is damn good though.

45. Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - Outer South
44. The View - Which Bitch?
43. Tinariwen - Imidiwan: Companions
42. Mariachi El Bronx - Mariachi El Bronx
41. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

It's here that Q get those eccentric, not for everyone albums out of the way. Tinariwen will appeal to the world music crowd, and Mariachi El Bronx is some cult punk. Conor Oberst's latest is a patchy effort, with some great songs, but I don't really think it's one of the best 50 albums of the year.

40. Cheryl Cole - 3 Words
39. The Horrors - Primary Colours
38. Richard Hawley - Truelove's Gutter
37. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
36. Sonic Youth - The Eternal

Very strange to have Cheryl Cole and Richard Hawley on the same list, never mind Fuck Buttons or Sonic Youth. But thank God Hawley is ahead of Cole, rather than the other way around. I haven't listened to her album yet, but Q is the only (non-Heat/OK/New) publication that has given the album more than three stars. That Hawley album is glorious though.

35. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
34. White Lies - To Lose My Life...
33. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
32. Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up
31. Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions

Dirty Projectors will be really high up the Pitchfork list (have you heard their collaboration with David Byrne 'Knotty Pine'? - fantastic), but Paolo Nutini is a Q only album. It's great if you're into Scottish soul pop. Pearl Jam is as good as most of their catalogue, and Biffy Clyro is a powerful rock album which could very well get plaudits from Pearl Jam fans.

30. La Roux - La Roux
29. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
28. Bruce Springsteen - Working on a Dream
27. The Dead Weather - Horehound
26. Bat for Lashes - Two Suns

The latter two here will definitely make my list, and Bat for Lashes could well be high on it. Natasha Khan's 'Daniel' is one of the songs of the year, as is 'Cut Like a Buffalo' by Jack White's new band. La Roux is flavour of the year synth-pop, and Wilco's new one is a worthy attempt. Bruce Springsteen shouldn't be on here though, as it's his worst album of the decade.

25. Noah and the Whale - The First Days of Spring
24. Mos Def - The Ecstatic
23. The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
22. The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
21. Jamie T - Kings & Queens

The Low Anthem made the list, but obviously the guys and gals at Q didn't really listen to the new Felice Brothers, as that album does the same thing so much better. Mos Def is a very strange one, it didn't really get much press attention, and I didn't think it was all that fantastic. Jamie T is one for the Brits only, I didn't buy into its schtick.

20. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
19. Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
18. Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much
17. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
16. Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream

This is the we missed the bandwagon the first time. There's no other reason Mika, Monsters of Folk, and Fever Ray would be on here. Mika's new album is terrible in comparison to his last one, Fever Ray's is decent but is most likely here because they hadn't heard of the Knife before Jose Gonzalez, and Monsters of Folk isn't as good as the sum of its parts. Green Day has always been meh for me anyway. Empire of the Sun are a poor man's MGMT. Poor choices.

15. Dizzee Rascal - Tongue N' Cheek
14. Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be
13. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
12. Jack Penate - Everything is New
11. Doves - Kingdom of Rust

I haven't heard Devendra's new one yet, so can't comment on that. Grizzly Bear's is excellent in its genre. Doves are finally getting the credit they deserve thanks to Elbow's Mercury Win last year (that said, where's Speech Debelle on this list? It shouldn't be on it, but you'd expect it to be here.) Dizzee is another Mercury winner, and his new album is as good as anything he's done.

10. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
09. U2 - No Line on the Horizon
08. Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
07. Muse - The Resistance
06. Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

The top ten started off so well. That Phoenix album is the best thing they've ever done and has brought them (quite rightly) into the mainstream. However, those U2, Arctic Monkeys, and Muse albums may well be the worst things all three bands have done. Particularly No Line on the Horizon. Lily's is a wonderful pop album though.

5. Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers
4. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
2. Florence and the Machine - Lungs
1. Kasabian - West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum

A decent if not phenomenal top five. Manic's new album was a fitting tribute to Richey Edwards. Animal Collective's album has lost impact since it was released at the start of the year - as time goes on, it seems to become more and more average - great album cover though. Of the top three, Yeah Yeah Yeahs is by far the best, but all are good albums. Just good though. Florence is well hyped, but just okay. Kasabian's is their best effort, but not the best album of 2009.

Album Cover: Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Possible album cover from myanimalhome. Looks damn cool. Holy shit, it moves!

Watch: Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

You may not know it, but many of the tracks from the upcoming Animal Collective album Merriweather Post Pavilion have already been played live. Her I've compiled them all into one neat post, to watch at your leisure. And to drool with anticipation over the new record.

'In the Flowers':


'My Girls':


'The Dreamer':


'Summertime Clothes':


'Daily Routine':


'Bluish':
Not played live yet.

'Guys Eyes':
Not played live yet.

'Taste':


'Lion in a Coma': (from Whelan's)


'No More Runnin':


'Brother Sport':

Album News: Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Strange title, strange artwork. But a tracklist.

Animal Collective's 2009 record will be called Merriweather Post Pavilion according to http://www.myanimalhome.net/, and features the following songs:

1. In the Flowers
2. My Girls
3. Also Frightened
4. Summertime Clothes
5. Daily Routine
6. Bluish
7. Guys Eyes
8. Taste
9. Lion in a Coma
10. No More Runnin
11. Brother Sport

Brendan has come up with following possible renames:
'House' is now 'My Girls'
'Dancer' is 'In the Flowers'
and
'Bearhug' is now 'Summertime Clothes'

Hopefully he's right.

And thanks to one of my other readers for pointing out that "Merriweather Post Pavilion is the name of the album. It's a venue in the Baltimore/Greater D.C. area where the AC guys grew up."

Download: Animal Collective - Melkweg, Amsterdam

So, we have sparse detail of the new Animal Collective LP:
http://swearimnotpaul.blogspot.com/2008/07/watch-animal-collective-lion-in-coma.html

But while you wait, why not try out some of their new and live material, live in Amsterdam in October of last year (23 October 2007 to be exact). The quality is so good, it's almost like being there.

Tracklist:
1 Dancer 6:47
2 House 7:35
3 Unsolved Mysteries 4:53
4 Who Could Win a Rabbit 3:38
5 Peacebone 6:21
6 Chores 6:32
7 Bearhug 5:46
8 Fireworks / Essplode 15:39
9 Frightened 8:13
10 Brother Sport 6:46
11 Daily Routine 7:41
12 Leaf House 5:20
13 We Tigers 5:01
14 Grace 8:28
15 Derek 3:46


Download the full show from Melkweg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands here:
Part 1
Part 2

Thanks to my good friend Bill Tuthill for the upload!

Watch: Animal Collective 'Lion in a Coma'

Animal Collective could well release a new album this year, the band say that it's pretty much finished. Here's hoping. Many of the songs that could appear on it have been live staples for the past year or more, and all sound brutally brilliant.

Brian Weitz told Pitchfork "It'll be interesting to see what people say about it. Because to us, it's electronic, because of the process. Noah's record, we all found inspiring in terms of what he could do with samples. For this [album], we were trying to sample acoustic instruments, us sampling acoustic things in the practice space. So maybe for someone who doesn't know that, it'll sound like we're going back to a live playing kind of thing, but to us it feels more electronic."

You can watch a new video of 'Lion in a Coma', live at Pitchfork here: