20 Jan
Django Django – ‘Django Django’
I’ve been waiting for this album for two years and it does not disappoint. It’s out next Friday (January 27th) and to say it’s worth a listen is an understatement; it’s a kaleidoscopic trip that’ll take you via groovy rhythms, brilliant uses of electronica, melodies, vocal harmonies and effects and is so fresh, imaginative, original and vivid that I haven’t been able to listen to anything else over the last few days. It just makes me go YESSSSS!
Check ‘em out:
17 Nov
***This was one of my favourite interviews ever, simply because Noel Gallagher is as witty and sharp as you expect him to be. I had a limited word count for this article so had to leave some good stuff out – but I’ll publish the full transcript soon.***
Originally published in The Irish Times, October 14th 2011
I’M SITTING across a picnic bench from Noel Gallagher at his rehearsal space in sunny east London, sort of wishing I hadn’t just asked a particular question about his former band. While Gallagher’s past in Oasis is inescapable when it comes to talking about his fledgling solo career, the accusations that have been levelled against him by their former (now current Beady Eye) guitarist Andy Bell are considerable. Less than a week before we meet, Bell publicly accused Gallagher of lying on multiple counts about the reasons for Oasis’s split in 2009.
Gallagher’s reaction to those charges? He pauses, weighing up the question, jaw momentarily tensed and brow fleetingly furrowed. “Well,” he says with an offhand shrug, “Andy’s entitled to Liam’s opinion, isn’t he?” Gallagher’s deadpan wit is famous, but amid the zingers are serious observations. For starters, there’s the important matter of his solo endeavour, which begins with the release of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. Continue reading
8 Sep
Unfortunately, many of my reviews on IrishTimes.com and in Monday’s newspaper were published under the wrong name, so here are the ones that I wrote over the course of last weekend.
My highlight was a gorgeous set by John Grant and the delicious chickpea and spinach stew I had from the tiny Dux & Co. stand. It was ALMOST worth the 20-minute-long queue.
2 Sep
Originally published in The Irish Times, July 4th 2011
ANONYMITY CAN be a precious commodity. In today’s information-overloaded world, where we can find out practically anything about anyone we know, or even delve into a complete stranger’s life thanks to social networks, it seems the need for privacy grows by the day. Continue reading
30 Aug
Originally published in The Irish Times, June 29th 2011
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, you could say that Gillian Welch has been away for eight years. But then again, she hasn’t really been away at all. Continue reading
20 Jul
Originally published in The Irish Times, June 24th 2011
ROBIN PECKNOLD is a hard man to pin down. At one point, it seemed that an interview with Charlie Sheen would be easier to arrange than one with the Fleet Foxes frontman, but when your band is as in-demand as his is right now, it’s to be expected.
When Pecknold is eventually forcibly tethered to a telephone, the setting couldn’t be more perfect. Having ridden the bike he brings on tour to a quiet park in downtown Dallas, the twittering of birds soundtracks the songwriter’s musings on his band’s recently released second record, Helplessness Blues . Yet trying to cram the Fleet Foxes story into a 20-minute phone conversation with a man who hesitates to speak about the album’s fiercely personal themes is a big ask, especially when he frustratingly spends what seems like hours carefully weighing up each question before replying. Continue reading
5 Jul
Originally published in The Irish Times, June 10th 2011.
THE CRY of the wolf is a lonely howl, a shriek that pierces the night sky and sends small animals scurrying under the nearest rock. Patrick Wolf, however, is an entirely different proposition. Although the singer is lithe and gangly-limbed, the comparisons end there. Big Bad Wolf? Not with this shy grin and cheery demeanour.
27 Jun
Originally published in The Irish Times, April 15th 2011
IT’S BEEN a while since Jon Bon Jovi was described as anything close to a spokesman of a generation, but his recent denunciation of download culture resonated more vociferously than expected with music fans of a certain vintage.
You could argue that the rocker is being more than a little excitable with his dramatic statement that “Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business”, but in many ways he has a point. Although CDs remain the most popular format for music buyers, their value has been diminished by the convenience of MP3s, not to mention illegal downloads.
Nevertheless there are bands, companies and music fans still doing everything within their power to stay connected to the physical world. Continue reading
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