GIG GUIDE: Mogwai

Glasgow post-rock/ shoegaze/ ambient/ electronica/ slowcore/ whateveryou'rehavingyourself group Mogwai are coming to Dublin for 3 nights in March: Fri 20, Sat 21, Sun 22, all in the Academy. 3 nights seems like a lot for a band which are essentially still serving quite a niche market, but if they fill all 3 then fair play to them. Their latest album, Hawk is Howling, which was released last year, continues an impeccable record of releases in the above mentioned conglomerate of genres. One track in particular, I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead, has proven a huge hit around here, with it being played twice on the radio show and receiving a BSITWT.
I would normally definitely be attending this, but we're gonna be in Brussels to see stupid Bluey that weekend. Thanks.

Mogwai - I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead

GIG GUIDE: A Certain Ratio

An old Manchester "post-punk" band comes to town to play a gig. You have every right to be skeptical. However, in A Certain Ratio's case that skepticism would be unfounded. A group that did indeed start off in the same circle as Joy Division/ New Order and the likes, ACR have expanded their horizons over the years to include disco, funk and even Latin influences. To add to the mix, the band released the Mind Made Up album only last year, the first since 1997, so you can be sure this will not be a bunch of leathery has-beens turning up to gracelessly re-hash hackneyed tracks from 30 years ago. To listen to their MySpace now, aside from the classically Manchester-in-the-80's vocal, there is very little to suggest that the band were every a member of the Factory Records scene, testament to their versatility. This could be a very rewarding gig for anyone planning on heading along for a look

A Certain Ratio play The Button Factory March 28th.

BTBW 23.2.09

Modeselektor - The Rapanthem
Paul Kalkbrenner - Aaron
The Black Dog - Cost II

Matthew Dear - Give me more
Osborne - Downtown
Radioactive man - Pieces of 8

Bonobo - Recurring
Fever Ray - Dry and Dusty

Deerhunter - Agoraphobia
Lotus Plaza - Quicksand

Portishead - Deep water
Beirut - My Wife
Beirut - The Akara

The Clash - Straight to hell

Apparat & Modeselektor - Moderat

Probably one of the most eagerly anticipated collaborations around this parts, Modeselektor and Apparat, have finally announced concrete information about their forthcoming release. Unsurprisingly entitled Moderat, the trio's full-length all-analog debut album will be released by BPitch control on April 21st. They first began to collaborate in 2002, however, when their respective solo careers began to take off they postponed the collabs for a future date. A dvd release is also planned with long-time Modeselektor sidekick Pfadfinderei provding the viuals and content. Vocalists involved in the project include Paul St. Hiliare, indie rapper Bus Driver, Delle and Sascha Ring himself. The lead single, 'Rusty Nails', will feature remixes from Booka Shade and Shackleton.

Tracklisting:

01. A New Error
02. Rusty Nails
03. Seamonkey
04. Slow Match feat. Paul St. Hilaire
05. 3 Minutes Of
06. Nasty Silence
07. Sick With It feat. Dellé
08. Porc # 1
09. Porc # 2
10. No. 22
11. Out Of Sight

www.myspace.com/moderat

GIG GUIDE: Dan Deacon

Baltimore's craziest and finest, Dan Deacon, returns to Dublin with his live "circus-meets-creche-meets-music-show", em, show on the 3rd of June. It's gonna happen, thanks to Foggy Notions, at Andrew's Lane Theatre. Along with offering the madness of 2007's Spiderman of the Rings, Deacon should by then by plugging his new album Bromst, which according to this article is due out in the next few weeks. It should be an interesting one, as Deacon seems to have had enough of his image as "wacky" has been quoted as saying, eloquently, that "being pigeonholed sucks shit", and that this new work will be "darker, mature and more organic" than his previous work

A ticket worth buying

One For The Road:

A Road Records Benefit & Celebration
Saturday March 14th 2009
Andrew’s Lane Theatre
8.00pm – 2.30am
Doors 7.30PM sharp
Jape
The Jimmy Cake
Si Schroeder
Colm Mac Con Iomaire
Adrian Crowley
The Large Corporation (Dudley Corporation Vs Large Mound)
Road Records DJs

As many people will know, Road Records, across from Hogan's, just off George's Street, has gone into financial difficulty and looks as though it will be gone for good. There are rumours of investments and potential backers, you can follow the news on that here
By all accounts it has been an important hub for independent musicians and music lovers for a long time in Dublin, and has been a vital pillar standing against the proliferation of faceless
download culture*. So for all with an interest in that kind of thing, this gig is well worth supporting


*of which this blog inevitably plays a vital part

BSITWT #55

Deerhunter - Agoraphobia

Coming to Andy Lane May 22nd. Big.

BTBW - Feb 9th 2009: Tracklist

Ponytail - Panda Bear

Everywhere - Common feat. Martina Topley-Bird

Folksong Oblivion - Phantom Band

Ottoman - Vampire Weekend

Steiner Im flug - Pantha du Prince

Everyday - The Field

Alive in '85 - Broken Social Scene

Fisherman's Blues - The Waterboys

How Your Heart Is Wired - Bell X1

The Well - Smog

White Tooth Man - Iron and Wine

Astral Weeks - Van Morrison

Home Video - It will be OK EP

A duo from Brooklyn, NY, capable both of offering driving synths and quirky twisted electronic diversions, coupled with lead vocal as sweet as Thom Yorke's: Home Video come loaded with qualities we here at BTBW search for in a band. That You Might, released as their first single in 2004, is their genesis - a thumping synth is surrounded with eerie seering electronics and a vocal that meanders and almost moans its way through the fog. It was released on the influential Warp Records and consequently featured on the 2006 album No Certain Night or Morning. A competent album which fails to consistently match the heights of That You Might, it includes tracks such as Gas Tank and Dialog Box that could easily have come from Yorke's solo release The Eraser. Confessions of a Time Traveller combines brilliantly spooky electronics with at times rocking lead guitar to really get the listener excited.
The mix of electronica and prog-rock offered by Home Video returned recently with the release of the It will be OK EP. At a glance it appears to have a slightly more eighties throwback feel to it, with the synths evoking more colour than the previously darker overtones. Who knows why this is, maybe the lads are just happier to be alive these days.
Home Video - Maybe What You Need

BSITWT #54

Nina Simone - "Feeling Good"

This one is influenced by the Jim "The Merry Prankster". Helping people to understand the true beauty of, amongst other things, music on his "alternative" Nimbin tours.

SPEAK YOUR BRAINS: Ticketmaster - seriously lads

This Friday and Saturday, 5th and 6th of February, Vicar Street hosts Gigs for the Children of Gaza, featuring a wide range of Ireland's finest musicians. The full line up and further info are available here.

This is a worthy cause, and I am sure the money raised will go to good use. However I was horrified to see that when booking was being completed, the usual Ticketmaster charge of €3 or so was still being applied. Maybe I am oversensitive, but surely if a company that makes astronomical global profits per year is acting as the intermediary for a benefit gig for a war-ravaged people, the normal surcharge on tickets could be waived? Or they could have just charged us €28 with all the money going to Gaza. Maybe they are indeed going to donate each €3 to the Gaza fund, but there is no mention of it during the purchase as far as I could see. If they are indeed so greedy that they cannot change their normal practice in such exceptional circumstances, there is indeed something seriously wrong with the world. If anyone knows any more about this, please comment!!

BTBW 2.02.09

Second Radio show of 2009, Monday 2nd Feb.
Wasted half an hour thinking we were loading the MP3s onto a USB, only to see Audacity crash. Very upsetting.

Bjork feat Anthony Hegarty - Dull Flame of Desire (Modeselektor's "For Girls Remix")

David Byrne and Brian Eno - Strange Overtones
Errors - Salut! France
Of Montreal - Gronlandic Edit

TV on the Radio - Family Tree
Stateless - Bloodstream
Home Video - That you might

Ben Klock - Sean
Thom Yorke - And it rained all night

Karen Dalton - Something of your mind
Portishead - The rip

Van Morisson - Dweller on the Threshold
Andrew Bird - Imitosis (Four Tet Remix)
Moscow Olympics - Still

Weird Tapes - TV Romance
Boxcutter - Bloscid
Alias - Death Watch

Telepathe - In Your Line
Chromatics - Running up that Hill
Grand National - Peanut Dreams

Animal Collective - My Girls
Fridge - Cutup Piano and Xylophone

Department of Eagles - No one does it like you
Ola Pordrida - Jardana

Broken Social Scence - Guilty Cubicles

This Blog is Gay...

...and so are YOU!* That's the shocking message from the people at Love God's Way Ministries. The Ministry's "leader", Donnie Davies, has compiled a list of acts peddling gay music that parents are to forbid their children from listening to. They even go so far as to encourage parents to burn the cds of children found to be listening to such music. You only have to listen to three of the mentioned artists to be gay, so according to these loons, I am gay by the sixth entry on their ridiculous list. Entries include Radiohead, Fleet Foxes, Sigur Ros(nudists) and Arcade Fire. Morrissey is "questionable", The Cure are flaming for wearing make-up and Britney Spears kissed Madonna(earth-ending stuff). I have no qualms, however, with the inclusion of The Village People, Boy George, The Queers and one of the people I like least in the world, Lindsey Lohan. I have to wonder if it was really necessary to include "really gay" in brackets beside Elton John on their forbidden list. Check your gay rating at the full list here. It makes for funny reading.


*You are clearly, however, an individual with impeccable taste in music, blogs and whatever sexual preference you dam-well want.