We regret the unfortunate demise of

We Heart

BSITWT #19

A week after playing Whelan's, Sub Pop's Fleet Foxes look set to take over the world. By 'world' I of course mean the affections of Pitchfork, Foggy Notions, the guardian, and left-of-centre, uber-trendy, folksy hipsters.

Here's why:

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal mp3 - (Sub Pop)

Portishead probably not coming to EP

A while back, rejoicing on the arrival of Portishead's third album, er, Third, we suggested a sneaky appearance at EP might well be on the cards. The West Country melancholics have indeed begun performing live again, but according to this interview, they are cutting the adventure very short, opting out of the summer festival circuit. According to Geoff Barrow:

You look at these faces in front of you and think, 'Isn't it supposed to be wonderful at this point? But it's not at all,'" he says with an almost apologetic grimace. "It's quite horrible."

Says it all really. If they do appear at EP, I will happily accept all the egg on my face for this silly inaccurate post and revel in the delight of seeing these guys live.

BSITWT 18

Beck - Cellphone's Dead (Ellen Allien Remix)


What a combo

3 Gigs and a Kitchen Rave

The frolics began on Friday, with BTBW performing an ameoba-like self-reproduction effort in a bid to catch Low's Future Days show at Andrew's Lane Theatre and local(ish) lads The Gorgeous Colours' concurrent performance at Eamonn Doran's. Baffling our in-house scientist (page 4), our procedure was a resounding success, and so off we went into the Dublin night armed with our finest repetoire of po-faced, sulky gazes and spikey-yet-jaded indie dances - each to be used, of course, as the need arises.

Fergal drew the Low card, the implications of which can be seen here.

I caught TGC's first gig since completing their much-antipated début LP (the lauch party for which takes place at Whelan'*s on September 6th, per the lads themselves). In the words of their own website's blurb: 'thank fuck for the Gorgeous Colours'. Seven songs of rich, sophisticated indie-pop were performed with genuine passion and panache- in Geoffrey McArdle they have a lead capable of carving out his own style and direction against an incresingly homogenous Dublin backdrop. The jagged chimes of Hunting Something grabs the attention at once, while the irresistable Burning ensures that it is never lost. Their sound will travel too; sharp americana set against quirky, scally vocals is something that A&R folks will not be hearing every night.

Latest single 'Holy Moley' is available to download for free here. We await September like giddy schoolgirls.

On to Saturday, then, where our breakthrough cloning efforts came to their sorry end, thus forcing BTBW to miss Sub Pop's hugely (and deservedly) hyped Fleet Foxes perform at Whelan's. Be prepared to hear much I-was-at-Fleet-Foxes-in-Whelan's-ism over the coming weeks, if reports are to be believed. Word has it they'll be touring their eponymous debut record round these parts again come September.

In the above's stead (and indeed Uncle Leonard's), we just couldn’t resist the Future Days line-up at Vicar St. What fun! It was one of those life-affirming nights that tells you everything is going to be OK. Friday’s antics resulted in our shameful boycotting of the wonderful Deerhunter and White Williams in order to maximise recovery-booze time. Our guilt was soon forgotten as the towering illuminated skull accompanying Baltimore ringleader Dan Deacon was set up at crowd level, along with his table of goodies, and the fun began.

Right from his initial “Shut up, everybody SHUT UP!!” we were giggling incessantly. Deacon had us down on our knees, running around Vicar St in a giant circle, and stumbling through a human gauntlet that went out by the bar and back into the main arena via the emergency exit, all to the tune of his unique brand of psychedelic electronica. It was mayhem – real playschool stuff, made all the better by the crowd’s wholehearted participation in the lunacy (save for a few gimps commenting here). The show was wrapped-up, as only it could be, by the seminal Wham City. Here's someone else's video:

And so for the main event: a first Dublin headliner for Richie Jape (who's rivalling White Williams for ironic-genre-on-their-myspace-page of the year '08) since the release of his acclaimed Ritual record. “We were shitting it during Dan Deacon,” he says, “How could we follow that?” He need not have worried. An even-more-wired-than-usual Egan thundered through his set, his captivated followers bouncing along to I Was A Man, Christopher and Anthony and Floating with a giddy fervour. It was inevitable that the night’s highlight occurred to the backdrop of Egan’s quirkily poignant ode to Phil Lynott** when, as the crowd bellowed the title back stage-bound, he flicked a switch, unleashed some belting electro, and executed an excellently judged crowd-surf, moving around in a perfect arc and returning expertly back onto the stage. Rockers take note. This may be the beginning of something big for the Crumliner.

Crippling inertia was our excuse for missing Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy on the Sunday – we are reliably informed that the bearded one didn’t disappoint. Kudos to Leagues O’Toole and all at Future Days / Foggy Notions for providing a weekend of great music for no more than €22.50 a pop. Bring on FD 2009...

*This apostrophe is ominously omitted from the facade of said pub. Fools.

**The line "And all the rockers said... Look at the fucking moon" is our favourite thing in the world at the minute.

***We also missed Lykke Li in the Sugar Club on Thursday. Elaine says she was 'mehzin. Now.

BSITWT 17

Portishead - Silence






A quality track off a quality album. They haven't lost it!!!

BSITWT 16

Matthew Johnson - Decompression



This is a big evil monster of a tune. It's about 3 years old but I can't get enough.

M_NUS at Sonar

Unfortunately BTBW will not be attending Sonar this year. Having had the privilege of being there before, we can seriously claim it to be the best thing EVER. My general melancholy at missing out on the fun was further compounded when I saw this:


CONTAKT @ SONAR

Friday June 20th

Hours: 2:00-6:00 am
Sonar by Night @ Fira Gran Via 2, Sonar Pub Stage
Avenida Botánica, 62 - L'Hospitalet de Llobregat/Barcelona

Line Up:
Richie Hawtin
Magda
Troy Pierce
Heartthrob live
Gaiser live
Marc Houle live

MINUS @ ROW14

Saturday June 21st

Hours: 6:00 pm-6:00 am
Tickets: 15,00 Euros incl. welcome drink
ROW14 :: Autovia de Castelldefels C31 :: Km. 12.6 Viladecans BARCELONA
http://www.row14.es/

Line Up:
Ambivalent Live
Barem Live
Matthew Dear (DJ)
Konrad Black
Fabrizio Maurizi
Paco Osuna
+ very special guest

Contakt is the new cube thing that M_nus are doing this year. Sounds a bit wanky but those guys can get away with anything in my book... The second line up is obviously one of the clubs in Barcelona that gets invaded with the world's finest electronic talent every Sonar weekend. If you are going over there this weekend, I hate you.

Low, Andrew's Lane, June 13

Minnesota three-piece Low arrived in Andrew's Lane (about 45 minutes late, but no harm...) as part of the Future Days festival this weekend, and treated the crowd to a wonderful offering of their stripped down, minimalist 'slowcore'*. The harmonies between lead singer Alan Sparhawk and wonderful lady drummer Mimi Parker (who I think are a couple) were delightful throughout the gig. Right from their opener, the enchating Murderer, it was clear there was something in the air. The crowd again amazed the band as much as vice-versa, with lead man Sparhawk remarking at one stage that 'this definitely isn't Spain'. The group received such a rousing reception that their second encore lasted three tracks, finishing with Amazing Grace, thanks mainly to the incessant roaring for this song from the tall guy beside us. The crowd were in mesmeric silence throughout the performance, as the group, and particular Sparhawk's at times almost inaudible solo guitar riffs, enchanted. One of the tracks that really got me was Sunflower. This track is slightly more upbeat than most, but the lyrical content is in keeping with Low's seriously dark take on things. Familiar tracks from their newest album Drums and Guns included Sandinista, Pretty People, and the epic Breaker. A brilliant live act, with suitably dry yet witty interaction with the crowd, and one guitar solo played by Sparhawk with his teeth, Low really gave Dublin their money's worth. I'm off to download all their albums that aren't Drums and Guns right now.


Low Myspace


* BTBW did not come up with this phrase.

LIVE: Radiohead, Malahide Castle, June 7th

Difficult to know where to start with this one; evenings like this weren't made for 300-word reviews.

We'll begin with the build up in the grounds of Malahide Castle. While I was initially concerned by the unprecedented and, frankly, quite worrrying levels of common sense shown by organisers in letting all and sundry enjoy the sun in the park, we soon let the shackles off and embraced the various wheelbarrow races, kickabouts and, of course, frequent streaking at the adjacent cricket match. Fun.

Such shenadigans necessitated an unfortunate boycotting of Bat For Lashes, so off we went trundling through the wooded path, arriving just in time for that panicky oh-shit-they're-starting run you do with a pint in each hand. In Rainbows opener '15 Step' worked well as an introduction, closely followed by a grinding rendition of 'Bodysnatchers'. Although 'National Anthem' (one of many very, very welcome Kid A tracks performed on the evening) provided a mid-set highlight, the closing five songs did much to underline just how far everyone has to go to even come close to the quality of Radiohead's output over the past decade; 'Videotape' (complete with technical hitch), 'Optimistic', 'Where I End And You Begin', 'Reckoner', 'Everything In Its Right Place', 'All I Need', and a particularly enthralling 'There There' left us in awe. The conspicuous absence of many Ok Computer and Bends 'classics' was - for us anyway - a thoroughly justifiable nod towards the conceptual superiority and sheer brilliance of Kid A, Hail to The Thief and In Rainbows.

Curiously for Radiohead, two encores followed, bringing the setlist up to around 25 songs for the night (the least you'd expect for a €75 ticket, it must be said). Highlights included 'How to Disappear Completely' (along with the cringeworthy-yet-irresistable 'Hurrah!' for the Liffey), a solo 'Exit Music', and a poignant, if a little scruffy, new track called 'Supercollider'. The evening ended with an almost hysterical reception amid the thunderous lighting effects for what will always be one of their finest moments - a show stealing, searingly powerful Idioteque.

This was Radiohead. No bullshit, no singalongs, no 'High and Dry'. Just two and a half hours of intensely atmospheric art on a perfect summer's evening.

BSITWT 15

Prosumer & Murat Tepeli - Serenity

BSITWT 14

Radiohead -Idioteque




There was talk of removing the "T" from the end of this one altogether in Malahide last Saturday.

Sigur Ros album, available on line

Electric Picnic-bound Icelanders Sigur Ros have made their new album, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust*, available to stream in full on their website. Cannot wait for an afternoon of listening pleasure.

*With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly.

Genius

A tip for ladies cohabiting with men

http://bayesianheresy.blogspot.com/2008/05/long-live-choice-architects-of-world.html

LIVE: Plants and Animals, More Tiny Giants

A lovely little double header in Crawdaddy this Thursady 5th. Montreal (already they're in my good books) 3-piece Plants and Animals treated the crowd to a very enjoyable evening, ably assisted by up and coming locals More Tiny Giants. Plants and Animals referred to themselves as being from Montreal, in the country of Quebec. A bit of nationalism always adds to an evening in my view. They were, particularly early in their set, a delight, with the first few tracks offering a great example of bubble-wrapped melodious indie, which does not even surprise when offered by a Canadian group anymore. Faerie Dance was a noticeably elegant track in this early period. They progressively upped the pace of their set, and towards the end of their set the music got a little heavier, and slightly less palatable, but only in comparison to the gorgeous opening fifteen minutes. More Tiny Giants gave a far livelier support set; their edgy aggressive energetic style is catching many people's attention, and I look forward to seeing them progress in the coming months. Check out their tunes here

Classic

Love when a tune you always had down as a bit cheesy comes back at you and you love it!! Can't get enough of this one

Justice - Stress

This video is causing a stir the world over. Released on May 1st, it was immediately banned by French TV. It was put up on youtube that day, and in the 24 subsequent hours, 14,000 people viewed it. That figure is now at 140,000. Another victory for the conservative "ban things and they'll go away" brigade. It shows a gang of disgruntled youths in the Pairisan banlieues, who roam the streets of urban Paris causing havoc, attacking people, robbing people, torching a car, and of course, giving us the finger. The reason it has been banned is that the gang are of Sub-Saharan and North African descent, the two ethnicities most associated with social unrest in France. It is quite a graphic video, and whether or not Justice have done this to point out a reality or as a publicity stunt it has certainly received adequate attention. On an aside, the song is very lame, cliched, trashy, Ed Banger-style electro that had a moment last summer and really really bores me.

Watch it here and see what you think: