I.T. Opinion Piece - Saturday 27 December

Amongst all the bad (and worsening) news circulating at the moment, an opinion piece in Saturday's Irish Times reminded us not to lose sight of the improvements Ireland has been privy to during the boom years. It also set out a hope for a cautious and measured solution, avoiding the desire to rush into any short-term policies that aim to stave off pressure from a blood-thirsty public used to instant gratification.

Read the full text here.

Pitchfork's Top 100 Tracks of 2008

The staff writers at Pitchfork have compiled an exhaustive list of their favourite tracks of this past year. It makes for some interesting reading with most genres represented. The results were in most part aligned with those of the public vote so I would submit that despite some people's grumblings about Pitchfork's place/influence in the world, this list is relatively fair and representative. Quite a few of the tracks featured as a BSITWT here: Efforts from Born Ruffians (with a little help from Four Tet), M83, Portishead and The Whitest Boy Alive all featured in the top 100 list. The first placed track received double acclaim here with it being declared the BSITWT twice. It is, of course, the collaboration behind Hercules & Love Affair and Anthony Hegarthy on the disco beaut 'Blind'.

You can find the full run-down from 100-to-1 here.

Noel Gallagher Interview - The Irish Times 03/10/2008

Noel Gallagher recently spoke, in his trademark opinionated and open style, with Brian Boyd of The Irish Times. I have never been a big Oasis fan, even in the early days when the world was going mad about Definitely Maybe and What's The Story..., I was just never that interested by them. Nor did I harbour much love for the Gallagher brothers themselves. However, after reading this interview, I have to say that my respect for him grew.

Extracts from the interview published in The Irish Times on the 3rd of October follow:

ON BEING ATTACKED ONSTAGE: "I WAS ABSOLUTELY SHITTING MYSELF"

"The guy had been backstage where it had been raining. He than hit me from behind and I fell onto the monitor. I immediately felt a really sharp pain in my back, where the ribs had cracked. Then I looked down at my leg and he had left wet footprints on me. I though it was blood. I was absolutely shitting myself.

"Up until that point, everything had been going great. Paul Weller had just been on before us, and we had a monumental piss-up planned with him for later that night. Next thing I know, I'm in hospital. Where were security? The two of them were sidestage playing air guitar, that's where security were! This was a festival show, so we didn't have our own security. Obviously, now we have to rethink our security situation, but we don't want to get like Madonna and travel around with 400 people.

"And guess what I found out later? The guy who attacked me is Irish! He's 47 and I think he had just got Canadian citizenship. I haven't said this to anyone before because I don't want to be dragging the name of the Irish nation down all around the world."

ON EXCESS: "WE HAD ALL THE COCAINE IN THE WORLD"

"When you have all the time in the world and all the money in the world - which we did when we went to record our third album after two phenomenally successful albums - it's probably not a good thing. I should mention, of course, that we also had all the cocaine in the world. I still tell people that the Be Here Now album is the best advertisement against taking cocaine. It goes on too long, it's smothered by its self of self-importance - the same as coke users are. When I was writing these 11-minute epics, I kept waiting for someone in the studio to turn to me and say 'I think that's a bit long,' but no one ever did. We were the biggest band in the world at the time and no one would speak up."

ON BROTHERHOOD: "I STILL BLAME LIAM FOR THE FACT THAT WE NEVER CRACKED THE US"

"I've only sung lead vocals when Liam hasn't bothered to turn up for a tour - and I still blame him for the fact that we've never cracked the US. When we had one of the biggest selling albums in the world, and were about to begin a crucial US tour, he arrived at the airport, gave some ludicrous excuse when he couldn't get on the plane, and left us completely stranded."

ON OTHER MUSICIANS: "I LIKE RADIOHEAD . . . UNTIL THOM YORKE STARTS SINGING"

"I've never ever felt the need to do anything outside Oasis. The band is enough for me. This is not meant as an insult, but you look at Damon Albarn and if he's not writing an opera, he's doing this or that. I don't need all that. I have a life. I'm not a careerist. I really hate these bands who always seem to be saying, 'now, on the new album we've worked really hard to get out of our comfort zone'. Fuck that. I spent 18 years building my comfort zone and I'm not going to leave it. And then bands such as Radiohead and their 'artistic progression' . . . Christ. I like Radiohead - until Thom Yorke starts singing.

ON CLASS: "I COULD NEVER BE LIKE PETE DOHERTY AND GO OUT WITH DIRT UNDER MY FINGERNAILS"

"The happiest time of my life will always be when I was eating at a Brunch bar - do you remember those? - in Charlestown in Co Mayo. Brunch bars and Silvermints will always have a special place in my heart because you could only get them in Ireland. We used to spend six weeks every year in Charlestown. It was magnificent. We were coming from a council estate in Manchester - and we lived at the end of cul-de-sac - to these 360-degree panoramic views. We loved it as kids. We could go fishing in the river or help with bringing in the hay.

"One of my earliest-ever memories is of going to the well by the house in Charlestown to get the water, because we had no running water there when I was a child. I still go back at least once a year, and even just the smell of the place immediately brings me back to those happy, happy childhood days.

"I still have a very strong sense of identity, a sense of being a working-class son of Irish parents. That's why I could never be like Pete Doherty and go out with dirt under my fingernails, a top hat on and my shirt hanging out. Working-class people take pride in their appearance. They'd never go out looking like that.

"One of the worst things that ever happened to me was when I said that thing about Blur [in an interview in 1995, Gallagher said he hoped Damon Albarn and Alex James would "get Aids", which he later retracted and apologised for]. My mam rang me up when she saw that and she was really angry and she said to me 'I didn't bring you up to talk like that,' and that stung me so much.

"Despite all that has happened - those massive selling albums, those huge gigs at Knebworth, being called 'the saviours of British music' - I've retained my identity. Even at the very height of our success, I never thought I was any better than the next person.

"In fact, the opposite is probably the case. I'm still sitting here waiting for my luck to run out."

Dig Out Your Soul was released on the 3rd of October.

Elbow win Mercury Prize

The Mancunian guitar band Elbow last night triumphed over Radiohead, The Last Shadow Puppets and the hotly tipped dubstep artist Burial to win the Mercury Prize. A just recognition after 18 years of releasing critically acclaimed albums that never quiet made it to the mainstream. The announcement of the winning act each year is usually greeted with booing but on this occasion a huge cheer rang out from the industry crowd as they were named as winners. The judges, sometimes criticised for their leftfield choices, continued a recent trend for rewarding indie bands that were already fairly well known and on the cusp of the mainstream. The title is widely accepted to translate into a 500% increase in album sales and a huge publicity boost.

Ewan Pearson Speaks

Ewan Pearson has been writing short pieces for Germany's Groove magazine for the past couple of months. The brief was that it shouldn't be about records or the lifestyle of a DJ but more thoughtful or insightful. He has made some very interesting points and observations in his bi-monthly guest column to date. Covering topics from MP3 blogging to ears and general observations about the electronic music scene. His June 2008 piece has a particular resonance for me as it covers the notion of travelling in another country without a command of the native language. It's something I've been struggling with, but slowly managing over the past three months. I have really enjoyed the insights and opinions of one the scenes leading lights. I'm sure you will find something that strikes a cord with you too.

Ewan has posted his bi-monthly guest columns here. Check it out.

http://www.ewanpearson.com
http://www.ewanpearson.com/enthusiasm/
http://www.myspace.com/ewanpearson

Ewan's remix of The Foals - 'Olympic Airways' is available to sample on his MySpace page.

Donal Dineen's Summer Nights

The Great One is talking to Kilkenny percussionist / David Byrne impressionist / All-round lovely musician R.S.A.G. on his seasonal talk show tonight (he had Liam O'Maonlaí in last week). Anyone who knows us will understand that his weeknight show is easily the most pivotal event in our daily lives, so the development of this little series is an interesting one.

Donal's involved with the Body and Soul arena at Electric Picnic again this year, at which RSAG will be playing on the Saturday (along with the incredible Mike Milosh)

*** He just called two bodhrán players, Neil and Conor Lyons, the 'Seoige sisters of rhythm'.

**** He just called Martin Busden the Maurice FitzGerald of bass.

***** Lisa Hannigan, Damien Dempsay AND Liam O'Maonlaí are on next week!!!!!!!! A veritable who's who's of HiCoism, this is David McWilliams' wet dream of a radio show.

Cold War 2.0

From Yahoo.com's review of Olympic warfare on Friday:

"The baseball park played host to a couple of politically tinged thrillers which went down to the wire. It was a good day for communism: Cuba beat the United States 5-4, and rookies China defeated Taiwan 8-7."


Take that, capitalism.

Critic's Choice

James Blunt earned a place in The Guinnes Book of Records for the fastest selling album in one year(2006). In Britian alone Back to Bedlam sold over three million copies and was certified 10x platinum. The album eventually sold 11 million copies worldwide and topped the album charts in 16 territories. Compare this with Van Morrisson's critically acclaimed 1968 album Astral Weeks which, 33 years after its inital release, eventually achieved gold status.

It can safely be said that Back to Bedlam won't be appearing on any authorative lists detailing the best albums of all time. Astral Weeks, however, was listed at number 2 in Mojo's 1995 list: The 100 Best Albums. It featured at number 19 on the Rolling Stone Magazine's: The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003. It also ranked number 5 in The Ticket's: Top 40 Irish Albums of All Time.

So, what is the reason for the massive difference of opinion between the music buying public and professional critics as to what constitutes good music? Surely people who are paid to review an album and hold themselves out to be an authority on such matters should be appreciative of music that has sold hugely across the globe and, further, should hold a degree of influence over the music buying public.

It is rarely the case that the public and critcs agree on the merits of a particular song/album and share a common appreciation of its appeal. A discernable pattern emerges when the music beloved of critics is examined. Critics are particularly concerned with emotion, lyrics, innovation and authenticity. Attributes absent in the majority of popular music. It is not that they are using different criteria to asses music, they are simply giving greater weight to some of them. Critics' favourites that the public hate include: Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica, Robert Wyatt's Dondestan and Van's Astral Weeks.

The music buying public, on the other hand, derive most satisfaction from material that places emphasis on melody, entertainment, escapism, immediacy and imagery. Attributes that critics often downweight. Public favourites that the critics hate include: Meat Loaf's "Bat out of Hell", "Hotel California" by the Eagles and, of course, ANYTHING by James Blunt.

There has been plenty of recent evidence to suggest that the tastes of critcs and the public can converge. I, personally, was greeted with looks of disgust on the admission that I believed that Rhianna's "Umbrella" was a good song. I didn't "like it-like it" but could appreciate how the song "ticked all the boxes" on the road to creating a well crafted pop song that caused quite a stir on it's release. Other examples of agreement between the normally divided factions include "Hey Ya" by Outcast, "Crazy"- Gnarls Barkley and Amy Winehouse's "Rehab". Critics adored them as much as the millions who bought them.

Overall, it seems that true music critcs have an influence over a limited group of people. These people are happy to shun the zeitgeist in search of something more challenging despite looks of confusion when queried on musical preferences on a regular basis. It is also interesting to note that both sets can reach a harmonious common-ground in some instances. I always remeber reading somewhere in the past that the melody of a song makes you fall in "like" with a song, whereas, the lyrics make you fall in love. I suppose critics search out love, and overall, are more susceptible to falling head over heels.



* I must credit Mark Edwards of The Sunday Times for much of the basis of this piece.

SPEAK YOUR BRAINS: Irish Music Mags

Fascinating debate over on Jim Carroll's blog here


Here were my two centimes:

Those who criticised Mongrel above simply don’t get it. Their reviews (and I’m thinking James Blunt here, which, as it happens, is still blu-takked to our kitchen door) were fucking hilarious, and that was primarily their function. Although some reviews were stunningly concise in their accuracy: on the recent Rilo Kiley record - “If this album was a person I’d want to sleep with it”. Their more ‘abstract’ reviews this week are phenomenally funny - go forth and read, people.
It will be fascinating to see how Eoin Butler’s articles pan out in the Irish Times. It is imperative that he be left with as much autonomy as possible. The very nature of his writing is otherwise at risk. I still enjoyed reading it last Saturday mind.

As for Foggy Notions, it’s sad to hear of its (temorary-ish) end. Someone above mentioned the fact that it constantly endorsed the music it covered. Indeed it did, is it not a good idea to exclusively cover the likes of Beruit, Pantha du Prince et al? It lends itself to wonderfully optimistic and non-authoritative tone, mainly due to the omission of coverage of shit music. I often saw it as Small Hours put to print. On the subject, Donal Dineen’s FN CD last summer was one of the most beautifully atmospheric and coherent compilations I’ve ever heard.

Re: The Hot Press Stuff. I subscribed to it in 2003. The political radicalism of their op-ed was fiery and refreshing. The features, interviews and writing were all of a high standard (Udell, Murphy, Tyaransen, Glendenning, I think), and it generally served as a decent companion to undergrad life.

Then I bought it last week. Jesus.