Coldplay "X&Y" review

Released back in June 2005 Coldplay’s “X&Y” was the bands third release.  It is now almost like their forgotten album, the one with the funny cover art. This is often only remembered for that rather excellent but a little weepy “Fix You”. But ask most music fan what album “Fix You” is on & they’ll more than likely reply with an “Emmm.......”  whilst looking a little perplexed.

But this album is a real treat & with “Square One” it features my most favourite Coldplay track. Usually the band are not liked too much because of the ”nice guys of rock” tag but this tune is a real stomper & a cracking way to open the album. “Fix You” is not the only weepy number on shown through. Tracks like “What if” & “Swallowed in the Sea” are others that the romantics will love.

There is a good selection of lost singles here too with the thumping bass drum of lead single “Speed of Sound”, “The Hardest Part” & the incredible under-rated “Talk” with its swirling guitar & rather light-hearted robot music video.

The title track is another excellent tune that slowly builds to an “all hands to the pumps” crescendo. “A Message” starts off with some acoustic guitar which continues throughout the verses with a blast of feedback cutting into the chorus.

All in all “X&Y” is a pretty decent release. Maybe not as good as their debut “Parachutes” or follow up “A Rush of Blood to the Head” but it’s definitely head & shoulders above “Mylo Xyloto”.

3.5/5

The Wicklow Music Scene

County Wicklow has never been seen as the bedrock of Irish music. But that does not mean that it has been asleep either. Dublin is obviously the bigger fish with regards venues (including The O2 & Olympia Theatre) & bands (U2 being the most obvious) but Wicklow has also got its own well-endowed history.

Bands such as instrumental rockers God is an Astronaut are from Glen O the Downs & whose 2005 video for single Fragile received some decent airplay on MTV2. Another instrumental band Enemies hail from Kilcoole in the garden county as well.

They formed in 2007 & are now on the Richter Collective label who also have Meteor Choice Prize nominee And So I Watch You From Afar on their books.

Dance-rockers Nightbox have members from Greystones but who now are settled in Toronto, Canada. They released their self-titled debut EP back in February 2011 which was produced by MSTRKRFT’s Al-P & Death From Above 1979’s Sebastian Grainger.

Glyder, a heavy metal band from Ballyknockan in West Wicklow formed in 2004 as a Thin Lizzy tribute band. They supported bands like The Answer, Thunder & Blue Oyster Cult & even went on to open for the mighty Metallica in Marley Park back in August 2009.

It’s not just the rock bands either. There are plenty of blues, soul & jazz singers around the area too. Brian Meekin is an excellent blues rock guitarist that covers the likes of Jimmy Hendrix, Led Zeppelin & The Doors to name just a few.

As well as playing famous Dublin venues like JJ Smyth’s he is also known to support the Wicklow venues. Bray’s Mermaid Arts Theatre & Greystones’ Hot Spot Coffee House have been blessed with his exquisite guitar playing.

The Mermaid Theatre won the 2011 IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year for Leinster Award & will most multi-award winning artists Cathy Davey & Duke Special this summer. The Hot Spot is home to local favourites Evelyn Campbell who is soul singer a la Joan Baez & the brilliant jazz harmonies of Mia Parsons.

Other than the Mermaid Arts Theatre, Bray also hosts the annual Bray Jazz Festival which attracts some of the biggest names in the jazz world. According to Lonely Planet it is also home to the best bar in the world, The Harbour Bar.

This famous pub on the Strand Road has seen the likes of Sinead O’ Connor, The Pogues’ Shane McGowan & The Dubliners’ Ronnie Drew perform. It is also a magnet for other Irish celebrities including Bono, Neil Jordan, Brendan Gleeson & Cillian Murphy.

Wicklow Town’s Bridge Tavern was another popular spot (up until its recent closure) attracting some up & coming bands at the time like indie-rockers Wallmart, Wicklow’s own covers band Feedback and solo work from Dave Geraghty, guitarist with BellX1. Feedback would also been seen in other venues including Arklow pubs Sally O’ Briens & Christies.

Knockanstacken is another outdoor music festival held at the Blessington Lakes in West Wicklow in July. This has seen some up and coming bands and artists like The Gorgeous Colours, Sounds of System Breakdown & Enemies in recent years. Another Meteor Choice Prize 2012 nominee We Cut Corners have performed there in the past. So too Dublin band The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock whose self-titled debut album featured in established Irish music journalist Tony Clayton Lea’s recent book “101 Irish Records You Must Hear Before You Die”. Dates are confirmed for 27^th-29^th July for this year’s festival but line-up is still to be announced.

Wicklow is steeped with its own musical history and continues to produce and grow musical talent of all genres. We know things are tough out there are the moment but let’s attend the gigs and support the bands in the area. Let’s keep it alive.

Noah & the Whale - Olympia Theatre Dublin - live review

Sometimes you might go along to a gig & not be particularly interested in the band. You might have won the tickets for example or be going along because your best mate likes the band & they don’t want to go by themselves. This is exactly the case for me with Noah & the Whale but they blew me away. They were excellent. A proper, well knit rock n’ roll band with some rather excellent tunes.

Tonight’s gig in Dublin’s Olympia Theatre sees the band in flying form. It’s St. Patrick’s Day & the crowd are all in top form too, everyone dressed in green & all happy to be out in the city taking in the celebrations.

The band themselves are playing their first gig on the year, kicking off their 2012 UK Tour in support of their third album “Last Night on Earth”. They open with “Life is Life” & “Just Me Before We Met”. They lash out the guitars for the rather brilliant “Give a Little Love” which I had previously never heard before. This is possibly the best song I’ve seen performed live in the last few years - an absolute rocker. So surprising from a band I’d previously not been too familiar with having only heard their latest release. I hope to pick of a copy of their 2008 debut album “Peaceful, the World Lays me Down” & their 2009 follow-up “The Last Days of Spring” sometime soon.

The second half of their set is for “dancing & party songs” as skinny front man (& incredibly well dressed) Charlie Fink puts it. The crowd go wild & everyone jumps to their feet for “Tonight’s the Kind of Night” & debut single“5 Years Time”. Closing proceedings tonight & a fitting end to a smashing Paddy’s Day is hit single “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N”. The crowd sing along to every word.

This is a cracking performance from a band on top of their game. Strongly recommend getting a ticket if they return.

Dancing About Architecture - Journalism 101 - Sports Journalism

Some more tips from Dancing About Architecture Journalism 101 courses. This time it’s the last in the series – Sports Journalism. Talking are Jacgui Hurley from RTE & Miguel Delaney who writes for Irish Examiner, Independent & ESPN.

·         There seems to be more opportunities than most in Sports Journalism.

·         Journalism courses can get you more in tune with journalism. Makes you “think” like a journalist.

·         Subbing is excellent. Good to get as wide an experience as possible.

·         Do not just give a match report, try & have something to say.

·         Start out with the smaller, lower profile competitions Eg: local soccer or GAA.

·         Talk to the press officer.

·         Write match reports straight away & send them to the press officer the next morning.

·         Send match reports on time & keep it steady.

·         Read newspapers – even articles you might not be particularly interested in. See how they script the article (Different scripts). Try to find out what is good & what is bad about the article.

·         Write something on what sport you prefer & know more about but don’t necessarily box yourself in. Have an idea about other sports.

·         Don’t annoy the editor – show initiative.

·         Put value in yourself – take your chance.

·         Always try to have a good intro.

·         With regard broadcasting – keep it short & to the point. No complete blown up information that just isn’t needed. Less is more.

·         Know something & build from it. You don’t have to know everything about everything.

·         Don’t be afraid of making a mistake. Eg: is you are at a football match & you have no battery left on your laptop & have forgotten the power cable, always ask someone for a loan of one. Much better to get embarrassed then to not have a report in at all.

·          Always have your strong foot forward. Do not do something you are not comfortable with.

·         Make sure people respect you. Relationships are essential.

·         Do not get insulted if someone does not respond to an e-mail.

·         There are plenty of competitions in sport this summer with the Olympics, European Championship soccer.

·         Invest in a Dictaphone. Small investments are sometimes worth it in the long run.

·         Sometimes you need to make allowances in your timetable. You will need to leave a space in your timetable in case something urgent comes up. Eg: a 2000 word article with a 2 day deadline so you’ll need the whole of the first day for research.

·         Be aware of foreign sports Eg: Australian rules, Amercan sports like basketball & ice hockey.

·         Be aware of the American language. Eg: they refer to a team as being singular, “Liverpool is playing Man City this afternoon” rather than “Liverpool are playing. . . “

·         Everyone should be on Twitter. One guy in the course actually got a job writing articles on MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) on http://www.thescore.ie/ which he seen advertised on a Tweet.

Explosions in the Sky & Low to play Vicar St

American instrumental rock band Explosions in the Sky have announced that they are to play Dublin's Vicar St on Tuesday 10th July 2012 with support from Low: http://tinyurl.com/7kfctkb

Body & Soul Festival 2012 line-up

The line-up for Body & Soul Festival 2012 was announced this morning. Villagers, St. Vincent, M83, Little Dragon & Teiranniesaur will play at the Ballinlough Castle venue in Co. Westmeath taking place from 22nd-24th June. See http://bodyandsoul.ie/ for more information. Weekend tickets €99.00.

Dancing About Architecture - Journalism 101 - Politricks

Some more tips & pointers from the Dancing About Architecture seminars. Part 4 Politricks – Political Journalism was on 13^th March & included talks from Stephen Collins - Political Editor of The Irish Times, Shane Coleman – Political Editor of Newstalk & Lise Hand of the Irish Independent.

·         Never turn anything down. Always say “yes” – Lise Hand even wrote the horoscopes for 3 weeks.

·         When reporting on Dail proceedings every TD deserves a paragraph at the minimum.

·         With regard the Sunday papers – all the decent stories are taken by daily papers so it’s harder to get a different story for Sundays.

·         Sunday papers have more relaxed, longer deadlines.

·         Political journalists are the first line in the history books.

·         Freelance journalists have to prove themselves. It’s very rewarding & well worth the hassle.

·         Before you could get into journalism straight away, now it’s a lot harder. Have to start freelancing these days.

·         Find out a story, whats happening & find it out first if you can.

·         Be inquisitive.

·         Be able to express the content in simple words.

·         Keep phone numbers for absolutely everybody in your contacts book.

·         Go to events – build relationships.

·         Curiosity is a big deal, be able to get along well with people.

·         Have to be dispassionate – take a stand back.

·         Have the ability to stand up & say something different. Don’t go with the group thinkers.

·         Be critical while trying to convey the message & facts to the public. Try to be as fair as you can.

·         Never promise on something you cannot deliver & deliver on time.

·         Have a good work ethic. Work hard.

·         With regard working on the radio – pretend you are just talking to one particular person whether they be a man in a car or an elderly person for example.

·         Meet the deadline no matter what, no matter how bad your copy is.

·         Be a good listener. Pick up on the vibes.

·         Check your facts.

·         New media has quickened the pace of journalism Eg: Twitter.

·         With regard online articles – these tend to be shorter. Approx 2000 word articles/stories will not be easily read online. These are much more likely to be read in print.

·         Make your locality your own. Write for local newspapers first then you can use that as a platform.

·         Make a nuisance of yourself. Be annoying. Make yourself known.

·         Make youself the go-to person in a particular area.

·         Have common sense – read newspapers, watch the news.

·         Show interest.

·         Look at one thing as it is - Eg: write an album review for the actual album itself. Do not base your review on the particular bands previous albums.

Odonis Odonis "Hollandaze" album review on High Browse

See my review of Odonis Odonis' "Holladaze" album on High Browse: http://highbrowse.ie/music/reviews/hollandaze.html

Cymbals Eat Guitars "Lenses Alien" review on High Browse

See my review of Cymbals Eat Guitar's "Hollandaze" album on High Browse: http://highbrowse.ie/music/reviews/lensesalien.html

Dancing About Architecture - Journalism 101 - Feature Writing & commissioning

Here are some more tips from the Dancing About Architecture course. Seminar 3 "Feature Writing & Commissioning" was on 06th March & featured talks from Nadine O' Regan (Irish Times, Sunday Business Post, Phantom FM), Kathy Sheridan (Irish Times) & Shane Hegarty (Irish Times).

·         First article is the hardest - need to be able to convince an editor you are worth taking on.

·         Know how to get a story.

·         Know how to get what you want when you want it.

·         Personality.

·         Read a lot of what you like.

·         Looking in the whites of people’s eyes works better than sending an e-mail or a phone call. If you are speaking to someone face to face they can see that you are being honest.

·         Try to offer something different.

·         Keep up to date with the news, read the papers, look at the news.

·         Always be an observer, be the by-stander.

·         Try to specialize in something different & not too common.

·         Have a general curiosity about the world.

·         Don’t be afraid to ask the simple question, the obvious, stupid question.

·         Accept that you will have to get up early to finish a story/article. You will be stressed by having to meet a deadline.

·         When pitching do not send large files via e-mail. Cut & paste work into the body of the e-mail.

·         E-mail again if no reply. Editors will tend to get a lot of e-mails.

·         Be polite.

·         Look to see what an editor has done to change your article. If it is changed it is for a particular reason. Pay attention to these changes.

·         Always get in touch with the editor if you cannot meet a deadline.

·         Know who you are pitching to. Eg: If you are pitching to a music magazine read their articles & get used to their layout & audience.

·         Do not underestimate your work.

·         Pitch to the particular section of newspaper or magazine you want. IE: if you are sending a music review try to contact the arts editor rather than the main editor.

·         Do not pitch to 2 similar publications. Eg: do not pitch to The Irish Times & Irish Independent.

·         Always give the first publication a chance to reply. Give it a few days. If it is an urgent article then let them know.

·         The same paper/magazine will come back to you. You may become assigned to them nearly.

·         If you are building a lot of trust & a good relationship then ask for a contract.

·         Always submit on time.

·         Play on your expertise.

·         One paragraph per pitch & always to the point.

·         Always have a few pitches just in case some are denied.

·         Always say “yes”. This will probably be the article idea that nobody else wants but it could give you an “in”.

·         Be cheerful.

·         Get someone to interview that is different & quirky.

·         Know your territory. Write about your local area. Not just Dublin. Geography itself can be a niche.

·         Kathy Sheridan never includes herself in a story unless she is asked to write an opinion piece. Works especially in news & not necessarily in lifestyle.

·         Humour - be careful about being funny especially at first.

·         Accept any offers to go on radio.

·         Some publications pay a standard rate, some pay by the amount of words.

·         If you are asked to write a 700 word article & you write 1200 – the publication will only pay you for the 700.

Cymbals Eat Guitars "Lenses Alien" album review

Hailing from Staten Island, New York, Cymbals Eat Guitars return to form with this their second album “Lenses Alien”. It is produced by John Agnello, who has also worked on albums by Sonic Youth, The Hold Steady, Kurt Vile & the highly underrated Madrugada. The band’s debut album “Why there are Mountains” was self-released back in 2009.

The band had a bit of a torrid time after their debut was released with their original keyboardist Dan Baer leaving the band through illness & their original bass player Neil Berenholz leaving due to a dislike of touring. They had to re-start, if you like, bringing in Brain Hamilton on keyboards & Matthew Whipple on bass. The surviving members - singer/guitarist Jospeh D’Agostino & drummer Matthew Miller quickly got to grips with their new band mates.

“Lenses Alien” is an original sounding album full of different ideas. There are a lot of unusual chord changes especially on the opening track “Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)” (which is actually its proper name). This is a 3-in-1 type song has a mixture of feedback, whispered vocals & an all out loud shouty ending. “Plainclothes” has some really good changes too where it quietens down towards the middle before some more screaming vocals finish things off.

This is not the type of thing I’d usually listen to but I really enjoyed it. There are some nice strummed guitar parts & the drumming is hard-hitting throughout. The band sounds like they are really enjoying themselves. There is even a hint of Beach Boys with the vocals on “Shore Points”.

The only down points here is “The Current” which seems to just end prematurely & the rather messy final track “Gary Condit” which doesn’t really come together fully.

Having read in the past that Cymbals Eat Guitars sound similar to Deerhunter & The Antlers but they’re more in line with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart & even a scuzzed up version of “Gish”-era Smashing Pumpkins.

All in all a fine second album.

Odonis Odonis - "Hollandaze" album review

The music scene in Canada is pretty healthy these days with the likes of Grimes, Feist & Fucked Up, all releasing excellent albums recently. Let’s not forget about Arcade Fire of course.
Odonis Odonis are on the way to being another. Based in Toronto, the band take their name from a friend of theirs called Adonis Adonis. They have recently released their heavily distorted – fuzzed up guitar laden debut album “Hollandaze”.

This relatively short album roars into the first two tracks with all guns blazing. “Busted up” is a ear-full blast of distortion with the repeated  shouts of “I shouldn’t of kissed you last night” & “I got a busted lip & I got to stand up on my own”.  The madness calms down a little towards the middle of the album with “Blood Feast” & “Seedgazer” with it’s whiney guitar & dark lazy lass line. “New World” sounds like a remixed, reworking of Radiohead’s bass heavy stomper “The National Anthem”. The madness returns later with cracking “Ledged Up”.

There are obvious similarities with The Jesus & Mary Chain. Other influences here are Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine & Echo & the Bunnymen. Even the cock-sure vocals of “Basic Training” sounds like Kasabian’s Tom Meighan.

According to rumours gathering online Odonis Odonis will soon be releasing a follow-up. Their dirtly punk style will only get better with age. A fine debut.

6/10

www.odonisodonis.com

Dancing About Architecture - Journalism 101 - New-New Journalism

Some more points I've learned from the Dancing About Architecture course. This time Seminar 2 last Tuesday night. It was entitled "New-new journalism" & featured some leading Irish Journalists.
Speaking were Niall Byrne of the well known "Nialler9" Music Blog www.nialler9.com. He is also editor of State Magazine www.state.ie. Also there was Susan Daly, editor of Journal.ie www.thejournal.ie & Markham Nolan of Storyful www.storyful.com.

• Try everything, TV, radio etc. Not just writing.
• Make sure all information you include in an article is correct & up to date.
• Try & have a USP, IE: Have a specialized topic like a genre of music, sport etc.
• Have a specific niche - become a go-to person for a particular subject.
• If you are reporting on news make sure you know the background of the story.
• Know how to translate a niche market into a story.
• Write everyday if possible.
• Make yourself reliable.
• Be pro-active - pitch stories that are relevant.
• Do not be afraid to be afraid. Do things that are new. This is the best way of learning & to grow your confidance.
• Never get backed into a corner. Don't do something you cannot stand behind.
• Again make sure the spelling & grammer is correct.
• Use short sentences if need be.
• Read over what you write at least twice before sending it.
• Be an old journalist before you become a new journalist.
• Have the ability to manipulate a story into your own words.