When a two week old blog, becomes the central point of your day, or more to the point, your life, thats when you know something is wrong. Last couple of days have been that way for me, like it or not, i guess my recent folk listening, both the pretentious and the meaningful, have contributed to my current lethargy. A detox was in order, so armed to the teeth with my carrot sticks and other assorted vegetables with enough vitamins to give my digestive system a headspin for three days, i delved into my music collection and come up with this
Some say a detox gives a new lease on life. A relative jump start. Forget the carrot sticks, this is my detox.
Bon Iver’s new EP blood bank has hit the shelves recently. I was a big fan of for emma, forever ago, so needless to say i was eagerly awaiting this record. On first listen i didnt like it. It didnt have the same je ne sais quoi as for emma, forever ago. To me, it deserved to be more of a b-side cd than an EP. It has since grown on me, however, and now its up there rubbing shoulders with for emma. Vernon’s heavily synthesized and layered vocals began as an annoyance, but now a few weeks later they are nothing short of beautiful. Definitely worth a listen. If you like it, be sure to look up for emma, forever ago
Got up off my lazy ass tonight to go see a band called Cities from Ennis. They were opening up for the stunningly average-at-best “loaded dice” and another band i didnt get the chance to see, “Setmaker”
At heart I am a realist. Plain and simple. Similarly, cities are a pretty pragmatic band. They aren’t, even by a long shot, the best band out there. They may never be. They havent got a large fanbase. And they know it. But they are good. They are tight. They play well. And lets face it, that’s rare. Find 5 other young bands that tick those three boxes and you get a cookie.
This is why i think you should all go and listen to cities. Unfortunately i didnt have the froresight to bring a camera with me, so i shall conveniently ‘borrow’ a few pictures from their bebo of a few earlier gigs.
First post, i guess goes to a band that i am genuinely excited about. a place to bury strangers. Perhaps I am a little behind the times, but such is the way of anything genuinely Irish.
I feel the need to hype them as a “new” band, a “new “scene. a “new” sound, anything comprising of new really, otherwise, odds are they wont get the attention that they deserve. Capturing, and recreating the sounds of The Cure, Joy Division, Jesus and Mary Chain and New Order and playing it with the intensity of an MBV gig since 2003, new, they are not. But after imposing their presence on the fans of BRMC, Nine Inch Nails, and MGMT in recent tours, as well as playing live with The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Jesus and Mary Chain, a place to bury strangers are on the up. And common sense, a gut feeling and a little bit of hope sees them going far.
