Video Of The Week: Lego Special

Lego building blocks were 50 years old yesterday. I've always loved lego, almost as much as music. Now Lego & Music don't seem to have alot in common, but ever since the advent of Youtube, it has become alot easier to find music video's done in lego animation format.

Here are some of my Favourites:
Kasabian - Club Foot - i've never seen the real video, but i like this
Weird Al Yankovich - The Saga Begins - a must for star wars fans
The Decemberists - The Mariners Revenge Song - an excellent yet underheard song
Radiohead - Street Spirit - slightly bizarre
The Blueman Group - still impressive, even through lego

Although technically around before youtube, this video is for me the first big lego music video:

And The Making Of.
Michel Gondry is a legend

First Steps into Radio

You may have noticed to the left that there is a radio, all the songs are full length and ive chosen them myself from the full length songs available on last.fm. I'll be updating it from time to time with more stuff but for now enjoy having something to listen to as/if you read.

I'm pretty excited to see the full version of 45:33 available, all 46 minutes of it. I recommend the gossip remix(in case you hadn't guessed from it being number 1).

This Weekend I Mostly Listened to

Blonde Redhead
23 is a great album, I really didn't appreciate it enough last year.

Atari Teenage Riot
Those crazy germans, fun times.

My Brothers "Angry" Music
at his 21st friday night, long night with little sleep.

The Sounds of Water Polo
I was at the inter-varsities on saturday, fun times had by all, i spent €92 on the first round. Being a captain is hard work.

The Scumbags making my cushy job more difficult
Would anyone really care if we locked them all up?

Movie Recommendations

Because music is inextricably linked to movies since the days of silent film. I won't try and give away too much in the description. So if you have nothing better to do this weekend


Brick - Brilliant film noir style updated into a high school situation.

Juno - 16 year old girl gets knocked up, decides not to have an abortion, excellent story ensues. Great soundtrack & cameo by Cut Chemist

Superbad - Superobvious, superfunny

Mallrats - Kevin Smith's second film, often overlooked but pure gold.

Enjoy

Video Of The Week

One Man, a drumkit & a sampler - Solo drum n bass brilliance

(Thanks to Phier for the link)

The Young Knives For Whelans

Yet another absolute bargain of a gig in whelans. Sunday March 23rd(Easter Sunday) the Excellent Young Knives are playing. Tickets €17. For those of you unfamilar with the album "Voices of Animals & Men" I recommend you check it out.
"The Decision" was one of the singles off the album.

Hopefully I'll see you there.

Jim Noir

I first got Jim Noir's album "Tower of Love" when I found out he was going to be playing support for the Super Furry Animals in Vicar Street, however due to my driving test being at home that day and the train being late i arrived just before the SFA took to the stage, and hence missed all of Jim's set.
I had only briefly listened to the album due before hand and wasn't terribly disappointed at missing his set at the time. But retrospect is a bitch and now after a few months and many more listens i realise that i missed out on what could have been something special. "Tower of Love" has intrigued me greatly, it opens very well with "My Patch", but changes tone quickly and this downtempo turn may affect some peoples impression of the album. However there are some very good songs therein that can really grow on you, and certainly has with me. I recommend giving it a listen and not judging it too quickly.

British Sea Power in Whelans

At this stage i've posted enough about them, and I told myself that i wouldn't bother with sayig anything today. But last night was just far to spectaculare to go undocumented. My first time seeing the great BSP but i hope it won't be my last. A brilliantly energetic set from the lads and lady made it easy to ignore the scorching temperature(a crowded gig and the radiators are on full blast??). My one, prolonged, trip to the bar caused me to nearly miss "waving flags", which sounds so much better live. The atmosphere was second to none with a crowd who really wanted to be there and a band who wanted to play for them, the smurflike Noble being very friendly from the outset. The actions of the 5th(or is it 6th) member of the band were probably the most entertaining, first apperance from stage right with a large air raid siren for sound affects, running across the stage playing a trumpet or a euphonium, or most spectacularly entering the stage for the encore via the balcony and the lighting rig. This is not to say that the rest of the band were not without their stage presence, and excellent performance from Drummer Tom White of Brakes & Electris Soft Parade(Sitting in for the injured Woody).
The night culminated in the epic semi-improvised(from what ive read) "Rock In A" which featured a stage invasion, a few audience members swinging from various parts of the venue & a very passionate kiss for Yan from a large topless man(yan did not look impressed).
I know its a bit early in the year for this but as timo said, gig of 2008(i am open to being convinced otherwise though).


Songs Of The Night:
"No Lucifer"
"How Will I Ever Find My Way Home?"
"Rock in A"

Bizarre movie Crossover's

I'm a massive Kevin Smith fan & while cruising through the youtube videos of Askewniverse outtakes and extras i found this rather bizarre piece of fan fiction. It features the weird crossover of Jay and Silent Bob being chased by Freddy Krueger with parodoies of numerous films and even a father ted reference. Im intrigued that people thought of this and slightly confused as to why they decided to spend money making it.

Video Of the Week

The Mars Volta - Wax Simulacra

The First single off their new album The Bedlam In Goliath, set for release January 29th.
This song has got me really looking forward to the album, I wasn't really in the right place to anticipate the last album, although i did enjoy it alot, but now im in a more prog-rock sort of place and am very much looking forward to hearing more from the former At The Drive-In boys. Unfortunately Sparta have not been as promising but still produce the odd gem.

RTE vs Music

RTE our national broadcasterhave just announced their new Winter/Spring season 2008, including over 30 new homegrown shows, however noticeably absent once again from the line-up is a music show from a reputable source.

Rant warning

They cancelled No Disco, one of the greatest television shows Ireland has ever produced. They Watered down the last broadcast to a shadow of its former self, and dave fanning is not the be all and end all of irish music. They have refused a documentary by Nick Ryan about the Electric Picnic 2006, one that he was giving away free. Other Voices remains one of the few good shows that they have that has been relatively untouched since getting it right. However it is only being broadcast after 11pm, meaning its influence is mainly on lost on anyone not in their 20's or 30's.
They just seem to focus on its nice little ratings earners (The Late Late Show, Your A Star, etc) and completely losing out on its 18-35 demographic. Its gotten to such a point where the only Homegrown Shows i might watch on RTE are the news & the ocassional glimpse(like you might glimpse at a car crash) at their terrible attempts at 20-something aimed Shows (Roaring Twenties, the big bow wow). The album reviews section on RTE.ie features very little, if any, music outside of the charts(the only possible exception is Radioheads In Rainbows but that didn't chart for a good reason). It seems clear to me that RTE seem happy to fob off those of us with a musical inclination with a few episodes of the last broadcast and Other Voices, and then maybe if a few of us are watching the den we can catch UnaRocks giving it socks in her small segment once a week, but that isn't even really aimed at anyone over the age of 16 or 17 at a strech.
I put it to you that RTE is failing a significant proportion of its customer base and is wasting our Licence fee on tripe.

Do You Like Rock Music? Released Today

I have been looking forward to British sea power's third album since i got into them last year. First Album "The Decline of British Sea Power" & Second release "Open Season" are both excellent albums and last years Krankenhaus EP showed that the third album would not disappoint. I downloaded the album a few weeks ago and now the album will be winging its way too me in wonderful vinyl format to enjoy listening too for years to come.

Weekend Update

Tomorow will be a long and painful day of stocktaking at work, so im busy filling up my zen with music in the hopes ill be able to listen to that to pass the time whilst counting. It shall be a great oppurtunity to catch up on my new music.

Tonight I really should go to doran's to see one of the guys from work drum in his band, but im way too tired and slightly broke for all that jazz. They have a new Ep coming out soon so i plan to go to that launch night instead, im not all bad.

Last night was haido's birthday, so there was drinking and fun times for most in the bernard shaw & onwards to POD, however i was taking it easy and didn't make it past the shaw. A nice little upside to the evening, was the woman who came across to us at the bus-stop beforehand, to give us her bus ticket because she was finished with it, which was nice.

Video Of The week

Becasue im so ecited that their new album Do you like rock music? is out soon and my tickets arrived today for their gig next friday, I give you British Sea Power - Waving Flags.

British Sea Power are playing Whelans of Wexford street on Friday 18th January, see you there

Don't You Know you'll Stain The Carpet!

I had never fully "gotten" the velvet underground until i listened to Sister Ray, before this i had only heard a live joy division cover on still, that while excellent, was let down alot by poor sound quality. And now i get it i can see myself enjoy their music alot more in future.

I've just watched Brick, which has left me in a sense of euphoria for seeing something so refreshing.