FOR YOUR HEALTH!

Alexa says tell yer cats to chill, k? 

Hey cat's! I haven't been posting on here in the last week as I've been studying for an exam (politics) and it's rather dull. I'm also slaving away doing reviews for Yelp.com, you can read my reviews of Belfast finest establishments and some boring one's too here:  http://www.yelp.co.uk/user_details?userid=X4c7L9s75VV-XHEhXDopdg
Gotta pay the bills right?

As soon as I get all of this out of the way I'm going to go back to being a chilled cat and finding some new music to post all up in ya face via this blog.

In the meantime here are some top tips from Dr. Steve Brule, which make me near pee myself with laughter.                                    

Fer yur health!

FLY LO, SWEET CHARIOT

Warp's most mouthwateringly psychedelic electronica artist, Flying Lotus will follow up this year's 'Cosmogramma' album with an EP called 'Pattern + Grid World' to be released on 20th September. Yipiee!! 


You can hear 'Camera Day' taken from that EP here. 

Poster that comes with EP 

Tracklisting looks like this: 
1. Clay
2. Kill Your Co-Workers
3. PieFace
4. Time Vampires
5. Jurassic Notion/M Theory
6. Camera Day
7. Physics For Everyone!

I've been a fan of Flying Lotus since his amazing Los Angeles album in 2008. Here's the review I did for State back then: http://www.state.ie/2008/05/album-reviews/flying-lotus-los-angeles/

If you're new to Flying Lotus, there's a lot of treats in store for you. The man is an entity onto himself and is getting progressively weirder and more far out with each release, kudos! I had the pleasure of seeing him at Sonar 2008- he was amazing. If you get the chance to see him live, do it. I still prefer 'Los Angeles' to 'Cosmogramma', it has a bit more bite I think. Here's my favourite track from the debut album. Lush. The breakdown in the middle is siicccck, as the kids say. 

ENERGY ARRANGER

Jamie Lidell is a bit of a genius. I was checking out the video for his new tune 'Telephone' t'uder night and ended up absorbing a lot of information about him in a short space of time, so I thought I'd do a bit of a digital puke here, if you will.  

If it's all too much for you, I recommend you intake all these digital dee-lites in small doses as they are all top quality and very fun indeed.

I was totally in love with the album Jim, no matter how much I listen to it, it's soulfullness and hooks just keep me coming back for more. With the new record, Lidell has gone deeper into the soul era. He's even gone and recruited ex- Jackson 5 drummer James Gadson to drum on 'Compass' to give it that authenthic sound.

He recently gave an amazingly succint and revealing interview to Pitchfork media- which you can check out here. He's such a weird and intruiging character.

In this interview he reveals his love for Micheal Jackson, Beck and Feist's involvement with the new record and how he was credited as 'energy arranger' on Feist's album! It really is an insightful read and reveals a lot about where 'Compass' came from.

On my internetty travels, I also came across this amazing little short film by La Blogotheque. The guys at Blogotheque basically film loads of cool bands each week doing a live session. Here's the Lidell one:

The session is so raw, soulfull and joyous. A captivating little watch.




Check out the uber sexy new single 'Telephone' from the excellent album 'Compass'.



And here's one more for the road: it's Lidell on Sky Arts music show 'From The Basement', doing a live version of 'The City'. It's a really intense video which just builds and builds as Jamie loops his voice and beatboxing to reveal a complicated stunner of a tune and leaves you sure of the man's genius. I just cannae get enough of him!

Enjoy.

MONU-FUCKING-MENTAL!

There is no reason for posting this up other than it's amazing and I wanted to share it.

Reminds me of why there is such a buzz around Villagers at the moment. One to clear the cobwebs off yer speakers.

Get your tickets for Villagers gig at The Black Box on Sept 9th as part of the Open House Festival. Tix are £9.50. Info here. 

CAN YOU KIANI?

My uber lovely and talented DJ supa-star housemate, Katriona O'Kane is playing at the Basement tomorrow. Katriona will be starting about 11 so c'mon down and have a dance to her funkadelic grooves.


Katriona produces her unique brand of pyschedelic electronica under the name of Kiani using Ableton. With her ever expanding musical palette, Katriona has been mixing music from every genre into her live set's. You might hear a bit of Board's of Canada, Caribou or some vintage James Brown in there but her live set's always prove highly energized and danceable. Seriously, I couldn't recommend her enough. This is what you can expect .


Fresh from a headline slot at Rathlin festival and just before another festival gig at The Sunflower Fest, tomorrow night is your chance to check out an interesting young DJ on her way up. And it's only a fiver. See you there!


Join Kiani's Facebook group here and check out her Soundcloud page here

GOOD TUNES ARE MIA

Here's the video for MIA's new single 'XXXO'- featuring a notably vamped up MIA in a number of outfits set against naff backgrounds. The song is 'as wake as dishwater' to be honest, but I kinda like it's slacker sensibility. It's not really doing much, but is something wishey-washy that you could hum along to. Kinda guessed that she'd go for something inoffensive after the last video was banned. What the hell was going on there? Political statement my arse. (Now that I think of it, this song sucks too).

The backlash against MIA now is perhaps inevitable, here's the article in The New York Times that started it all-  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/magazine/30mia-t.html?pagewanted=all

We all knew she could never sing, but I think it's just grating thin now that she's living an uber charmed lifestyle being married to mega rich Benjamin Bronfman- talking about going to New York's Met ball with her 'girlfriends' and in the next breath talking about fighting for political issues she doesn't seem to fully grasp.  

I haven't heard the new album MAYA yet, but it's getting terrible reviews all over the shop. I loved her last two albums though, so maybe she'll get back on her game for album no. 4. 

I was a dreamer...

Conor J O'Brien aka Dublin's finest singer songwriter and Twenny Ten Mercury Music Prize nominee will be playing a live session tonight on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio One show, from 7-9. 

Listen live here: 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/zanelowe/

It's been nice watching it all come together for Conor, formerly of top notch Dublin band, The Immediate, who disappointingly spilt after one promising album. 

Conor now has the world's media at his feet with everyone from The New York Times to good old Jools Holland hailing him as a bit of a genius. 

His songs are heart wrenching and intensely spellbinding. In the word's of Dr. Steve Brule- 'Ch- Ch- Check it out!' tonight @ the above link or on your wireless from 7 this evenin'. Not to be missed. 

'Becoming a Jackal' the album is out now on Domino records. 

TWEE AS FUCK

After 4 bladdy years of no gigs Belle & Sebastian have finally gone announced a new tour. Hurray! They swing by the Ulster Hall, Belfast on December 1st  and Dublin's Grand Canal Theatre on December 2nd, lucky us! Tickets for the Belfast gig are £27.50 and are on sale now. But don't go buyin' em all on me, as I have to save me pennies!
'Legal Man' was the first song that made me aware of Belle & Sebastian's existence. I remember hearing it one summer as a bored 16 year old courtesy of BBC NI's Across The Line (the song, not the boredom). It was the grooviest mutha of a song I had ever heard and I've been a sucker for all things Belle & Sebastian since.
If you fancy a big indie love-in then I highly recommend checking them out live, altogether now........

FRIDAY CHOON

Check out the new choon from Maximum Baloon. It's yer man from Tv on The Radio Dave Sitek's new musicale project.

The album set for release on August 24 will feature appearances from Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's and God amongst men David Byrne. 

This song, 'Tiger' has a definite Talking Headzey vibe and is freakishly funky. 

Meaow, meaow, meaow, meaow, meaow......... 

And here's one for the boy's, it's a video of me, oh sorry I mean model Daisy Lowe prancing about to the song for Esquire. She does look pretty cool. 

NEU NEU!

If you like your Krautrock you'll be enthused to hear that NEU! have recently released a retrospective box set spanning their 30 year career.

It includes all three of the duo's studio albums Neu!, Neu! 2 and Neu!  '75 and a previously unreleased record Neu! 86  (god those sullen faced German's really were an excitable bunch with their over zealous use of exclamation marks). You also get a 18 minute (but of course!) single called Neu! '72, a download code, a 36 page booklet with some pics of the happy chappies, a Neu! t-shirt and a stencil of the Neu! logo and some Crayola. Nah you don't really get Crayola.

There's a lot of pretentious shit talked about Neu!, but if you like minimalist electronica mixed with a bit of brooding prog rock in the vein of Can then you'll dig Neu!

Here's 'Hallogallo' from their first album, enjoy:

LATE NITE LUVIN'

   

If you're a night owl like me and need summit to help you drift off of a night let Today FM's Donal Dineen send you off to sleep with his hushed tones and chilled tunes. Seriously the man's voice should be used to put babies to sleep.

You'll find the best of the soudern Oirish bands, some lush electronica, folkin' folk and a few hidden gems thrown in on The Small Hours from 12:00 am - 2:00am Tues- Fri.

Donal used to work on the legendary alternative music TV show 'No Disco' and has pioneered music that he is really passionate about rather than following trends opening up many a listener's musical horizons along the way.

Playlists are up on his blog here- listen in by clicking on the listen live link, top right.
Bedtime will never be the same again!

MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS

I'm excited to hear Warp Records are releasing a new Brian Eno album. According to guitarist Leo Abraham, who will feature on the album, it is made up of "years of jamming sessions". The album will also feature electronic composer Jon Hopkins. 

There is no other info at this point, other than it is 'coming soon'. This is what's up on Warps and Enos websites':

MISS MONAE

Freak funk meastro Janelle Monae is the latest addition to this years Electric Picnic.The lineup is looking superb this year, I still haven't got a ticket though cuz I'm poor. Sob, sob.

If you haven't heard Janelle Monae's shit hawt album 'Archandroid', treat yoself to it. There are so many musical deelites contained within it will make you pee your pants. Twice. It is, in parts James Bond soundtrack, parts David Bowie, parts Prince but always epic and deliciously eclectic.

The video for 'Cold War' has just been released, but frankly it's a bit boring innit? It features a close up of Monae crying. Here's 'Tightrope' instead....

NOT SQUARES

*Definitely not a square

I can't get enough of Belfast band Not Squares this week. They make pulsating durty electro beatz that just won't quit. 

Check out the video for their delicious single 'Release the Bees' below, due to be released  this month. It was produced by The Vinny Club and filmed at the now defunct Belfast art space, Delaweb. 

'Bi Kan Na' and 'Asylum' also hit the mega choonz spot. You can catch 'em at the Forfey festival this Sunday the 8th, after that they're off to the studio to lay that sheeeaaat down.