Super Furry Animals – Rings Around The World (Epic, 2001)

{track 5: Receptacle For The Respectable}

Paul McCartney is chewing carrots and celery on this track.

as percussion.

Nick: oh right.

it’s very poppy.

almost too poppy for me.

and it’s quite inconsistent.

how so?

well every song sounds like a different band!

and it’s over layered, I can’t make head nor tail of it.

too much going on.

everything and the kitchen sink.

it can be slightly interesting, but it’s needless.

like, you had to tell me about Paul McCartney, I would’ve never noticed, no one would.

if you strip away all the other instruments can you hear the sound of a spider making it’s web on this track?

keep it simple boys!

actually, I’m not for keeping it simple, I’m for things that are aurally practical.

to my mind the whole thing has a lack of clarity.

the voices, the mix, the melodies, the whole thing is diffuse.

there’s no clear idea of what they want their music to be.

here’s a quote:

We were trying to make a blockbuster album that was going to be like The Eagles, but we left off the tracks that sounded like The Eagles. We had big debates about the line-up, but it ended up being a 50 minute album; it was going to be an hour-and-a-half. I was into the excess of it, that was the whole point. We had Chris [Shaw] who makes a huge sound engineering the record. We were trying to make utopian pop music that had pretensions of being progressive and exciting

right, well they failed.

I can see what he’s getting at, but this isn’t exciting, this is a mistake that not just musicians make but all artists do, they confuse quantity with excitement.

if they had dropped half the stuff, it would be a serious help.

get Paul McCartney to crunch his celery somewhere else! send him to the kitchen.

oh! i thought it was over there.

every song sounds like a finale.

if this was book, I’d say it needs an editor.

someone to go through it with a red pen, not that! not that!

one of my pet hates with cooking – rainbow trout with almonds.

that’s what this is.

it’s a fine dish without the almonds.

leave the almonds out.

you can hear that it could have been a terrific album.

but it isn’t.

maybe if they had had John Lennon slicing an onion on one track it could’ve been better.

Zing! I like stupidly massive albums. Sometimes.

http://www.myspace.com/superfurry

Andrew W.K – I Get Wet (Island, 2001)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick: He gets wet.

is this Easy Listening-Heavy Metal?

it’s certainly very poppy…

it’s the sort of thing I imagine teenagers would play for their granny’s and say ‘See! it’s not the devil’s music’

you know what I mean?

it’s good music for a big party, has to be a big one though, one where no one wants to talk to each other.

well he does like to party.

I like it! it’s good music.

not something I’d ever listen to while sitting down and reading but…it’s very easy to listen to.

Making music, presenting a kids show, owning a club, giving out party tips, presenting the weather, making funny faces. Other than sitting still is there anything he can’t/won’t do?

http://www.myspace.com/andrewwk

 

 

 

 

Giveamanakick – We Are The Way Forward (Out On A Limb,

Nick: Is Giveamanakick the album or the band?

the band.

is that still called heavy something?

haha.

it doesn’t strike me as what I know as Heavy Metal, but it’s heavy something.

am I going to get an answer?

my first reaction to stuff like this is, if they can play so well, why don’t they try and make proper music.

I know that’s bad but I don’t have the same reaction to…  say.. Hip-Hop.

I saw what’s his name…Dizzee Rascal last night on the concert for the children, and he was good, very good, good AND enjoyable.

I know this is good but it’s not enjoyable.

it would be great if they could apply their talent and energy to music.

{track 5: The Taking}

this has some interesting parts in it.

{track 7: Spit}

it’s amazing, with all the loudness he produces, he’s obviously trying to sing as loud as possible, if you could call it singing, but it doesn’t help with the diction, I still can’t hear what he’s saying.

well he’s from Limerick…

oh so he’d be hard to understand anyway.

”crowsy spee”?

is he upset about crows?

what did they ever do to him

the crowds they spit, the crowds they pity you.

ok but you didn’t understand that, you read it.

I’ve nothing to read it from.

are you from Limerick?

{track 8: Red Faced Killers}

the laughing is pretty good!

tonight is their last ever Dublin gig.

are they splitting up?

yep.

so this might be the last review they ever get?

actually of course not.

is the reason that they’re breaking up consideration?

ba-dum-tisch!

what?

that’s the bad joke drum sound, maybe I should’ve done the sad trombone.

ehhh….right.

there are things in it that are musically quite good and clever, they could be very good if they stopped concentrating on being loud.

what’s wrong with being loud?

is loudness in itself a virtue?

of course not, you just can’t see past the loudness to the great songs underneath.

well, maybe, all I can tell is that they’re angry about something.

GAMAK I will miss you, thanks for all the amazing gigs, records and….*sniff*, hold on, I gotta pull myself together.
Can’t wait for tonight!
Before they go, make sure to watch them go back to school.

http://www.myspace.com/giveamanakick

 

 

 

 

Jim O’Rourke – Eureka (Domino, 1999)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick: Melodic to the point of prettiness.

so you don’t like it?

no, no you’re confused.

I don’t like wimpy, I do like pretty.

there’s some strange level shifts going on.

did he engineer this himself?

ehh.. maybe.

this is going on a bit long.

it’s very musical, nice bits of…..instrumentalisation?

or whatever you call it.

{track 3: Movie On The Way Down}

is this the same album?

why would I change it?

wow, ok well this is a whole different feel.

more contemplative.

it’s hard to believe this was written by the same person.

you should hear some of his other stuff.

very..

versatility and eclecticism come to mind.

but very nice.

lovely music.

{track 4: Through The Night Softly}

he uses everything doesn’t he?

{huge cheesy/amazing sax solo comes blasting in}

hahahaha oh my god!

just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water!

it’s pretty incredible really.

the only disadvantage is it’s not like listening to an album, it’s like he has a split personality.

in a recent interview Jim said that this record ‘represents a real failure for me.’

if it’s a real failure, why did he publish it?

that is a bit much isn’t it?

giving us his failures, that’s not very nice.

please buy my failure.

I guess it’s just one of the best failures ever committed to tape.

http://www.myspace.com/halfwaytoathreeway

 

 

 

 

Patrick Kelleher – You Look Cold (Osaka, 2009)

Nick: is Patrick Kelleher by any chance Irish?

yes.

that helps.

how..

wait, is that the album?

ha yeah.

it’s not a distant saw-mill?

no.

{later}

it’s very interesting.

very interesting indeed.

I think.

somewhat…atavistic?

if that is the right word.

you tell me.

yeah, it’s the right word, it’s what I mean.

well, in places, not everywhere.

this dictionary site is super-helpful; –adjective of, pertaining to, or characterized by atavism.

hahaha

oh wait, here it is; reverting to or suggesting the characteristics of a remote ancestor or primitive type.

yes that’s it, do you get me now?

yeah I can see that, sure.

it’s not very original though.

there’s someone else who makes music just like this.

not that that matters a great deal.

the only problem with so many of these things, it fails to keep up the interest.

after a while you start to say ‘ehhh yeah ok, I’ve heard it now’.

it starts to disappear up it’s own arse basically.

I know that’s a nasty way of saying it but….

you know what I mean right?

maybe you just need to listen to it in a slightly different way, rather than as a whole album.

or maybe it’s…hmmmm.

{track 11: I Am Eustace}

here’s something different.

maybe they just got the sequence wrong?

One man, lots of synths, junkshop instruments, reverb. It’s cold, it’s desolate, it suits the view from my window, dead trees against grey nothing. But it’s good. Tonight the good folks at Foggy Notions have Mr. Kelleher and His Cold Dead Hands playing with Tickley Feather in Whelans. Wrap up warm.

www.myspace.com/patrickkelleher

Woods – Songs of Shame (Shrimper, 2009)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{track 2: The Hold}

Nick: is that part of it?

the guitar solo?

yeah.

yes.

oh.

well up till that it was fine.

it sounds like it was just thrown on top, without anything to do with it.

out of the blue.

it’s an imaginative mix of styles.

pretty eclectic.

and sometimes it works.

although I don’t know what they were trying to do with the guitar solo.

did they want people to sit up? to think there was a telephone going off?

{track 4: September with Pete}

see, here they do something similar but it works.

{later}

it’s very good.

nice.

inventive.

they have a musical identity.

it’s by no means perfect, some of the numbers go on too long and get very boring.

how many people are involved?

is it a band or one of these loose conglomerates?

a… band I guess.

I guess if I needed more music I might buy something by them.

it’s a dangerous area, all this eclecticism.

it can all go very wrong.

look at all the attempts to merge a rock band and an orchestra.

it’s tricky.

it’s tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that’s right on time, it’s tricky, huh huh, it’s tricky tricky tricky?

exactly, actly actly.

The excellent Woods play Dublin tonight as part of the annual Shred Yr Face tour, also on the bill are Espers (who I always confuse with Vetiver, I’ve seen one of them live before, pretty good) and Cave Singers (who I’ve never heard, but I’ll fix that now in a minute).

http://www.myspace.com/woodsfamilyband

 

 

 

 

Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs (Matador, 2009)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick: I’ve heard of them alright.

but I’m not sure where.

{seven songs pass}

well….

far too….

sweet for my liking, not just sweet but sugary.

I can imagine this being played very successfully in the old people’s home while they’re having their tea and biscuits.

chocolate box music.

rose petals.

well you complain that a band like BATS couldn’t play their auntie’s birthday and then you…

and I don’t have the right to?!

well, I guess you do.

this is Manhattan Transfer again.

it’s just me, I’ve always liked music with guts.

but not too much?

well it all depends, I’ve absolutely nothing against lots of guts.

but I do have something against sugar….and little angels sitting on rainbows.

let’s be fair, your man from Donegal….

Daniel O’Donnell?

yeah! he has more guts than these guys.

they play this in posh hotels at tea time and the old ladies in their pearls say ‘oh wow isn’t the music here so up to date!’

actually that last one was ok. bit drawn out but it wasn’t bad.

Yo La Tengo are from Hoboken, New Jersey. Say it with me. Hoboken. Hoboken. Hoboken. Come play count the cardigans at their show tonight in Tripod.

http://www.myspace.com/yolatengo

 

 

The Roundtable – Spinning Wheel (Jay Boy, 1970)

Nick: Well….

so far….

I love it!

it’s strangely eclectic music.

parts of it sound almost middle ages, madrigal melodies.

and then you combine that with jazz, chamber music.

but it works.

aha! there’s some Beatles in it as well.

I have a strange feeling I’ve heard this before.

sounds extremely familiar to me.

I love it.

absolutely riddled with influences!

they’ve dragged it from everywhere.

beautifully done.

hmmm sounds like a crumhorn?

I think you may be right.

only shows you that it can be done, very often when you mix styles and influences it ends up, you know, a nothing sort of hodge podge.

but this works extremely well.

I’m going to play this quite a bit.

it kind of reminds me of Gill Evans as well.

the things he did with Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain and the other one.

it’s also done with a sense of humour.

sense of fun more really, it’s not ‘funny’ per se.

yeah I guess your right.

and some great musicians.

{track 8: Spinning Wheel}

THAT’S HUMOUROUS!

that’s not just a sense of fun, it’s the sort of thing Thelonious Monk would do.

that’s a sense of humour.

it’s good to hear people making music like that.

you wonder, where does that go?

it’s a pity that it’s a once off…or maybe not, maybe stuff like this should be a rarity.

it’s amazin’ what raisins can do!

you can tell this guy, I like his taste.

‘This guy’ is Paul over at the wonderful treasure trove that is Spiral. I asked Paul to recommend ’something relatively crazy’ for Nick to review and he certainly came up with the goods. Get it here.

 

 

Do Make Say Think – Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn (Constellation, 2003)

Nick: WHAT??!!

do make…

do

do make

do make

say think

say think

do make say think.

where are they from?

Canada.

they strangely remind me of the Dublin band…jimmy….

Jimmy Cake? that’s not too strange.

yeah, and as a result I quite like it.

is Canada the only country producing bands these days?

or are they all from Lithuania and Mozambique, and just saying they are from Canada?

what do you see when you look at the cover?

what cover?

the cover for this album.

oh ok, I ehh….I see a man in a boat?

or someone looking out a window, by a chair.

I see the Grim Reaper looking out the top window of a bus.

no, I don’t see that.

there’s not much emotional impact is there?

too much of it is what I call decorative.

it’s a bit of a musical mish-mash, like they throw everything into it.

and it’s a bit mechanical.

as far as I’m concerned, if you’re into that kinda thing, The Jimmy Cake is much much better, considerably better.

it’s not unpleasant, it’s just not exactly fascinating.

occasionally it gets very close to wallpaper.

Remember when Ireland had more Post Rock bands then half-built apartment complexes?

http://www.myspace.com/domakesaythink

 

 

 

Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska (Columbia, 1982)

Nick: is this a recent album?

nope, it’s from 1982, it was his sixth.

well, I don’t know if all his albums are like that because I haven’t listened to him a lot…

well you must know some of his albums, cause the first ones I ever heard were the two you own.

heh, ok I guess I do know that they don’t all sound like this.

this is extremely dreary, and all the song’s are the same.

lyrically, melodically, they’re all the same.

it’s pretty boring.

when you hear the first number you think, ‘oh that’s nice’.

but then it just gets…..on you.

I’d never buy this, maybe if he spread the songs out over a number of albums.

they should put a health warning on the cover.

or at least give away free antidepressants with it.

I’ve heard a lot of negative and depressive music, but this is the ultimate.

well these were originally intended to just be demos, versions were recorded with the E Street Band, but everyone agreed the demos had a feel that couldn’t be bettered.

well then everyone messed up.

Phah! I’m not even gonna bother defending this one. You know.

http://www.myspace.com/brucespringsteen