Where you been darlin’?

Couldn’t think of a title to kick back into the blogging with so I just lifted a lyric from Yacht whose funky sounds are currently keeping the autumnal blues at bay, for now. So what’s been going on in the Analogue world over the last while I hear you ask?

Well to begin with the Analogue Hour is still going strong each week on RTE 2XM, I’m about to broadcast my 42nd show (It goes out tomorrow night - Wed the 30th of Sept) which is mad. To think almost a year ago I sent a cheeky email to the head of New Media in RTE asking for a show and here I am now a veteran DAB broadcaster with what I can only imagine to be several thousand loyal listeners hanging on my every word and recommendation…

Analogue reincarnate as an online music tv show is also plodding along very nicely. It’s a fairly challenging project for myself and the two directors involved as we attempt to develop a format that works but that also stays fresh and interesting. Coming from a print background to video has been a learning curve to say the least. Luckily the directors Graham and Tim are new to the concept too, as their past work was generally short films. All going well Episode 1 (that’s the first after the pilot) will be going online in the next two weeks or so.

All that leaves in terms of Analogue shenanigans is the website. Yep it’s been a little inactive over the last while, what with the radio / video taking up most of my time and most of the Analogue writers of yesteryear moving on to bigger and better things. Hopefully though over the next few weeks I’ll gradually get blogging a bit more and do a few interviews.

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Anyways here’s some things I’m digging right now:

Another Likely Story (Neon Indian Remix) - Au Revoir Simone

I love Neon Indian, great pop tunes brimming with synths and psychedelic leanings (’Should have taken acid with you’ is the title of one song, go figure). Above, Au Revoir Simone’s track ‘Another Likely Story’ gets a ethereal reworking with beats and synth rolls that remind me of the soundtracks commom to many 80’s action movies.

Animal - Miike Snow

Miike Snow are amazing. Paul Lester in the Guardian has Miike Snow in a nutshell when he refers to them as “coolly emotional Scandinavian pop with unobtrusive experimental flourishes”. On their myspace, it’s says they’re playing in Carlow in November which I suspect may be as part of the Heineken Green Energy gig with Digitalism and Marina & the Diamonds.

photo by Dagny Piasecki

ESPERS // THE CAVE SINGERS // WOODS to play Shred Yr Face tour in Dublin & Belfast

Last year it was No Age, Los Campesinos! and Times New Viking, this time around it’s Espers, the Cave Singers and the awesome Woods‘ turn. Catch them in Crawdaddy on the 11th of November and in the Speakeasy in Belfast on the 12th. I’ve no idea how much tickets are.

SHRED YR FACE 3*

08/11/09 : Instores – London (UK)
09/11/09 : The Farmhouse – Canterbury (UK)
10/11/09 : Hare & Hounds – Birmingham (UK)
11/11/09 : Crawdaddy – Dublin (EIR)
12/11/09 : Speakeasy (Radar Club) – Belfast (UK)
13/11/09 : Stereo – Glasgow (UK)
14/11/09 : The Electric Circus – Edinburgh (UK)
15/11/09 : The Cluny – Newcastle (UK)
16/11/09 : The Brudenell Social Club – Leeds (UK)
17/11/09 : Academy 3 – Manchester (UK)
19/11/09 : Fleece – Bristol (UK)
20/11/09 : ULU – London (UK)

* (Face shredding may not actually occur…)

Analogue launches online music tv show pilot

Analogue Episode 0 from Analogue on Vimeo.

Just months after announcing that Analogue Music Magazine was to cease print, Analogue is excited to return in video format. Analogue plunges into the brand new world of online music TV with Episode 0, a pilot for a bi-monthly web series featuring interviews, music videos, short documentaries and live performances.

Analogue aspires to use an innovative visual aesthetic to explore the diverse spectrum of music we love (from indie and folk to classical and electronic) from both home and abroad. Beginning with Episode 0, Analogue breaks from the traditional approach to music television and starts afresh with a progressive format applying diverse cinematic techniques.

Episode 0 begins with Choice Prize nominated Adrian Crowley chatting about the creative process behind his lush new album ‘Season of the Sparks’ (recently picked up for european distribution by Chemikal Underground) and a haunting performance of two songs. Next comes ‘Interlude, a segment that uses original footage accompanied by specifically chosen music to emphasize a particular theme or subject. Part documentary and part music video; both vie for visual control of the piece. The premiere ‘Interlude’ focuses on the Dublin docklands and features original music from Galway based scratch/electronic artist Jimmy the Hideous Penguin. Toronto’s violin virtuoso Final Fantasy brings the pilot to a close with an interview about his soon to be released album ‘Heartland’ and a performance of tour favourite ‘Lewis Takes off his Shirt’.

The Analogue web series is directed by Graham Seely & Tim Gannon and produced by Analogue founder Brendan McGuirk.

Requiem for Dundalk

I’ve a feeling this may have slipped under some of our readers noses so I thought I’d give it a mention. Louth Contemporary Music Society present The Kronos Quartet performing live in An Tain Theatre Dundalk on the 13th of july.

As the PR blurb goes: “Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential ensembles of our time, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 45 recordings of extraordinary breadth and commissioning more than 600 new works and arrangements for string quartet. Kronos’ work has also garnered numerous awards, including a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance (2004) and “Musicians of the Year” (2003) from Musical America.”

And if that doesn’t spark your interest, you might recognise the Kronos Quartet for their brilliant performance on the Requiem for Dream soundtrack, collaborations with Terry Riley and Philip Glass and countless appearances on albums by the likes of NIN, Tom Waits, Amon Tobin, Faith No More and the list goes on…

Next Monday night the Kronos quartet will be joined on stage by Wu Man to perform ‘The Cusp of Magic’, a six movement composition penned by Terry Riley especially for the quartet. They’ll also be performing a five piece movement by Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) called ‘the Ghost Opera’.

It kicks off at 8pm, tickets are 20 euros and available from www.ctb.ie

Wavves - No Hope Kids

Wavves “No Hope Kids” from Pete Ohs on Vimeo.

A fair whack of this was shot in Dublin, more specifically backstage and outside Whelans. You can also see Nathan hanging out with Pens and their mates somewhere near the beginning. Pens are well worth checking out if you already haven’t done so… They have an album out sometime later this year on DE STIJL RECORDS called ‘Hey friend, what you doing?’.

Spiral Stairs album due in October

Spiral Stairs aka Scott Kannberg of Pavement fame is due to release his first solo album under the Spiral Stairs name. Kannberg has released two albums as the Preston School of Industry in the years following the Pavement split. The new album is called ‘the Reel Feel’ and will be released on Domino in Europe and Matador in the States on the 19th / 20th of October respectively. Matador reveals that “Spiral returned to Seattle rejuvenated at the end of ‘08, and commenced recording with a collection of pals including members of PSOI, the Posies, guitarist Ian Moore, Gersey, and Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew.” This should be interesting.

Matador has kindly leaked a track off the album called ‘Maltese Terrier’ (mp3).

Dinosaur Jr. - Over it

This is brilliant.

Dinosaur Jr’s new album ‘Farm’ is out now on Jagjaguwar.

the Analogue Hour 24/6/09

Here’s the playlist for last week’s show which repeated at noon today. I’ve been waiting for the right time to play a track by Moondog and this show seemed perfect as I always get a sense of Moondog when listening to some Oneida tracks.

The Analogue Hour
7-8pm on 2XM (listen on DAB or online)
Wednesday, 24/5/2009

Psychic City
YACHT
See Mystery Lights

15 to 20
The Phenomenal Handclap Band
The Phenomenal Handclap Band

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The Misfit
Oneida
Happy New Year

Down Is Up
Moondog
The Viking Of Sixth Avenue

Bobbie Joe Wilson
Yppah
They Know What Ghost Know

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I Start To Run
White Denim
Fits

Over It
Dinosaur Jr.
Farm

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Milk Man
Deerhoof
Milk Man

Silver Moons
Sunset Rubdown
Dragonslayer

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Black & Blue
Miike Snow
Miike Snow

Clark Gable
The Postal Service
Give Up

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Kid gloves
Angkorwat

Twin Of Myself
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Eating Us

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Autumn Beds
Modest Mouse

October (Jackson C. Frank cover)
Patrick Kelleher

“The Girl And The Robot” gets a video

The Girl And The Robot is without a doubt one of the stand-out tracks on Röyksopp’s latest LP Junior; it shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that this will be their next single, available June 15th across the usual plethora of formats.

I have to admit, as someone that typically listens to music over lyrics (frequently to the point of not even remotely knowing what a song is about), I find that something about Robyn’s voice makes me aware of every word she sings, and this track is no different. It’s a fantastically fun and innocuous track about the trials and tribulations of being a 20-something Swedish pop star in love with a robot, with fake choral sounds and whirling synths layered over constant, compressed drums that remind me just a little of Boys Noize, only tamer.

Their video for the track has been floating around on Youtube for a while but it only came to my attention earlier today via Mixmag. It keeps the robot theme alive and well, with Robyn spending her days in a sort of The Jetsons-esque boudoir, idly watching TV, taking pregnancy tests and needlessly spilling drinks onto the floor while waiting for her horticulturalist robotic bf to come home from whatever futuristic synthetic farm he works in. Also watch out for the Röyksopp boys in the robot salesroom.

the Analogue Hour 13/5/09

I really should be putting this up more often but every week I seem to get distracted by something else. Anyway, here’s last weeks show. It’s slightly more electronic than usual…

The Analogue Hour
7-8pm on 2XM
Wednesday, 13/5/2009

You’re Safe Now
Letter From Belgium
LFB001

Twilight Galaxy
Metric
Fantasies

____

Seamonkey
Moderat
Moderat

Keman Rhythm
Two Fingers
Two Fingers

____

The Birds
Telefon Tel Aviv
Immolate Yourself

The More That I Do
The Field
Yesterday and Today

____

I Feel Cream
Peaches
I Feel Cream

Window Licker
Aphex Twin
Window Licker EP

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Little Acorns
Leila
Blood, Looms & Blooms

Little Lost Bear
porn.exe
porn.rar.exe

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Put A Word On It
Storkboy Choons And Colours Move
Maple Drive

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