The results of the poll are ready to be revealed. First up, the Irish songs of the year as voted by readers and commenters of this blog. A staggering 215 different songs were voted for overall from about 150 voters in total and the resulting top 30 sees multiple appearances from some of the following: David Kitt, Villagers, And So I Watch You From Afar, Hunter-Gatherer, Patrick Kelleher and Super Extra Bonus Party. I’ll post the Google Doc showing the number of votes for each song tomorrow along with the album results as well as hopefully contacting the winners of the prizes. Here is how it stacked up from the number one position which was a clear winner by six votes: More..»
Yes, it’s still list season. As State kicks off its Top 50 of the year, here are my own top 30 albums of the year in four-page epic form.
30. Channel One – Sound to Light
29. Clark – Totem’s Flare
28. The Phantom Band - Checkmate Savage
27. Micachu – Jewellery
26. DM Stith – Heavy Ghosts
25. The Holy Roman Army – How the Light Gets In
24. Florence and the Machine – Lungs
23. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
22. Dan Deacon – Bromst
21. The Horrors – Primary Colours
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It’s been another great year for Irish music in my estimation. Releases from ASIWYFA, David Kitt, BATS, Julie Feeney, Prince Kong, Valerie Francis, SEBP, Twinkranes, Patrick Kelleher, The Holy Roman Army, Channel One, Mail Order Messiahs, Hunter-Gatherer, Legion Of Two and Adrian Crowley have all been keeping my stereo warm. What about you though?
For the 4th year in a row, the Nialler9 Irish album poll is back. As with last year I’m also asking for your favourite songs. Get some inspiration. There will be prizes this year, chosen at random for people who enter their choices which include a) Two packs of Irish albums released this year thanks to Lakota, b) a signed Marina and the Diamonds Mowgli’s Road 7″ and c) An Osaka records swag pack.
Here’s how the poll works:
- You can pick up to 10 Irish albums and songs released in 2009.
- At least three Irish albums and songs are required in your vote to count to stop people from asking their mates to vote for them.
- Poll closes on Wednesday 16th of December at noon.
- 3 ways to vote
- Leave your votes in the comments in public for all to see.
- Use the Google form here.
- Send an email to vote@nialler9.com with your choices.
So what’s it gonna be?
2006: Album: Si Schroeder – Coping Mechanisms
2007: Album: Super Extra Bonus Party – Super Extra Bonus Party LP
2008: Album: Jape – Ritual / Songs
2009: ????
AU Magazine are looking for your favourite Irish albums of the decade and you only have til Monday 23rd November to vote. Compile a list of up to 20 Irish albums ranked in order, North or South that were released since January 1st 2000 and send it to chris@iheartau.com .
I’ve yet to finalise my own list but I’m sure it will feature albums like Nina Hynes’ Staros, David Kitt’s The Big Romance, Dry County’s Unexpected Falls, Adebisi Shank’s This is the album of a band called Adebisi Shank, David Holmes’ Bow Down to the Exit Sign, Super Extra Bonus Party’s Night Horses, Mumblin Deaf Ro’s The Herring and the Brine, The Frames’ For the Birds, Jape’s Ritual, Heathers’ Here, Not There, Sarsparilla’s Karahee, Deep Burial’s Black Music , And So I Watch You From Afar’s self-titled debut, Redneck Manifesto’s I Am Brazil, The Vinny Club’s Rocky IV Reckyrd, Fight Like Apes’ debut, Messiah J and the Expert’s From the Word Go, Adrian Crowley’s Season of the Sparks, The Jimmy Cake’s Spectre and Crown and maybe Patrick Kelleher’s You Look Cold.
In fact, I think an Irish albums of the decade podcast or post is in order before November is out.
For now though, witness a song from one of my most cherished Irish albums, Staros by Nina Hynes who has a new project called Sending Letters to Sea. More info here.
These guys play alongside David Kitt in Whelan’s this Friday night. They signed to Fat Cat in July and are a 5-piece based between London and France. You may recognise the singer as Eglantine Gouzy who released a great album on Irish label Osaka a couple of years ago. An album Carpet Madness is out on the 19th of October.
This video has a few naughty bits in it.
This might just be my post of the year. 20 songs from 24 artists (remixes double it up) who appear at Electric Picnic this year clocking in at 63 minutes. This mixtape has some of my favourite music of the year contained within it, mixed to the best of my ability in under six hours and you don’t even have to be going to the festival to enjoy it. The second half properly kicks off. It’s available as the latest podcast too.
Stage Times PDFs – Friday | Saturday | Sunday
- Micachu – Lips (Clark Kunt’s Heavy Mental remix)
- Passion Pit – Little Secrets
- Four Tet feat. Princess Watermelon – Go Go Ninja Dinosaur!
- Royksopp – Happy Up Here
- Chic – Good Times
- Simian Mobile Disco feat. Beth Ditto – Cruel Intentions
- Sebastian Tellier – Kilometer (Aeroplane Italo 84 remix)
- Marina and the Diamonds – The Shampain Sleeper
- The XX – Shelter (Them Jeans Drum Edit)
- David Kitt – Alone Like That
- The Big Pink – Too Young to Love (Delorean remix)
- Major Lazer – Pon De Floor (Diplo’s Rap remix)
- Miike Snow – Animal (Fake Blood remix)
- Florence and the Machine – Drumming Song (Boy 8-Bit remix)
- Cap Pas Cap – We Are Men (Jape remix)
- Lykke Li – Dance Dance Dance (Buraka Som Sistema remix)
- The Japanese Popstars – Sample Whore
- Klaxons – Gravity’s Rainbow (Soulwax aka 2 Many DJs remix)
- The Temper Trap – The Science of Fear (Hervé remix)
- Chew Lips – Salt Air (Plastician remix)
Right click and save as to download.
Nialler9’s Electric Picnic Mixtape 09
As it’s a fairly beat-orientated mix, I will also suggest you do not miss the following at the weekend if you’re heading which did not feature here: Moderat (a project which will apparently not exist much longer), Brian Wilson, Jeffrey Lewis, The Rubberbandits, Roots Manuva, Bat for Lashes, Chris Cunningham, Jennifer Evans, Tunng, Villagers, Skream & Benga, Introducing (DJ Shadow live cover band), Flaming Lips, Duke Dumont, First Aid Kit , Beach House and Amadou & Mariam.
Also check out CubikMusik’s EP Mix.
I had never been to Castlepalooza before. It always fell on the same weekend as the electronic-focused Mantua festival which I always had a brilliant, if slightly debauched time at. So what did I think? Some good, some bad. Here goes..
- There were some proper musical highlights – David Kitt’s main stage closing set on Saturday (‘Into the Breeze’ is an Irish classic or deserves to be by this stage), The Ambience Affair, The Holy Roman Army (swelled to five people onstage at points), Channel One, a superb as always R.S.A.G. in a jammed tent and DJ Tu-Ki who closed out the festival in the tent with tunes from Major Lazer and the Justice remix of MGMT’s ‘Electric Feel’.
- By far the best band I saw all weekend were Le Galaxie. Holy Jesus! To be honest, I was very disappointed with their recent Transworld EP. It felt poorly recorded and not wholly pleasant to listen to but live, these guys were incendiary. Beset by sound problems at the start, it slowly turned into a properly banging festival set (a far cry from the supposedly disastrous Indiependence set the band alluded to – any ideas what happened?). The tunes were big, all-encompassing live electro with guitars that pumped some vitality into proceedings. It was clear from the band’s onstage demeanour that they were loving it so when bassist David asked everyone to point at the guy waving the glowstick sword, everyone obliged. The band’s lyrics and samples are a bit cheesy at times but it mattered little when they gave out a sign into the crowd with “TUNE” written on it or when the bassist swapped his instrument for wavey glowstick guy’s glowstick. Brilliant. Now the negatives..
Video from the excellent The Nightsaver directed by Asad Raza in which loads of naked people get zoomed in on. Willies and fannies galore so NSFW.
Wouldn’t have been my choice for video treatment but what the hey? DavidKitt.com
Our quarter-century podcast is all about new releases. We’ve got superb new tasty tunes from Hudson Mohawke, Montreal’s Clues (whose debut is worth checking out), a song from the already-lauded Suckers EP, a song from the new Starfucker EPlum, a track from David Kitt’s new one The Nightsaver and towards the dancier end of the spectrum: brand new tunes from Clark, Moderat, The Juan Maclean and I shit you not, a surprising song from the Twilight soundtrack.
Aoife Mc is your podhost – check out her new food blog – I Can Has Cook?
Podcast #25 -Tracklisting
You’ve not likely forgotten the Irish acts hullabaloo in The Ticket and on Jim’s blog a few weeks back. Well just to stress what rude health Irish music is in at the moment. Here are the top 5 Irish albums I’ve heard so far this year, in no particular order.
- David Kitt – The Nightsaver (Best album yet from Kittser?)
- Super Extra Bonus Party – Night Horses (You shouldn’t be surprised. Better than the debut)
- Adrian Crowley – Season of the Sparks
- And So I Watch You From Afar -And So I Watch You From Afar
- The Holy Roman Army – How the Light Gets In
MAP (Music Alliance Pact) is a monthly feature where music bloggers across the world share a track from their home country that they think you should hear.
24 blogs are submitting their country’s pick this month including first-time contributions from France and Denmark. My Irish contribution is the opening track from David Kitt’s new album The Nightsaver which I suggest you get when it comes out on March 27th.
AMERICA: I Guess I’m Floating
Viernes – Glacial Change Of Pace
Viernes are an electronic rock duo from Florida who’ve managed to capture a thrilling loud/quiet/loud aesthetic akin to Grizzly Bear. Glacial Change Of Pace – a MAP exclusive – brings together hard-hitting psychedelia with gorgeously subdued lulls, and vice-versa, in a seamless display of sonic movements and emotions. Look out for their debut album Sinister Devices in the near future.
ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Lola Arias & Ulises Conti – Te Voy A Vencer Por Knock-out
Lola Arias is a writer, stage director, actress and singer. Ulises Conti is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist musician. They started working together in 2003, making music for several theater plays. This wonderful pop-rock love song is from their debut album, El Amor Es Un Francotirador, which comprises the original music from a play with the same name that was directed by Lola and Alejo Moguillansky. The translated title of the song here is “I’m going to beat you by knockout”.
AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Leader Cheetah – Bloodlines
Festival State four-piece Leader Cheetah are the less manic, more soulfully melodic reincarnation of now-defunct Pharaohs. Their music is layered folk-rock twang meets brooding pop – think Neil Young’s moody younger brother in stormy weather. Bloodlines reminds me of Interpol circa the jangling guitar, tonal shift glory days of Turn On The Bright Lights. The vocals of singer Dan Crannitch are mind-addlingly beautiful and dark, especially when met with the surge of harmonies in the chorus. Leader Cheetah’s debut album The Sunspot Letters is out now on Spunk Records.
BRAZIL:Meio Desligado
Black Drawing Chalks – Big Deal
Any fan of Turbonegro, Queens Of The Stone Age and others bands who make dirty and fast rock’n’roll will love Black Drawing Chalks. Describing their sound as “music to drink and fuck to”, they come from Goiânia Rock City and have one of the most incredible shows I’ve seen on the Brazilian underground.
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