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Cathy Davey Joins Gavin Glass For A Song

Gavin Glass & the Holy Shakers have released Rag Doll and Cathy Davey, fresh from her Choice Music Award, has decided to join 'em. Gavin came to national attention for his version of Ohh La La in a recent Meteor Ad. Hopefully this follow up will lead to big things for this multi-instrumentalist.
Check out the song on his myspace page here

Glen Hansard Gets Oscar Nomination

Falling Slowly - taken form Once (performed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova) has been nominated for a shiny little gold man.It's a heart achy angst ridden ballad type thingy it’s the sort Glen (he of The Frames fame) pens a lot these days. He probably just wants a hug. After this amount of international exposure he wont have problems finding open arms.

IM BACKING DRY COUNTY BUT BOOKIES BACK DELORENTOS FOR CHOICE

The Choice award is in its 3rd year and was set up to heap praise and cash (€10,000) on the lucky Irish artist who’s album impressed its panel of critics. It does not go on sales, focusing instead on the music so it says. I can't imagine what they think the rest of us focus on before buying an album but then again looking at the charts most weeks one could be forgiven for wondering! Anyway the reason I am (sorta) talking about the Choice Awards is because the crop deemed worthy of a crack at the prize have just been announced. The short List is as follows;
Adrian Crowley "Long Distance Swimmer" (Tin Angel)
http://www.myspace.com/adriancrowley
Cathy Davey "Tales Of Silversleeve" (EMI)
http://www.myspace.com/cathydavey
Delorentos "In Love With Detail" (Cottage)
http://www.delorentos.net
Dry County "Unexpected Falls" (Lazybird)
http://www.myspace.com/drycounty05
The Flaws "Achieving Vagueness" (Arrivals)
http://www.theflaws.com
David Geraghty "Kill Your Darlings" (Decal)
http://www.davidgeraghty.com
Kila "Gambler's Ballet" (Kila Records)
http://www.kila.ie
Roisin Murphy "Overpowered" (EMI)
http://roisin.paperheads.co.uk/
Stanley Super 800 "Louder & Clearer" (Sofa)
http://www.stanleysuper800.com
Super Extra Bonus Party "Super Extra Bonus Party" (Alphabet Set)
http://www.superextrabonusparty.com/

The Thrills and Paddy Casey are noticeable by their absence.

County and Corpses

As we saunter slowly into the New Year (hey start as you mean to continue) we can’t help but reflect what has passed. Yeah we know most other blogs, music rags and shows have done their “best of” jazz already but we took our time to mull over the whole 365 days……and we DO tend so saunter slowly.
Internationally there was some tasty treats on offer like the Klaxons and Kings of Leon. Amy Winehouse was great on record and live when sober. DRM was dropped by the major labels, yahoo for freedom of choice. But the main thing that ‘07 will be remembered for internationally in the year of the reunion. Led Zeppelin, The Verve, Smashing Pumpkins, Spice Girls, Take That (who had the most played song on Irish airwaves for Shine, 10 thousand times or so) and a host of other groups from across the musical spectrum have followed suit, the Kinks are even talking about it but we are getting ahead of ourselves there.

But what was the home front like; did we get shafted in the musical landscape in Ireland just like we did on the political/health service/weather/property/cost of living/generally living here front? Happily I can say no we didn’t. The island is awash with talent. We had Stiff Little Fingers 30 year anniversary tour, more festivals than people to attend them and quite a few up-and-coming acts who fly the flag for home grown talent.  We could wax poetic on bout Cathy Davey, Delorentos and Fight Like Apes who all have had cracking years but we thought we would travel off the beaten path and take a gander at two bands who were too busy putting on storming shows to woo the press.

The best live act (outside of a festival) prize goes to Dry County . Their sound is in their own words “electronic and dance music, the natural and the mechanical mixed and combined”. They are not thinking outside the box so much as they are standing on it to see even further down the creative road. Think NIN, Bjork and Soulwax fighting in a room of lights and colours. Their live show gives lie to their career span, leaving you with the feeling you are watching been-there-done-that pros and not newbes with only one album to their name. They pack a lot into a gig and even have a visual show in sync with the music - a feat beyond the dreams any other new bands. The whole thing runs like Swiss clockwork, and packs that bass punch that their album lacks. Musically brave and visually spectacular. A must see in ‘08.

The other group who should get touted as one of the big things on the road in ‘07 are Only Fumes & Corpses . They were savage live in ‘07 and their 2nd CD “Read Between The Lines” is an unsung Punk/Hardcore gem. 8 tracks, not much more than 20 minutes of sheer passion and power. High point of the whole frantic thing is “Drawing Lines” for its tempo change and its effect on a live audience, think demented and joyous survivors of  a noise bomb. These guys are a force to be reckoned with and unlike a great many hardcore outfits there is more to OFAC than mindless noise, they can lay claim to musical talent. There is no weak link in the band, they can all play. The sound is hard driven but they never resort to killing their instruments to achieve it and singer Momme has a voice that was forged in an industrial vat somewhere designed to pump bile and raw emotion in equal measure. Deserve big things in 2008. Find the Album, see the band.

So that the best of new blood we stumbled across last year, teat yourself and check ‘em out. You have been warned and informed.

Album sales fall 9.5% in US

From the New York Times (vie Memex)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Album sales in the United States plunged 9.5 percent last year from 2006, as the recording industry had another weak year despite a 45 percent surge in the sale of digital tracks, according to figures released Thursday.