Photos from Uganda

Local Natives, Gorilla Manor

This is a really fine, euphoric debut album, an amalgam of Ra Ra Riot, Fleet Foxes and Arcade Fire with great harmonies, melodies and percussion. Late arrival for those albums of the year lists.

Kelcey Ayers of Local Natives playing at the Academy, Dublin in September 09

Dirty Projectors

Excellent set last night in Whelans from the Dirty Projectors, makers of Bitte Orca, one of the most original, fascinating and downright brilliant albums of this year. Great drummer! Didn't manage to get a decent photo of him or indeed most of the band so you'll have to make do with these two of Angel and Dave. The Dave one's got a touch of the Ian Curtis' about it and the Angel one is well, just look at her, and she sounds good too. Here she is singing the very fab Two Doves from Bitte Orca which is something of a tribute to Nico's classic 'These Days' - Two Doves has amazing treated strings on the album, sadly not present in the live version. You tube audio clip below of the song.

Angel Deradoorian, Dirty Projectors

Protecting the Taxpayer from NAMA

Labour party's new doc on disastrous NAMA plans, quote below, full doc here.

'The bill to establish the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) is one of the most significant pieces of legislation that the Dáil will ever debate. It involves setting up an agency that will acquire some €80 to €90 billion in property-based loans from Irish banks.

The risks to the Irish exchequer are enormous and irreversible. Overpayment by NAMA for these loans will impose a huge financial burden on the State, yet it is clear that this is the inevitable consequence of the current Government’s approach'

Jogging Playlist Vol 3

Island, IS, Volcano Choir, Unmap

Anonanimal, Andrew Bird, Noble Beast


Ronnie's Theme, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, The Hare's Corner
Beijing, Patrick Watson, Wooden Arms
Weird Fishes, Radiohead, In Rainbows
Crystalised The XX, XX
Dull Life, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz!
Nothing Ever Happened, Deerhunter, Microcastle
Golden Age, TV on the Radio, Dear Science
Five Fingers, Aesop Rock, None Shall Pass
Little Girl (ft Julian Casablancas), Danger Mouse and Sparklehouse, Dark Night of the Soul
If I Ever Feel Better, Phoenix, United
Crying Lightning, Arctic Monkeys, Humbug
Stillness is the Move, Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca
Naked Eye, Luscious Jackson, Fever In, Fever Out
Iceblink Luck, Cocteau Twins, Stars and Topsoil
Hearts on Fire, Cut Copy
Life in Marvellous Times, Mos Def, The Ecstatic

Electric Picnic 09 Review

Some real gems in the Irish Times photo slideshow here.

The perfect Electric Picnic 09 festival experience for me was Passion Pitt in the Little Big Tent. They absolutely tore the roof off, crowd and band went nuts for the whole set. Glorious.

In the body and soul arena.

Florence and the Machine's performance was explosive. And the crowd were very up for it.

Loved every minute of Jape's wonderful gig. Just love what this guy does full stop. New song Scorpio very fab and the one he started with that wasn't from Ritual. Anyone know what that was? The bit where he got the guy up to sing along with him was a really funny, heart warming moment.

Julie Feeney's performance was a wonderfully theatrical delivery of tunes from an exceptional album. And she looked fab. Quite besotted with her now.

Fleet Foxes reminded me again why i adore them so much.

Blitzen Trapper and the Acorn were lovely.

And David Kitt was in flying form subbing for Bat for Lashes.

Flaming Lips were brilliant, the lights, the balloons, the singer encased in a giant ball, the tunes...but i was too tired to get the full whack out of it.

Main gripes at festival organisers - Please bring back the tables at the back of the main stage to sit and chill out - made that whole area much nicer in previous years.

Please make sure the Heineken bar qs are properly divided - they were absolute mayhem near the main stage on Friday night, with lots of crushing and flying beer.

Please don't put all the big acts on on sunday evening!

It's still a wonderful festival tho.

Finally given all the muck, grime and hassle carrying stuff to the camping site, this 34 year old old fogie is seriously considering the B&B and taxi option for his next EP.

Electric Picnic 09 Recommendations

Some hard, tough, challenging choices had to be made. Nobody said it was going to be easy. Here's where and when i'll be at the Electric Picnic. Consider them recommended so.


Friday 4

22:30 Orbital - MS
20.45 MGMT – MS
19:45 Efterklang - CS
19.15 Zero 7 – MS
18:45 Lykke Li - CD
17:30 The Temper Trap CD/17:45 David Kitt
16:30 Peter Broderick - CD

Saturday 5

03.30 Tulla Ceili Band BS
02.15 Four Tet BS
00.30 2 Many DJs MS/Moderat LBT
23:45 Four Tet CS
22:15 Explosions in the Sky CS/22.30 Madness MS/22:45 Lamb BS
22:00 The Field LBT
20.30 Imelda May CS/20.15 Brian Wilson MS
19.00 Bat for Lashes EA
18.30 Lisa Hannigan MS/The Walkmen CS
17.15 Jape EA
16.00 Marina & the Diamonds CS
14:45 The XX EA/15.00 Low Anthem CS
14.00 Julie Feeney CS
13.30 Tunng MS
12:30 One Day International CS
11.50 Chequerboard Live BS

Sunday Sep 6

1.15 Beach House BS
22:15 Flaming Lips EA
21:00 Passion Pitt CS
20:30 Royksopp EA
18:45 Fleet Foxes EA
17:30 Florence & the Machine EA
16:15 Simian Mobile Disco EA (so I can get a decent spot for next four acts)
15:30 The Acorn CS
14:00 J Tillman BS
13:15 Villagers CS
12.30 Dublin Gospel Choir MS

Tasty Gig Schedule

Possibly the tastiest Autumn gig schedule i've ever had lined up, kicking off tonight.

DEAF fundraising gig with Jimmycake, Dark Room Notes, Spilly Walker et al, Aug 21 Meeting House Sq.
Wilco, Friday August 28, Vicar Street.
Electric Picnic, Fri Sep 4 - Sun Sept 6, Stradbally.
Dirty Projectors, Wed Sep 16, Whelans.
Hockey, Tues Sept 22, Academy.
Local Natives, Tues Sep 29, Academy.
Julie Feeney, Thurs, Oct 15, Sugar Club
Grizzly Bear, with St Vincent, Sunday Nov 1, Vicar St.

Happiness in the Guardian

I liked the couple of articles in last weekend's Guardian covering positive psychology and the work of psychologists like Martin Seligman.

Oliver Burkeman nicely summed up the advice in the literature. Sure, as he says, some of it might sound corny or like familiar folk wisdom but it's of value overall i think. So those main points:

Remember to be grateful.

Spend your money on experiences not objects.

Volunteer.

Nurture your relationships.

Spend time in nature.

Make sure you encounter new people and places.

Never assume that you know what will make you happy.

And the Stuart Jeffries article on being happy at work (or not) quotes Richard Layard as saying, 'There is a creative spark in each of us and if it finds no outlet, we feel half dead. This can be literally true: among British civil servants, those who do the most routine work experience the most rapid clogging of arteries.'

And the quote from Studs Terkel who referred to work as 'a sort of Monday to Friday dying' caught my eye too.

Photos from Germany