Milka: One Woman's Story

Milka: One Woman's Story from Nuru International on Vimeo.

Love what they've done with photos in this video from Nuru International.

Albums of the Year 2010

So loads of people have been asking me to put this list together, well two people to be precise, so here it is and me blathering on about some of the albums below it.

1. The Archandroid, Janelle Monae,
2. I Speak Because I Can, Laura Marling
3. Total Life Forever, Foals
4. High Violet, the National
5. The Suburbs, Arcade Fire
6. Go, Jonsi
7. Halycon Digest, Deerhunter
8. Heartland, Final Fantasy
9. Lucky Shiner, Gold Panda
10. Forgiveness Rock Record, Broken Social Scene
11. Infinite Arms, Band of Horses
12. Plastic Beach, Gorillaz
13. Transference, Spoon
14. Contra, Vampire Weekend
15. Fields, Junip
16. Have One On Me,Joanna Newsom
17. Queen of Denmark, John Grant
18. The Lady Killer,Cee Lo
19. Heligoland, Massive Attack
20. Band of Joy,Robert Plant
21. Odd Blood, Yeasayer
22. How They Are, Peter Broderick
23. The Fool, Warpaint
24. Big Echo, The Morning Benders
25. The Courage of Others, Midlake
26. The Family Jewels, Marina and the Diamonds
27. Revolutions Per Minute, Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek)
28. Congratulations, MGMT
29. Swanlights, Anthony and the Johnsons
30. Jasmine, Keith Jarrett & Charlie Haden
31. There is Love in You, Four Tet



The Archandroid (Suite II and III), Janelle Monae

A visionary, imaginative, bold, varied, daring, boundary pushing record absorbing hip hop, funk, rock, jazz, soul, classical and hollywood showtunes. It eclipses ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ as the most impressive genre straddling R’n’B based album by a female artist in the last twenty years. The Archandroid puts Monae on course to be up with the greats like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. That good.


I Speak Because I Can, Laura Marling

Laura Marling’s album blew me away - with strong echoes of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, it's a chillingly precocious truly great work. Sounds like: The best female folk singer songwriter in ages. Her first album was promising but who could have expected this?

The Suburbs, Arcade Fire

Maintains their usual level of brilliance. Still arguably the greatest rock band in the world.

Total Life Forever, Foals

An absolutely stunning album of epic rock - one of the albums i’ve played the most this year. Sounds like early U2, Talking Heads, Radiohead with African guitars.

Lucky Shiner, Gold Panda

A stonking electronica album, thrillingly imaginative and inventive, it keeps moving and shape shifting. Reminiscent of Ulrich Schnauss and the Field at their best.

High Violet, the National

Burrowing under the skin even more so then their last one, Boxer, a moody, gloomy, smokey late night album. Sounds like: the Tindersticks.

Halycon Digest, Deerhunter

These guys really get rock music, there's something indefinably effortlessy cool about their sound - Deerhunter make me feel like i’m a teenager again hearing My Bloody Valentine or the Stone Roses for the first time. This their most accessible, focused album to date.

The Lady Killer, Cee Lo

Fantastic, fun, party, soul record, had forgotten what a great voice Cee Lo has.


Heartland, Owen Pallet

Owen Pallet (formerly Final Fantasy) is a true original. This is his first album that comes close to matching the consistent magnificence of his live shows. Sounds a bit like: Beirut, Rufus Wainwright, Andrew Bird.


Forgiveness Rock Record, Broken Social Scene

A classic indie-rock album, like all their stuff, it’s sprawling and messy and ramshacke but in a very loveable way. Their best effort yet.


Fields, Junip

It’s Jose Gonazalez with a prog rock band behind him, what’s not to like?

Go, Jonsi

A poppier, uplifting variation on Sigur Ros - a consistently super album. Sounds a bit like: eh Sigur Ros? Duh!

Vampire Weekend, Contra

Much synthier than their first album, not quite as many killer tunes but still quality and in Run, Horchata, and Giving Up the Gun its got some of the best tracks of the year.

Heligoland , Massive Attack

This slightly patchy album had some of the strongest tracks of the year with Horace Andy guest vocal-ling on the blinding Girl I Love You and Hope Sandoval on the gorgeous Paradise Circus.

Have One On Me,Joanna Newsom

Her last album, Ys, was possibly the album of the decade for me, this isn’t as compelling but still brilliant.


Transference, Spoon

One of the coolest US bands around, with one of the best rock voices in Britt Daniel, very under appreciated here in Ireland, this is a stripped down, minimalist gem - a bit of a reaction to its more accessible predecessor

Odd Blood, Yeasayer

Wow, Yeasayer went seriously retro 80s for this, not as good as their more ambitious first album but strong, very populist, very catchy.

Infinite Arms, Band of Horses

Just great classic American rock, classic songwriting, beautiful melodies and singing. Sound like: Neil Young.

The Family Jewels, Marina and the Diamonds

She’s a cooler, British Lady GaGa

How They Are, Peter Broderick

A seriously talented bloke - moving music and a lovely mix of folk stylings and classical

Rumer, Seasons of My Soul

What a beautiful voice, like a fusion of Dusty Springfield and Carole King, most of the songs are pretty strong too.

Queen of Denmark, John Grant

Backed by Midlake, this soul baring album sounds like a slightly less miserable version of Midlake’s current album, the Courage of Others

Band of Joy, Robert Plant

Another great rootsy album to follow ‘Raising Sand’, his voice sounds as good as ever on this, who needs Alison Krauss?


The Fool, Warpaint

Lovely drumming and great bass lines on this, great atmosphere and meandering songs remind me of the Verve and PJ Harvey with a bit of Kristin Hirsch thrown in.


There is Love in You, Four Tet

Some fantastic electronica on this record, he's back making records i can connect with, lost me for a while.

Big Echo, The Morning Benders

Lovely record, has a very poppy start gets progressively less so - like a fusion of Vampire Weekend, Deerhunter and Grizzly Bear, it's produced by their Chris Taylor.

Peter Broderick

I love this guy. His music is a mix of folk and classical, imaginative and moving work. He's also brilliant on the violin and piano. Very warm stage presence and good rapport with the crowd too.

His new album, 'How They Are' is on itunes.

This was my first time in the new music venue Workmens Club beside the Clarence in Dublin. Nice small room and friendly staff. Thumbs up.

Ill fares the land

The great Tony Judt's last book, a passionate defence of a politics based on equality, justice, and social democratic values, even this old cynic was temporarily geed up when reading it. A review from a sensible Tory here.

Aviva Stadium

Formerly Lansdowne Stadium, the new and improved home of the Irish international Rugby and Football teams.

The Middle East

Bree Tranter from the band, The Middle East. They played the Sugar Club, Leeson St, Dublin on Saturday, June 26.

Here's the gorgeous video for their song 'Blood', one of my favourite tracks of the last few years.

Rufus at the Grand Canal Theatre

This photo was taken at Dublin's new Grand Canal Theatre a few hours ago. Rufus is in the early stages of his tour for new album All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu.

For this tour he's having venues make an announcement pre-show requesting no applause during the first half while he plays the new record in its entirety. The audience are also asked to note that Rufus' walking on and off stage is considered part of the performance. Tonight, they very nearly managed to pull off the feat of quietness but then one over enthusiastic punter sitting near the edge of the venue couldn't contain their accumulated store of pent up clapping, letting rip as Rufus had almost completed his theatrically slow exit.

The new album was recorded with the knowledge that Rufus's mother, the fine singer songwriter Kate Mc Garrigle, had little time left to live. It is sombre, dark, deliberately harsh, sometimes unmelodious. It occupies a place in Rufus's canon similar to Sinatra's desolate, inconsolable 'Only the Lonely.' The theatrical presentation of the new material and his decision to present it as one piece is spot on; most of these songs wouldn't work inter-spliced with his back catalogue. The first half worked well for me initially through songs like 'Martha' addressed to his arguably equally talented sister, but after a while the unrelenting gloom becomes wearying, particularly through the batch of Shakespeare sonnets adapted to music. Still, Rufus can't be faulted for staying true to his vision and where his heart is at the moment; he is still, clearly, naturally, in mourning.

I enjoyed the second half of the show a lot more, where Rufus, still alone at the piano, played a selection of songs from his previous five albums. Even during this section, it was the sad (but this time beautiful and wistful) tracks like Dinner at Eight, Leaving for Paris, and Memphis Skyline that he played the best.

This, the fifth time I've seen him live was a stark contrast to the joyful showmanship of his Oxygen performance in 2007. I've been lucky enough to see him play Vicar Street with his mom and Aunt Anna McGarrigle, and Martha, and also to see mesmerising shows at Vicar Street during the Want One and Two tours. I'll be back for more next time he's in Dublin. The man is truly a musical treasure to be cherished.

Oh and the new venue Grand Canal Theatre? Very impressive.

Great photo of Rufus and really interesting article here.

The Swell Season @ Vicar St. Dec 15

Super gig from Glen, Marketa et al. Really loving their second album, Strict Joy, think it's one of the best things they've done including the Frames albums.

Lisa Hannigan @ Vicar Street, December 3

A fine gig from Lisa Hannigan with excellent covers of Dylan, John Martyn and most incongrously Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus. And the new songs she played bode well for the second album.

Matured 2009 Albums of the Year List

The final, final albums of the year list with late entries from Bradford Cox's very trippy Atlas Sound album, Dave Rawlings' heartwarming 'Friend of a Friend', to tide us Gillian Welch nuts over till she comes out of her extended hibernation. Also added Fanfarlo, recommended on Nialler 9's blog - very Arcade Fire meets Beirut meets Ra Ra Riot. Another late entry coming from the Swell Season's 'Strict Joy', plenty of sturdy songwriting on there. And i've also added Devendra Banhart's enjoyable if not essential new album.

Plus there's been a bit of rejigging in the order mainly to reflect how deeply Local Natives and Alela Diane have burrowed under my skin.

As for the top ten, it's been a great year for America again, hasn't it?


1.Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest



2.Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca


3.Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavillion
4. Local Natives, Gorilla Manor

5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz!
6.Anthony and the Johnsons, The Crying Light
7. The Swell Season, Strict Joy
8.Passion Pitt, Manners
9.Alela Diane, To Be Still
10.Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
11.Florence and the Machine, Lungs
12.Bruce Springsteen, Working on a Dream
13.Doves, Kingdom of Rust
14.Wilco, Wilco the Album
15.Atlas Sound, Logos
16.Julie Feeney, Pages

17.Bat for Lashes, Two Suns
18.Andrew Bird, Noble Beast
19.Patrick Watson, Wooden Arms
20. Fanfarlo, Reservoir
21.Dave Rawlings Machine, A Friend of a Friend
22.David Kitt, the Nightsaver
23. Dangermouse and Sparklehorse, Dark Night of the Soul
24.Devendra Banhart, What Will We Be
25. Vetiver, Tight Knit
26. Friendly Fires, Friendly Fires
27. K'Naan, Troubador
28. The Dodos, Time to Die
29. Mos Def, The Ecstatic
30. Arctic Monkeys, Humbug
31. St Vincent, Actor