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Last Post 8/21/2007 2:35 AM by  John Doe
Irish singer-songers go POP!
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aidan
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8/15/2007 6:38 AM
    I was interested to hear how the new singles from Declan O'Rourke and Paddy Casey have both moved away from acoustic singer-songerness and have radio-friendly strings and synths and stuff... and it reminds me of David Kitt's album from last summer where he tried for an indie-pop sound too. And Damien Dempsey's new single is back to his 'Dubbalin Town' days!

    So, is the Dublin acoustic singer-songer scene fading away - or is it just Declan O'Rourke and Paddy Casey trying to get more airplay? Are bands like Fight Like Apes more representative of what's up-and-coming in Dublin - or is there still a healthy singer-songer scene? I know there are still plenty of acoustic nights in Dublin bars...
    PARTON
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    8/15/2007 6:50 AM
    Heard paddy caseys new one, its exacty like one of teh singles off the last album exxcept its way overproduced and smothered by a silly string arrangement...probably sound like a knob, but thats what i heard...

    fionn regan is pretty good though. he's a decent singer songer...
    Idiot Kid
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    8/15/2007 8:32 AM
    The singer-songwriter scene probably collapsed under the weight of it's sense of self-importance.

    Seriously though, I think the acoustic singer-songwriter scene is probably taking a back seat to the more irreverant and quirky (dare I say novelty!?) one man band like Neosupervital and Sci-Schorder (spelling...and yes, I'm aware he has a backing band).

    Will the acoustic scene make a comeback? Of course it will, music is circular and these "scenes" come and go....I just hope Paddy Casey doesn't come back...
    ishrink
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    8/15/2007 8:39 AM
    i don't think si schroeder is quirky/novelty, but that does seem to be what the kids are digging these days.... *looks at fight like apes*
    Shakey
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    8/15/2007 9:07 AM
    I agree that the singer-songwriter 'market' in Ireland reached boiling point long ago. I do have to say that even though his music repulses me, I do find Paddy Casey to be a pretty funny guy when I hear him being interviewed. My hatred towards his music is not going to thaw any time soon though...
    Norman Schwarzkopf
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    8/15/2007 9:16 AM
    Declan O'Rourke's on the new Uncut CD as chosen by Paul Weller. Apparantly, "Galileo" is the one song of the last 20 years Weller himself wishes he wrote. High praise indeed.

    I heard he'd been dropped. That true? Who's releasing his new stuff?
    Binokular
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    8/15/2007 9:18 AM
    Posted By Shakey on 15 Aug 2007 9:07 AM
    I agree that the singer-songwriter 'market' in Ireland reached boiling point long ago. I do have to say that even though his music repulses me, I do find Paddy Casey to be a pretty funny guy when I hear him being interviewed. My hatred towards his music is not going to thaw any time soon though...




    I saw Paddy Casey live once, back in the mists of time when prehistoric Hansardosaurus still roamed the earth in packs. He's pretty funny alright, if he ever decides to give up the music, he has a career in stand-up.
    Norman Schwarzkopf
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    8/15/2007 9:49 AM
    If he tries stand-up, he might need a stool..... HEY-OH!!
    Unicron
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    8/15/2007 10:09 AM
    Posted By Norman Schwarzkopf on 15 Aug 2007 9:16 AM
    Declan O'Rourke's on the new Uncut CD as chosen by Paul Weller. Apparantly, "Galileo" is the one song of the last 20 years Weller himself wishes he wrote. High praise indeed.

    I heard he'd been dropped. That true? Who's releasing his new stuff?




    Everything else of his I hate but Galileo has some harmonic sounding guitar stuff on it that I think sounds great.
    Rev Jules
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    8/15/2007 3:18 PM
    You are right it is cyclical, the last time this happened was with Christy Moore and Donal Lunny, there was christy recording stark guitar and bodhran tracks like 'go, move, shift' and lunser shows up and says, "Now christy, what is needed here is tons of synth, strings and bouzoukis and I am the man for that oh and we'll get declan sinnott in to do a 100 guitar track overlays then I'll mix it down so it sounds like a misty morning as seen through a fog' and christy sadly goes 'fairplay'
    Norman Schwarzkopf
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    8/16/2007 3:19 AM
    I'm not a big O'Rourke fan myself though I think "Sarah (Last Night In A Dream)" is a beautiful song. One of those weird songs that makes me nostalgic for something I never actually experienced.
    John Doe
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    8/17/2007 2:17 AM
    The Irish singer - songwriter scene will not die officially until someone puts Damien Rice*spits* out of our misery.

    Peejay
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    8/17/2007 2:44 AM
    Posted By John Doe on 17 Aug 2007 2:17 AM
    The Irish singer - songwriter scene will not die officially until someone puts Damien Rice*spits* out of our misery.





    Whenever there is a golf jersey wearing BMW driver wondering whether to pick up a CD with his groceries, Damien Rice will always prosper.

    And if he was killed, he'd only become a martyr to the cause and his stock would skyrocket (as in Mick Christoper, Nick Drake and that Somehwhere over the rainbow pub singer)
    Unicron
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    8/17/2007 5:18 AM
    Ah now, Nick Drake was a wonderful talent.
    Peejay
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    8/17/2007 5:26 AM
    He was an amazing talent, but he couldn't get arrested back in the early 70's. He was known and liked among musical circles and I think he did a few Peel sessions, but apart from that, little or no recognition. Premature death and a bit of mystique goes a long way.
    dermot_trellis
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    8/17/2007 7:42 AM
    The reason Nick Drake's music eventually found widespread success, around 25 years after his death, was mainly due to it being used in high-profile TV adverts, so that large numbers of people finally got to hear it.. I don't think a lot of people who bought his albums in the late 90s / early 2000s actually realised that he was dead, or that the albums were more than two decades old. I'm sure the romanticising of his story since then has had some effect (i.e. people buying into him because of the mystique and tragedy) but it's hardly comparable to those musicians whose death instantaneously causes their 'career' to skyrocket.
    Peejay
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    8/17/2007 8:23 AM
    True, yeah. In fact I remember reading that Nick Drake sold more records over the few months that ad was broadcast (what was the song?) than during his whole professional career. Staggering really. The mystique began to build as early as the 70's though. When he died his albums became collectables in certain circles as the mystique of this recluse from the countryside built. This led to boxsets like Fruit Tree, compilations, best of's etc...They're still mining that seam to this day. A bit like Jeff Buckley, a few precious recordings can go a long, long way.

    Unicron
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    8/19/2007 1:01 PM
    Posted By Peejay on 17 Aug 2007 5:26 AM
    He was an amazing talent, but he couldn't get arrested back in the early 70's. He was known and liked among musical circles and I think he did a few Peel sessions, but apart from that, little or no recognition. Premature death and a bit of mystique goes a long way.




    Fair enough, I thought you were dismissing him and saing that he was only popular because he was dead. I just didn't like seeing him mentioned in simialr tersm to Christopher, who I think was a bit of a hack songwriter, or the other dead wan.
    JamesT
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    8/20/2007 6:53 AM
    Paddy Casey is the closet thing Ireland has to a singing sheep.
    John Doe
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    8/21/2007 2:35 AM
    Posted By Peejay on 17 Aug 2007 2:44 AM
    Posted By John Doe on 17 Aug 2007 2:17 AM
    The Irish singer - songwriter scene will not die officially until someone puts Damien Rice*spits* out of our misery.





    that Somehwhere over the rainbow pub singer)




    Ah yes, that would be Eva Cassidy.


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