Electric Eel Shock (live in Fibber Magees, Dublin)

Review Snapshot: Electric Eel Shock provided one of those nights where you arrive with very little expectation and leave with sweat on your brow and a smile on your face.

The Cluas Verdict? 8 out of 10

Full Review:
It's not very often I have to be convinced to go to a gig but tonight was one such occasion.  Having spent the day toiling in the never-ending mountain of work that is my garden, the last thing I wanted to do was spend an evening in the company of, well, anyone.  However, as is her way, my wife convinced me otherwise and Electric Eel Shock went on to provide one of the most high-energy shows I've seen in quite a while, proving once again that my prettier half is always right.

Opening the night was Acoustic Eel Shock, essentially Electric Eel Shock's drummer Tomoharu 'Gian' Ito on an acoustic guitar.  It only lasted a handful of songs and he sang in Japanese but it sounded good and Ito's guitar playing skills were impressive. 

Next on the bill were Nations of Fire, a band whose moniker could well be their undoing as I heard the phrase 'Nations of Sh*te' on more than one occasion during their set.  That might be too harsh a review but they weren't exactly an easy band to like unless you're fifteen and think that nobody understands you.  Perhaps Nations of Fire would work as an instrumental band as they seem to have some decent material but it was as poor a vocal performance as I've heard in a long time.

The penultimate act of the evening was Nova Static.  It seemed a strange choice of gig for the band though, as their brand of melodic rock (think Weezer or Muse) was at odds with what preceded and, indeed, what was to follow.  This was my second time seeing the band in a little over a week and while I was impressed the first time, they were even better this time around.  They are, dare I say it, a very radio-friendly band, with 'Tape it off the Radio' and 'Meet me in the Underground' especially impressing.  Having secured two high-profile support slots in a fortnight - two weeks ago they were the opening act for the Portlaoise leg of the 2fm 2moro 2our - it would be interesting to see Nova Static play a longer 'headline' set.

And so we come to Electric Eel Shock.  Sometimes you can't explain why you like a performance.  If I were to review this logically the music wasn't particularly inspiring and the lyrics were, ahem, interesting (with songs called 'Bastard' and 'I Love Fish but Fish Hate Me' what did I expect?).  But this gig was about the energy of the performance and the ability of the band to whip the crowd (consisting of an odd mix of young Japanese women and balding-but-still-having-long-hair middle aged men) into a frenzy, and all this despite playing a Black Sabbath cover!  As lead singer Aki Morimoto told us many times, Electric Eel Shock 'love heavy metal!'.  Before this gig I didn't particularly care for it, afterwards, well, I was more impressed than I ever thought I could be.

Steven O'Rourke

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Announcer type voice: 

Key Notes is brought to you today by the number '0', the letter 'F' and the word 'Dilemma.'  

Key Notes is in trouble. You see, somehow, your blog has found itself in the midst's of a love triangle.  Finding itself torn between its long term partner and its new love, with whom it's recently spent many sweaty, drunken nights.  Key Notes, it seems, has some tough calls to make.

Now, before Mrs. Notes gets too worried, Key Notes is referring to Manchester United and CLUAS.  On Tuesday April 29th, this blog has a long-standing commitment to review the Gemma Hayes gig in Tripod, the same night its beloved United play Barcelona for a place in the European Cup final.  Of course, it would have been easy had United been beaten last Wednesday (indeed, they probably deserved to lose) but no, the match remains on a knife edge, with the possibility of victory and a place in the Moscow showpiece tantalisingly close. 

Then there is CLUAS.  You see Key Notes is also responsible for the distribution of gig passes to CLUAS writers and has to set a good example to all the other CLUAS writers after his enforced absence.  However, the reason Key Notes faces such a dilemma is not because he HAS to review this gig, but rather because he WANTS to review it. 

Tipperary born Gemma Hayes has always troubled this blog you see.  To Key Notes, most music is love or hate, eject or repeat.  Hayes however, belongs to the pretty exclusive 'meh' club (other members include Whipping Boy and - don't tell the boss - My Bloody Valentine).  There's nothing about her that's particularly offensive nor, until recently, has there been anything to keep Key Notes coming back for more.  That's all changed though with one song - 'Out of Our Hands' - which Phantom, have played quite a bit of recently. 

There's no particular reason why, but Key Notes likes this song a lot.  That is why he is so keen to review Hayes, to give her another chance to get out of the 'meh' club.  If only it wasn't on the same night as the football?  But that's just life isn't it, we sometimes have to choose between things we love, just to appreciate them even more.  Key Notes loves United, but it looks like his love for himself music, is going to come out on top.  Looking below, it's not really hard to see why.  Besides, United will probably lose 12-0 anyway.

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A review of the album 'A Wretched Sinner's Song' by Songdog

Review Snapshot: An ambitious album that deals with everything from talking crows to the mundane nature of relationships; A Wretched Sinner's Song is in equal measure creepy, sexy, scary and brilliant.

The Cluas Verdict? 7 out of 10

Full Review:
Albert Einstein once said 'Reality is merely an illusion, although a very persistent one.' Lyndon Morgan, however, would rather merely allude to reality than have you immerse in it; save to protect yourself from drowning in the depths of the alternative world he creates on A Wretched Sinner's Song. Morgan, who is also a playwright, constructs his cast of characters with the assistance of Karl Woodward and Dave Paterson, though it must be said that their efforts are at all times overwhelmed by Morgan's wry, wistful vocals.

'In their basement flat, Wendy's husband is humping her hard from behind, when he's not drinking, he's really quite kind' sings Morgan on Just Another Night in Limbo, one of the many songs on the album concerned with the act of coitus, most of which are bursting full of last chance lovers, cheating partners and Mr. & Mrs. Next-Door types who, after returning from church, like nothing better than spending their day in full fetish gear. It is this ability to make the listener give life’s losers, the ones we pass on the street every day, a second glance that really gives A Wretched Sinner's Song its pathos.

Biblical undertones also resonate throughout the album, with Loser Paradise and The Devil Needs you for a Squeeze reflecting Songdog's version of Heaven and Hell. It is in these songs in particular that Morgan’s fascination with the work of Jacques Brel, Tom Waits and, to a lesser extent, Nick Cave, comes to the fore.

A Wretched Sinner's Song is a work of immense bleakness and is pehaps a little too long (18 songs) but, despite this, it is also breathtakingly beautiful. Through spare acoustic arrangements and Morgans overpowering vocals, Songdog convince the listener to take the road less travelled, to suspend reality and to immerse themselves in their songs. Learn to lose yourself, and you might just find what you were looking for in this album.

Steven O'Rourke

 To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

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A review of the album 'Correcto' by Correcto

Review Snapshot: Just quite how a band can produce a record that, by their own admission, wasn't meant to be a masterpiece, and yet fall so short of even those paltry expectations, is beyond comprehension.

The Cluas Verdict? 1 out of 10

Full Review:
'And you and get it right and you can get it wrong' suggests Correcto's second track, Do it Better.  Just how Correcto - made up of Richard Wright, Paul Thompson (Franz Ferdinand), Patrick Doyle (The Royal We) and Danny Saunders - get it so wrong is breathtaking to behold.

Much like a sideward's glance at a car crash, repeated listens of this record are only to reaffirm that, yes, it really was as bad as you remembered.  Trapped in a hideous location on the musical spectrum - somewhere between post punk and alt rock - Correcto comes across as pure comfort zone pop.  There is a laziness and lethargy about this album that does little to separate it from the torrents of art school incubated albums vying for your time and money.

That being said, Joni, the album's standout track, is pure pop gold and repeated listens really do make you think that you might have taken Correcto up all wrong.  Alas, the only other true highlight of this album is when it ends.  Of course, being released on the much vaunted Domino label will probably help it sell bucketloads, as will the bands association with Franz Ferdinand.  If only they had the songs to go with the hype. 

Steven O'Rourke

 To buy a new or (very reasonably priced) 2nd hand copy of this album on Amazon just click here.

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Firstly, a brief history lesson.  Once upon a time a younger and indeed more aerodynamic Key Notes was a fresh faced Marketing and Languages graduate.  Unsure of what to do with himself for the rest of his life, he decided that he might as well give marketing a go, seeing as he'd spent the previous four years studying Satan's craft.  While browsing various employment websites (amongst other things) he discovered a job in the marketing department of Hot Press. 

"I like music and I've studied marketing!" he thought to himself, filled at once with the prospect of getting free stuff furthering his career.  Having sent off a diligently prepared CV and cover letter (in which he mimicked the writing, ahem, "style" of Hot Press main man Olaf Tyaransen) he waited in expectation for a call to interview.  Alas, it was not to be. Interestingly, he did receive a letter from Hot Press thanking him for his application, but that his interests "did not match our criteria."  Ever since the day he was rejected by Hot Press for his interest in music, Key Notes has refused to buy a copy.

Now, Dickensian in drama and morality as the above tale might be; it is also a damning indictment of what is wrong with Hot Press and music journalism in Ireland.  The magazine, which has been in existence for over 30 years and has a circulation of almost 20,000 people, is not really very good.  Worse still, it's not really about music anymore.  How could Key Notes know this if he doesn't buy the magazine you ask?  Well buying and reading are two different things aren't they?

According to the Advertise with us page of its website (which was written, ironically enough, in 2005): "Hot Press is the leading and established publication of its genre. Now in its 30th year of publication, Hot Press is living proof that you don’t survive, much less move forward, by standing still.  Always a magazine that has kept abreast and frequently ahead of the times, Hot Press has entered the new millennium with a whole new look and sense of purpose. This in turn has allowed the magazine to break ground - increasing its quota of fashion, gaming and much more!"  

Now, before Key Notes is accused of being "a ranting leftie" (as Mrs. Key Notes is wont to accuse), one does realise that Hot Press is a commercial venture and that it lives and dies by its advertising which, in turn, feeds off its circulation.  Key Notes is aware of all of this, but commercial concerns shouldn't affect the quality of writing, the editorial content and, most importantly, the music content of a music magazine.  And therein lies the problem.  Hot Press, as a source of music content, just isn't relevant anymore.

Key Notes can't speak for everyone but if it wants to find information on music its first port of call is right here, on the magical world of the internet.  The recent Irish Blog Awards show the quality, and even more tellingly, the relevancy of online journalism/blogging.   These people are more in tune (pun intended) with what is happening in music in Ireland than most writers Hot Press can put forward. 

Hot Press have a very poor web presence, thanks mostly to the fact that they are one of the few sites to still charge visitors for access.  Even if Hot Press stopped charging for access to their site, how many of you would hold you hand up and say "Yes, I'd visit that"?  Why would you when you can come to sites like CLUAS and Muse. As Eoghan has pointed out before, in the past year over three times as many people have visited CLUAS than have visited the Hot Press site (see graph from Compete below).

How does this bode for State.  Well, they've made a good start in that their web content is free and they've appointed award winning blogger nialler9 to update it.  As regards the print version, Key Notes wishes them all the best but it is hard to see how they are going to be able to compete with Hot Press. As Jim Carroll has said, cautious advertisers may well push their clients in the direction of the more established magazine.  Is this fair; probably not, but then very little in life or in business is.  All Key Notes knows is that it won't change his reading habits.

To Key Notes, the present and the future of music journalism in Ireland is represented by the Friday morning freebies, the blogosphere and music sites such as CLUAS.  The Ticket and Day & Night provide a weekly fix of print media, while everything, yes everything, else that Key Notes needs to know, can be found on line.  Good luck to State, but it's really difficult to see how its going to establish itself without ending up as irrelevant to music as Hot Press is now.

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Congratulations to Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová for winning the Oscar for Best Song at last nights awards.  Putting aside the controversy regarding the songs eligibility, such a huge success can only be good for Irish music, even if that success consists of some kid picking up an instrument for the first time. 

For those of you who are going to hear this song a million times over the radio/tv today, here's your first blast.

Falling Slowly:

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It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights
It's time to meet the nominees for the Meteor Awards tonight.

Ah award season.  There's nothing like dusting down the old penguin suit and getting ready for the glitz and glam that comes with reporting from the front line of the Irish music scene.  In the coming weeks we have The Choice Music Prize and, eh, Eurosong 2008 [Insert own turkey gag here], but tonight the Irish music scene gather to give themselves one big collective pat on the back at the 2008 Meteor Awards.

The Meteors, or the Meteor Ireland Music Awards to give them their proper title, are a uniquely Irish event.  Westlife, for example, have won the Best Irish Pop Act category every year since its inception.  Ray D'Arcy, despite playing very little music, has a similar hold over the Best Irish DJ category.  Key Notes isn't a betting man - indeed the last time he bet on a horse it died, not figuratively, but literally, while leading with just 100 metres to go! - but you could get very short odds on both these categories being awarded to familiar faces tonight.  What is it about Irish people and their ability not just tolerate rubbish, but to reward it?

Conversely, this years Meteors have the potential to be the "indiest" Meteors yet.  HypeFight Like Apes are up for Best Irish Band alongside Future Kings of Spain, The Flaws and Delorentos.  If there is any justice in the world Cathy Davey should walk away with Best Irish Female, while Glen Hansard's Oscar nomination is likely to be enough to see him secure the award for Best Irish Male.  With Paddy Casey the only pop act in the running it is also likely that the award for Best Irish Album will go to an indie act. 

The following is a run down of who Key Notes thinks should/will walk away with the main Prizes tonight:

Best Irish Band
Will:  Fight Like Apes
Should:  Future Kings of Spain

Best Irish Album
Will:  Tales of Silversleeve - Cathy Davey
Should:  Tales of Silversleeve - Cathy Davey

Best Irish Male
Will:  Glen Hansard
Should:  Duke Special

Best Irish Female
Will:  Sinead O'Connor
Should:  Cathy Davey

Key Notes would love to hear what you think about the Meteors.  Who do you think should win what?  Do you care or are award nights just an excuse for musicians to get drunk cheaply? Whatever you think, feel free to leave a comment below.

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Key Note Speaker returns after an extended winter break.  Contrary to rumours printed elsewhere, that break did not involve enjoying the après ski with a bevy of beautiful models in Aspen.  No, instead Key Notes has been diligently tapping up bands and musicians from around the world to become Key Note Speakers. 

The first Key Note Speaker of 2008 is Kilian Pettit of Cork band EchoGram.  2007 saw EchoGram's debut single Conspiracy reach No. 1 on the downloadmusic.ie weekly chart and the band being named Today FM Rising Artist of the Week.  An impressive accomplishment for an unsigned band with no management.

Favourite Songs from the Past Year 
All the best tunes last year were either pop or electronic, but I can't single any one song out. I can't remember liking any rock songs last year, even though the Jimmy Eat World album was ok

Favourite Song Ever
Something by U2 or Depeche Mode, though I don't know what. Maybe One (I know it's a cliché), or Enjoy the Silence. Smells like Teen Spirit also blows me away though

Favourite EchoGram Song
Probably Everytime I Fall. It's a really simple song, written on an acoustic guitar but the recording sounds huge.  You can check it out on YouTube:

Favourite New Band/Artist 
Nothing has really grabbed me yet in 2008, but it's still early

Favourite Band/Artist Ever
Again, it's going to be U2 or Depeche Mode. I do think Billy Corgan is a musical powerhouse though. I also love Deftones as well as most non-retro electronic artists

Favourite Gig This Year 
The only one I've been to so far this year is The Smashing Pumpkins in the RDS

Favourite Gig Ever
It's either Popmart in 1997 or Soulwax at the Electric Picnic in 2005. The sheer scale of Popmart blew me away, so impressive. Soulwax were fantastic though, because all the ravers and metallers were going for it together, something I want for my band too. It was such a great atmosphere

Favourite EchoGram Gig Ever
The Cork show of the 2fm 2moro 2our was amazing. Everyone seemed to be singing the songs back to the stage, it was like waves washing over us

Favourite Venue
I think Cyprus Avenue in Cork is the best venue in the country for it's size. They really have the sound and lighting sorted, I've spent so many great nights there.

Favourite Piece of Musical Equipment
My first acoustic guitar. It's a Hohner, it's a piece of sh*t, but I keep using it. It's so familiar as I learned to play the guitar on it. I always feel very comfortable with it, it's like my security blanket

Download or CD/Cassette/Record
CDs, man! Cassettes are vinyl are before my time. Downloads are ok, but the quality is just nowhere near as good

Favourite TV Show at the Moment
Rescue Me with Denis Leary is the best show around! It has everything: action, drama, comedy, sorrow and loads of sex. The main character is pretty loathsome, but every now and then he'll trick you into thinking he's a nice guy

Best Movie Ever Seen
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind brought a tear to my eye, something that I'd never experienced until then. I just saw Children of Men, I'd rate it as almost highly

Greatest Book Ever Read
A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle. Check it out

Most Listened to Radio Show
Dan Hegarty on 2fm. He's played a lot of EchoGram on his show which is great, but even if he hadn't I'd still think he plays the best music on radio.

What’s in Store for EchoGram Next
I've just secured US and UK management for the band, so we're working on the right deals in London and LA at the moment. Work on the debut album is going to start pretty soon, and we'll be playing a lot of shows in the next few months.

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The fact that a developed country such as Ireland - so often voted one of the best places in the world to live in those ridiculous surveys - still needs an organisation such as Childline, run by the ISPCC, is a telling reminder of the inability of so-called civilised society to use its economic opulence to provide for the weakest and most vulnerable in its midst’s.

However, socialist tendencies aside, Key Notes suggests that paying a visit to Childline Rocks will do more than abate your guilty conscience.  The promoters of the event promise a seven hour musical extravaganza with performances from Choice Music Prize nominees Cathy Davey and Super Extra Bonus Party and Meteor Nominees Future Kings of Spain and Ham Sandwich on The Star Stage.  There is also a Phantom 105.2 Stage with music from Jape and Dry County as well as Phantom's very own DJ's.  Best of all, Key Notes favourite Irish TV presenter, Michelle Doherty, will be the MC for the evening.  Tickets are €23 and available from Ticketmaster now.

Just in case you need any more convincing, check out the video for Keepsake, from the upcoming Ham Sandwich LP, Carry the Meek.

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British Sea Power (live in Whelan's, Dublin)

Review Snapshot:  I should have known not to listen when a friend told me that I'd 'never see a better band live' than British Sea Power.  In my head I was expecting magic not seen since Maradona picked up the ball in his own half and thought to himself 'You know what?  I think I've the beating of that Peter Reid bloke.'  No matter what British Sea Power did on or off stage, I found myself thinking throughout 'Is this best live band I've ever seen?'  The answer, sadly, was no.

The Cluas Verdict? 5 out of 10

Full Review:
Having heard only snatches of British Sea Power's first two albums - The Decline of British Sea Power and Open Season - I got my hands on a copy of their latest album - Do you like Rock Music - only because the answer is yes, yes I do.  Unfortunately, I didn't like the album quite so much.

However, given the almost reverential tones in which my friend had spoken of the band, I was more than willing to give them another chance.  Sadly, they weren't the greatest band I've ever seen live.  Sure, British Sea Power can put on a show, but no amount of stage diving or stage invasions can take away from the fact that, well, the band makes mediocre music.  While songs about Eastern European migration and Swans dying from Bird Flu are conceptually interesting, in reality, they are just too unadventurous in their delivery to warrant the comparisons that were being made to The Flaming Lips and Arcade Fire. 

Arcade Fire, two words that will probably haunt British Sea Power their entire career.  Had the Canadians not come along and stolen their thunder, British Sea Power could well be the biggest band in the world right now.  Certainly they show that, when they want to, they can make exceptional music.  Songs like Remember Me show that British Sea Power were making epic music before anyone noticed the smoke coming from the back of the arcade.  Alas, somewhere along the way, dressing like medieval farmers and horn solo's from the second floor of the venue seem to have replaced making interesting music in the band's list of priorities.

The lowlight of the evening (aside from Halves, the support band who try so hard to be as experimental as Radiohead that they end up sounding like the noise that comes from your radiator as it heats up) is No Lucifer, proving - as if proof were needed after John Barnes' "rap" - that football and music don't mix.  The chant of 'easy, easy' - you know the one you heard Ricky Hatton's fans chanting before Floyd Mayweather went on to prove just how easy it could be - signals the start of this song and just when you are expecting something exceptional to save the song, well, not very much happens. 

Overall, for the casual observer, British Sea Power frustrate more than they fascinate.  I'm sure, because some told me, that there were those who really enjoyed this gig, but for me it showed two sides of the band: what might have been and what they've become. Theatrics and antics only get you so far when the strength of your songs can't match the pyrotechnics of your performance.

Steven O'Rourke

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