ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

For those of you who already disagree with the above title…. It’s my opinion and I don’t care! (Stomps feet)
How fitting it is for this album to be given such an accolade (by me) so soon after they surpassed all expectation with an electrifying performance at Dublin’s O2. For an album that truly cements them as modern greats, the band are refreshingly humble about such new acclaim. (Remember what happened to KOL…). I truly attempted to bite my tongue when given such a formal platform to review an album of this quality, but alas! I have no will power.
David Coverdale (of Whitesnake and Deep Purple Fame) was quoted recently in Classic Rock Magazine saying “It used to be bands would promote their album by going on tour, now it’s the other way around”. The successes of such a change in landscape is no better highlighted than in the anticipation one gets for seeing Kasabian live after listening to West Ryder’. Every Song has a dominant, comprehensive and larger-than-life suited aggression to them that only further forces you to imagine how ultimately overwhelming it would be to stand with tens of thousands all screaming “Get Loose, Get Loose”.

Quite Simply, the album of the year. 5/5

Album Review: The Vagabonds

Rarely has a debut EP such an immediate effect as to warrant a review, but every so often a band comes along that intend on building the foundations of their following through said medium and have the masses awaiting the debut album upon its eventual release.
With Bands like Iggy and The Stooges getting a much appreciated recent return to touring, it has opened the gates to the Punk of old getting a positive revival. The Vagabonds have seized this opportunity with their new self titled EP, boasting three tracks that would knock Jimmy Purseys socks off. All completely different and original, they still boast that old Punk essence. Track 1, “When James Met John” gives the entrée of the aforementioned flavour with similarities to The Ramones. But they really deliver on Track 2, “John Mellor” as they delve deeper underground to a sound not too distant from The Stooges themselves. This is all turned on its head with the final track, a mellow emotional “For Real”, which could have been recorded by a depressed, yet still on form, Flogging Molly.
For all its similarities it still has a new-comer element, which may be down to production, yet is still an element worth clutching to.
A strong debut, promising for a genre thought to be lost in nostalgia.

3/5

Album Reviews: Clockwork Noise and Channel One

Clockwork Noise – Yes and No and Everything In Between

I’m sure Clockwork Noise have admittedly taken some time (no pun intended) in getting a follow up to the debut album If I wanted, I could, but it seems to be worth the wait. A voice suiting classic American Prog-Punk mixed with a band suited to playing National Concert Halls makes this album the easiest to listen to time and time again.
Imagine a softly enunciated Daryl Palumbo (sorry Glassjaw fans) in a band spanning genres worth listening to well past the age of seventeen…. This is quite apparent in the probable track to look out for Egoeccentric. A brilliantly mixed, refreshingly funky and upbeat yet relaxing album, this is a statement of what is still to come from a band with all the talent and drive needed to succeed. Very much looking forward to the third installment. ****



Channel One – Sound To light
Another band trying to leap that defying hurdle of a new album release, Channel Ones attempt has left them in the clouds, as they truly surpassed expectation. Sound to Light has the makings of superiority in its rock/electronica division, yet speaks humbly as a follow up to previous records. Every song seems to create a landscape to further encapsulate you until the end, which seems to arrive instantly. So much so that you may replay Sound and Light many times to fully appreciate its depth. And to undermine my own previous comment, if Simon and Garfunkel were a modern Electronic rock band, this is what the soundtrack to The Graduate would sound like. ****

Interview with Junior85 for Connected Magazine

There is no doubt that musicians these days work extremely hard for any, albeit slight, progress in the industry. One man who defined that concept is Tony Higgins, also known as Junior85. In the last 12 months Tony’s workload has been heavier than Santa’s sack at Christmas, and with his ambient electronic sound getting some much deserved recognition the work is beginning to pay off. Since February of this year Tony developed a new idea to get as much of his music released as humanly possible, releasing five EP’s between then and April. Along with all he is doing on solo projects he still finds time to regularly play drums for Indie Pop outfit So Cow and occasionally collaborates with Local Living Guy, Vince Mack Mahon and Viking Moses to name but a few. Tony recently got back from the States and gave Connected the opportunity to find out the goings on in the mind of Junior85.

1. You seem to be mad for EP's at the moment! Tell us a bit more about why you are releasing new material so frequently?
I'd been working away on music for years without really finishing
anything to a level I was happy with. I was always sort of looking at
stuff and thinking, how do I make a coherent album out of this? By
shortening it to EP length, I found it much easier to get things done.
From February to April, just for the heck of it I set myself a
deadline of completing an EP a week. It was a way of getting away from
endlessly trying to polish tracks to absolute perfection and never
getting anything finished! Once I got going, I really got into it and
was able to plan out a path for completing lots of EPs, it was a great
motivation. I have at the moment about another 7 EPs planned out and
which I was sort of methodically working through, though a bit
scattershot at the moment.
I'd try to bring the tracks to as close to release quality as I could,
then let them go. I'd say with most of the stuff I did I got it to
sort of 90% of more or less what I'd be happy with, and it's a good
thing to let them go at that stage than hang onto them forever. I also
have a friend whose photos I love, and releasing so many EPs was a
sneaky way of using as many of her photos as I could before someone
else did!




2. You work on a lot of side projects, such as So Cow and Local Living Guy. What keeps you so busy? Are these other projects your way of keeping in touch with other forms of music?
I just love playing with other people! I make myself available as much
as I can around Galway, I'm always happy to drum for other folks. It's
something that I've done for years, and its a little bit part of the
ethos that we had since Stress!! (Promoters) started, where we used to have an
improvised music jam at the end where anyone was welcome. It's
definitely a way of keeping in touch with other styles too, as the
other folks I play with are generally in styles of music that I don't
make much of myself. I don't think there are that many drummers around
who are willing to give as much time to stuff and be open to diverse
musical ideas so it just means I get to play a lot!


3. What do you do to unwind? (Please do not be too honest!)

There's not much unwinding to be done these days! It's pretty much
flat out all the time, but I enjoy playing and making music a lot so
it doesn't really bother me too much. I'm quite often happiest when
I'm making some music or playing and it's going well, it's very
satisfying. An awful lot of the time things that I do to unwind, such
as going to gigs or listening to music drift into work when I start
studying them or thinking about the bands for Stress!! gigs!


4. Your sound can be compared to anything from Aphex Twin and Unkle to Massive Attack and even Radiohead. Are you aiming for a specific genre or is uniqueness the key?
I'm a big fan of the above bands, and also the likes of Boards Of
Canada and The Books, so I am probably aiming a bit for a sort of
ambient sound. I love a lot of other genres of music too which the
styles of the releases are pretty mixed up. I love the idea of the
variety of releases that someone like Jim O'Rourke does and making
loads of EPs makes it easier to do different styles. When I'm doing the ambient stuff, the main thing I'll be concentrating on is taking the corners off it as much as I can, removing parts that break the mood and stop "suspension of disbelief" sort of. I listen to
stuff a lot just when I'm falling asleep and also when I'm just
pottering around doing something else in the house, and if anything
sort of jumps out then I try to work it out of it. It's a sort of
inactive listening, non-concentration on it. A lot of the music I do is
also improvised, so I'm probably also looking for directness from it.
I like clarity.

5. One of your specific genres stated on myspace is Live Electronica. Any gigs coming up so we can see that in effect?
That's a next step alright. I've done lots of gigs of live improvised
electronics and noise music but no gigs of the ambient stuff off the
EPs. There's a lot of layering and messing I do on them production
wise so that I'm going to have to think about how to do a live show
with them. It's something I'm definitely hoping to do. I'd love to do
more of the live electronics gigs of before too, but it sounds nothing
like the EPs!

6. Are you an "odd socks don’t matter to me" kind of guy or do they always have to match?
Nah, I wear odd socks all the time. If it's a matter of necessity,
it's grand by me.

7. You spent some time in America after the initial frequency of EPs.
Business or… Otherwise?
That was playing with So Cow for two months, which neatly added a
bookend to the EP project. I tried to keep working on EPs while on the
road there to continue doing one a week but it was just too flat out
all the time with traveling and playing. Since getting back I've kind
of struggled to get back into it too, or at least to work at a focused
level. I have 3 EPs I'm working on right now but I'm finding it hard
to concentrate on just one of them!


8. Will you ever get tired of playing gigs in Galway? (I genuinely love that
city!)
Not at the moment I wouldn't say, there's a lot of interesting things
going on. Galway's a city full of musicians, and while for a bit there
wasn't so much original music going on there is now.


9. Bigger picture time. What’s on the horizon for junior85?
I'm not sure there's ever a bigger picture; as long as I can keep
tipping away at EPs I'm pretty happy. Every release gets some more
music out there and improves my production techniques etc. I'd like
to get more people listening to the music as much as possible of
course and perhaps do some physical releases with other folks away
from the EPs being free to download. It was really nice to get lots of play for the
EPs on An Taobh Tuathail on RnaG.


10. What’s your favorite word?
Tough question. I never think about my favorite of anything!


With more EPs in the works and clear plans to get his live performances ready for the public, we should definitely keep an eye on the horizon, as Tony Higgins’ Junior85 will be galloping over it sooner or later. To hear more from Junior85 check out www.myspace.com/roadsignsofourage



Words by Dave Quinn

David Turpin: Haunted! album review for Connected

With the growth in popularity continuing steadily, electronic music and its vast sub genres are getting a longer wave than anticipated. This is also giving opportunities for new acts to emerge in a still commercially successful category. David Turpin is one such act, releasing his debut album Haunted into a genre that never seems to end. But that doesn’t mean any old thing will be accepted. And that’s just the problem. With the Pop side of electronic music being controlled by the likes of LeRoux, It is hard to think of any similar music being anything more than a below par imitation. Now maybe that would be considered music snobbery, but in David Turpin’s case, regardless of why it is judged so, Haunted is definitely below par. The album seems to be caught in two minds, a comparative to 808’s on the production side but with a lot less effort, the vocals are something not quite adhesive enough. Not wanting to sound too cruel, but at times the album is so insipid it could have been released by on of the members of N*Sync nobody knows the name of. The stand out track is most definitely Dorothy Gale, but is the only one worth mentioning as this record never takes off or captures enough interest to give it a second listen. A feeble attempt. 2/5

CODES: TreesDreamInAlgebra Album Review for Connected

Codes’ heavily anticipated debut album has finally reached our ears, and to already welcoming acclaim. But is this just another case of mediocrity shrouded in patriotism? Just once I would like some real quality to emerge and prove that this country can still produce great modern music.
There is a possibility that the aforementioned time has come in the form of Trees Dream In Algebra. CODES define themselves as alt/electronic, but I for one found it quite difficult to define such a unique sound. The album bounces from melodic, soothing tone to an anthemic, almost overwhelming character. How does this work together? Surprisingly well in fact, and its ability to keep you intrigued throughout is another positive note for arguably one of the best debut albums from an Irish band in recent years. With the power this record projects, I can honestly expect CODES to be selling out the larger venues in years to come. What it all comes down to is this; CODES have released a debut album worthy of such acclaim – a beautifully subtle yet powerful album that envelopes the listener from beginning to end. Truly stunning. 4/5

BATS Album launch Review for Connected

For those not in the loop, Saturday the 29th of August was a "must be out in town" kind of night in Dublin with some mega live music scattered within. And you missed it. For shame.

As for you people keeping your ear to the ground, I'm sure you joined me on a crawl of venues for more than one taste of current Irish talent. Music talent that is.
The big one was of course The Redneck Manifesto, who played to a jam packed crowd at Whelans and were as consistently on form as always. But many questioned the time frame of the gig. Doors at 8pm? Surely not. Well all became clear during the set, as we all found out that the gig was purposefully early to make way for the late night entertainment, namely the BATS album launch in Andrews Lane Theatre.

A five piece prog post-punk group (if they are even definable) who have been running rampant on the Irish circuit for the past 3 years, brought their debut full-length album Red In Tooth And Claw to the stage in ATL, and with great support lined up the show had potential to perfect an already ideal night. Personally, after checking out their myspace I was intrigued and positive about hearing a band whom I compared to post hardcore bands like At The Drive In, a band I love.

Jogging, The first support act, held their own on stage and did their thing, creating expectedly loud and magnificently heavy riffs to please a growing audience. But the crowd seemed to be anxious to see the hosts play the new material to an already impressive flock of devotees. or at least that was my assumption.

An assumption of which grew less and less probable when the next band hit the stage. The already popular Adebisi Shank. With a sound so indefinable they can sound like Qotsa one minute, Mars Volta the next, and catch you off guard with Matt Bellamy style riffs. And how the crowd ate it up. With a stage presence destined for higher ground and a sound to equal no band would bge safe following these guys.

And unfortunately that was the case. When BATS finally kicked off, the crowd had wound down quite noticeably and even though I was still optimistic, it was becoming clear that the majority of the nights party goers had seen their band of choice already. Having possibly set my expectations too high, or having been so impressed by the previous band that none could compare, either way I was reduced to forcing myself to listen to an entire set of contrived noise, a failed attempt to cross mainstream Indie culture with the fleeting experimental rock scene. Every song further mutated them into a version of Foals, with equal band members but less talent. Having recorded their album in March of this year, I cannot help but feel the record was slightly rushed, therefore their quality was drowned in speedy, over production.

Whatever the case maybe, whether it is a regrettable choice of support bands too hard to follow of a lack of substance to their own creation, BATS live debut of their new album Red In Tooth And Claw just doesn't cut the mustard.

Dave Quinn Interviews RSAG (Rarely Seen Above Ground) for Connected Magazine

With the growing success of Irish talent in music at the moment you cannot help but be a little proud, and a little patriotic. But deeper lies an uneasiness, one which makes us all ask the same questions lately, such as “When will we hear a fresh, different and homegrown talent that doesn’t go straight for the jugular of indie rock”. No? Anybody? Well maybe it is just me, but nonetheless my mouth has been firmly shut and will happily stay that way for the entire time RSAG is on the music scene.
Rarely Seen Above Ground – or Jeremy Hickey to his mates, has gained national notoriety after his performance at Electric Picnic 08 sparked the Irish Times to write “he was one of the best acts by far” and “he blew me away”. Since Then he has enjoyed further success with the release of his debut album Organic Sampler at the end of 2008 which received nationwide media acclaim. Seriously, he is crazy hot.
Those who have yet to hear RSAG are in for a treat as he has a jam packed summer schedule of live performances and you are sure to catch one sooner rather than later.
Luckily Connected had pre-empted this heavy workload and managed to catch up with RSAG for a chat before his touring began.


1. Hi! Firstly, your name stands for Rarely Seen Above Ground. Slight touch of Agoraphobia or is there a better story behind it?
No, not as deep as that! It was quite a simple origin to be honest. A friend of mine years ago heard one of my demos after a long time of nobody purposely knowing what I was up to. He said “hey, you’re rarely seen above ground”. That idea of doing something that was unexpected stuck with me for years.

2. Your name has been popping up all over the place; most notably on RTE's The View and Other Voices. Are you already eying up sports Cars and other such luxury items that come with Fame?
Ha, absolutely not! The only things I’m eying up are some microphones and other pieces of equipment to improve what I want to do on my next recordings.

3. When did you last google yourself and what did you find?
A review of my album Organic Sampler by Lauren Murphy.

4. What festivals are you hoping to play through the summer months?
I’m hoping to play a lot! Oxegen in July, Castlepalooza in August, Hop Farm (UK), Airbound (Croatia) and the Cork independent Festival. I have already played Sea Sessions at the end of May, so yeah; the summer is going to be pretty busy!

5. You are a former member of band Blue Ghost, how did you end up becoming a solo artist?
I actually started as a solo artist and then formed a band. In 1996 I had done my first proper solo recording under the name Blue Ghost and then about a year later I met Davy Holland and we decided to work together but still go under the name Blue Ghost.

6. Do you carry any lucky charms when playing live? (Please don’t say rabbit’s foot!)
The only things I consider lucky are my ear attenuators.

7. Plans for the second album?
I am currently working on my new album. I do not know when it will be finished as I am so busy this summer but when it is released it will be called Be it Right or Wrong.


8. Your influences include Talking Heads, Radiohead and Miles Davies. Have you every received any comparisons?
I always receive comparisons and of course always will. I love a lot of different styles of music and those styles will always come through in my music when it inspires me. It's mood driving music which always depends on feel.

9. I'd compare your singing style to Ian Curtis (Joy Division) or Paul Banks of Interpol. Is that a complement or do you hate me now!?
No I don’t hate you! I’m not sure if it was a conscious thing but on some of the songs on Organic sampler there is that kind of style alright. It suits the mood on some tracks. It is very distinct.

10. What is your favorite thing in the world, EVER?
Moving Forward.



Check out RSAG during the summer and hopefully by the time you want more from the metaphorical mole of music his second album Be It Right Or Wrong will be just around the corner.

For more on RSAG check out http://www.myspace.com/rarelyseenaboveground.


Words by Dave Quinn

Automated Music Presents: Simon Baker

Automated Music are back with a mega blow-out for the bank holiday weekend, this time securing top DJ Simon Baker to join in the fun.
Simon has been growing on the DJ circuit since the early nineties, honing his craft in electronic music and eventually floating well beyond the shores of the UK with recent tours in the States, South America, Asia and of course, all around Europe.
He initially gained recognition in 2004 as part of a duo known as The Liptrick, but after releasing their EP on Ralph Lawson’s 2020 Vision label the group disbanded, and Simon launched his own Infant Records label soon after.

Since then he has worked with many other DJs such as Paul Woolford, Burnski, Tim Green, Anthony Collins and many more. The last few years has seen quite a busy touring schedule for Simon, securing residencies in Asylum (Leeds) and DDD in London, but his vision stretched further than his home land. He has played some of the top European clubs such as Weekend, Watergate and Cocoon in Germany and Nitsa in Barcelona. The U.S. welcomed him to Droog (L.A.), The EndUp in San Fran and Sullivan Room in NYC. He has even had the fortune of stepping on stage at the Piknic Electronik Festival in Montreal.
With more mixes still to come, including a re-work of Simian Mobile Disco’s “Sleep Depravation”, Simon simply cannot stop and is on a collision course with mainstream electro audiences.

Dublin’s Automated Music have the pleasure of hosting Simon Bakers Irish debut, along with support from Rubio and Barry Greaves.

So get your dirty techno shoes on this Bank Holiday Sunday and make your way down to The Underground at Kennedy’s to check out Automated Music’s newest guest; Simon Baker.

Doors 10pm, Entry €15.00.

For more info check out: www.myspace.com/simonbakerinfantrecords
www.myspace.com/automatemusic

Words by Dave Quinn

Gig Review: Shoctopus at Radio City, Saturday 11th of April

With bands like Airbourne and the Answer reviving that type of simplistic Rock n Roll that does exactly what it says on the tin (rock your socks off!), they have in turn sparked new life into the creators, AC:DC, along with inspiring new acts to rekindle the flame. Everyone knows I’m a sucker for judging a book by its cover, especially when it comes to the name a band gives itself. You can imagine my excitement and anticipation for seeing Dublin based band Shoctopus live on Saturday 11th. The band played Radio city and after checking them out on myspace I was optimistic about the quality in their live performances. With bands like Airbourne and the Answer reviving that type of simplistic Rock n Roll that does exactly what it says on the tin, and in turn have sparked new life into the creators; AC:DC. Their sound isn’t a million miles away from Motorhead or The Sword with vocals similar to a pre-solo career Ozzy Osborne. Unfortunately the turn-out on the night was far from what I expected but nothing prepared me for the performance itself.

As the guitarist belted out riff after riff the front mans voice began to drown. His over enthusiastic desperation for everyone to “rock out” fell on deaf ears which was made worse by his constant demand for people to crowd around him after every song. Have you no shame Sir? While the Drummer made repeated mistakes in an attempt to keep up with a tempo he was supposed to be setting for the rest of the band, the bassist stood motionless and seemed uncomfortable in his own skin. These were still overshadowed by the lead singer who can only be compared (by me) to a hard rock Doppelganger of Morrissey’s personality with none of the talent. This beast does exist, for I have seen him with my own eyes and I can assure you, cringe-worthy is an understatement.

The only talent was the guitarist who has font fantastic ability in a type of guitar playing that is getting a second wind in popularity thanks to bands like the Answer. This guy needs to pack up his guitar and his awesome riffs and sail away on a life raft because the Shoctopus boat is sinking. They don’t even need an Iceberg to speed up the disaster, the lead singer is a perfect fit for the job.


Words by Dave Quinn

Automated Music Presents: Tim Green

Whoa! What was that enormous sound? I don’t know but I think we should check it out…. What a kick in! And the rest is history.
What the hell am I on about you ask? Isn’t it obvious that the above words were spoken by every music lover in the world right before electro music exploded onto the scene for all to enjoy!
Electro music can stand for many things and is commonly defined with bands like Jus+ice, Digitalism and of course, Daft Punk. These bands have paved the way for a new uprising in the Dublin DJ scene with more tangents of the genre being created daily. One particular Independent label saw the new horizon and immediately capitalised, making them an easily recognisable name for any DJ event in Dublin today. Automated Music offer a fresh perspective on Dance Music and with their growing popularity they have attracted many household DJ names in techno, minimal and house. They do not look like they will stop for a breath anytime soon.
The latest offering from Automated Music comes in the form of a rising DJ with little left to prove, London based Tim Green aka TG. Tim has released records on label Dirtybird & Trapez which have since been sampled by world Famous DJs Carl Cox and Claude Von Stroke, and Tim is now looking to take on Dublin with his first ever Irish gig. TG’s ability to fuse live DJing with CDjs and laptop work have gained him critical acclaim and led to gigs such as The Watergate in Berlin & Nuits Sonore Festival in Lyon.

So for anyone in the mood to get crazy to some dark minimal techno tunes blasted into your ears by a DJ we will be hearing a lot more from, check out Tim Green at The Cavern on Store Street on Thursday April 9th. Doors open at 10pm and admission is a measly 12 bucks. Support on the night is from Automateds own local favorite DJ Citizen Black, and playing for the first time under Automated Music, Blue Nun.

For More information check out www.myspace.com/tg909
www.myspace.com/automatemusic



Words by Dave Quinn

Interview with ABAM at The Grainstore, Cabinteely on 28th March 2009

A rustling can be heard in the hedges of Irish Independent music, something wicked this way comes. Wicked in the mid 90’s skateboard slang sense of the word obviously, because Dublin based alt-rock band ABAM definitely have a bright future ahead of them. With the surge in popularity in Irish bands at the moment every musician wants their moment in the spotlight based on similarly commercial music. The fresh, experimental and yet progressive quality to ABAM separates them from the rest as they create something completely new for the Dublin scene. Their sound is almost indescribable as every song you hear offers something different, from catchy riffs that cause uncontrollable dancing to exploratory music with hyper-speed drumming that draw some comparison to bands like The Mars Volta. Cynics may say this is not a band for the present but regardless, they are a band for the future. Connected caught up with Neil Adams (guitar) and Kev Curran (drums) at a recent show to chat about the next steps in the ABAM journey.

Hi Guys, Great show! You seem to lose yourselves in the music on stage. Do you pride yourselves on live performances?

Neil: I think our live shows are the most important thing of all. We have been in the studio and recorded a few EPs but when we are jamming and rehearsing its all about getting right for the next show.

Is the imagery on stage important to you?

Kev: Do you mean Neil’s green Pants? (Laughter ensues)
Neil: yeah, the green pants are very important! We like to wear bright colours and just get crazy on stage, Its not just about public perception but about our own comfort on stage.

You have two more shows in the next month, so you are very busy with gigs. Are you concentrating on that predominantly or is an album a priority?

Neil: At the moment we are still writing the album, and the gigs we are doing give us the chance to test and develop new material. We plan to record before the start of June so it should be finished by the summertime
Kev: We aren’t quite sure WHERE we are going to record it yet…
Neil: Yeah but its going to be mega!
Kev: It’s going to be awesome!

You spent some time recording in the States last summer too. What did you take from the experience?

Kev: It was deadly. (Again, laughter ensues)
Neil: We went to Los Angeles, had a great time and got to play some live shows over there too and count ourselves really lucky that we got the opportunity. We even got a chance to record with Jimmy Coup and Rich Mouser in the Mouse House Studios, which may I add was the absolute nicest studio I have ever been in! It had swimming pools and numerous bedrooms, even though I didn’t have my own room…

Any Plans to return?

Kev: Yeah definitely, we’d like to organise some sort of tour up the east or west coast.
Neil: We don’t want to just stay in one place like we did in LA, we want our next trip over to be a bit more…Scattered.

Neil, with you and Connor being brothers, do creative differences ever take a more personal twist?

Kev: No way! They have some sort of weird telepathy. They both understand instantly what the other is doing; they don’t even have to talk about it. They just start playing and, it just works. It’s like magic pours out of both guitars!
Neil: I don’t know about that! It is great how we compliment each other though. Like, when one of us writes a riff the other would instinctively know what we both think would sound cool playing over it.
Kev: I don’t understand how you two do it at all. When you listen to each of their contributions singled out on their own, they sound completely wrong for each other. But when you put them both together, it mixes perfectly.

A lot of your influences come from video games which is shown in lyrics and song titles such as Red Shell. Are video games a big part of your life or childhood?

Neil: I just bought an N64 with Goldeneye and Mario Kart!

So it’s still a huge influence today?

Neil: Absolutely. I had recently bought Mortal Kombat and all through the following nights gig I was thinking about doing Fatalities, so much so that my antics on stage led to me falling over an amp during a song. I had to stay lying on the amp until we finished!
Kev: Goldeneye is great for nostalgic reasons and it paved the way for Halo and Call Of Duty which I love.
Neil: The classic stuff will always be my favourite. In fact, one of our songs is named after the SNES game “Zombies ate my Neighbours” which is crazy because we play the song so much I forgot about the origin of its name.
Kev: That new game Left for Dead is pretty cool too.

It looks like you guys have a plethora of resources still untapped!

We will never get tired of writing music about computer games. Ever.



ABAM will be playing the Twisted Pepper on the 30th of April; alternatively you can check them out at http://www.myspace.com/ABAMband.

Words by Dave Quinn

Connector.ie Meet Up Number 8 - Review

The connector meet-ups organised by Conor Lynch are designed to encourage self motivated independent professionals to mingle on an informal basis with the hopes of gaining interest in each others work. They all want to help each other, which is a rare yet vital commodity for Dublin’s Independent circuit. Connectors Meet Up No.8 which took place in Renards Bar on Fredrick Street, Dublin on Thursday 26th of March, stirred up quite an amount of interest with more than one hundred people in attendance. The event was extremely well organised, with sponsorship from Bulmers and Ben and Jerrys, who had promotions in house to further advertise the event.

The night began as a social experience with people given time to take initiative in making important introductions to other attendees. After sufficient time was given to this clever yet possible unscripted process, presentations began. The Highlight of these was without doubt Co-creator and CEO of Daft.ie Eamon Fallon, who gave a descriptive insight into his professional career from school to his current position. The presentation was highly motivating for anyone with desires to create a website and inspiring to those who have attempted yet become disillusioned. The following section of the night was the open-mic style presentations, with members given the opportunity to present and promote themselves or their business for one minute. Everyone from PR companies to photographers took the stage and gained great exposure.

In a nutshell, the event was successful in regards to the publicity it received, with the turn-out being exceptional. The presentations and general social interaction of the people was also a very positive step for Connector. With the popularity and content of the site growing rapidly, I guarantee this is still only the beginning. Given time there will be no need to keep your ear to the ground as Connector.ie will be louder than ever.

Recent Albums of quality worth mentioning...

After venting my frustrations about some of the poor music released in the last year (one album in particular, obviously) I decided to first of all shorten my rants and secondly to be more positive. With that in mind I thought it appropriate to talk about some of the albums which were equally anticipated but received a warmer response from me.
The first was by a band who in their last outing created such a backlash from fans there were reports of mass burning of the album at bonfires in the States. What kind of music is capable of such wrath, you ask? It is Heavy Metal, of course! The cremated album in reference was Metallicas St. Anger, which stirred up quite an angry broth amongst true fans. The album, along with "making of" documentary Some Kind Of Monster,the bands re-release into the wild seemed a tad pretentious. They needed a big bang to mark their territory as the long reigning lords of metal after the debacle of St. Anger.
The new album Death Magnetic was more than just a bang, it was an explosive scream bursting the eardrum of every pessimistic critic in the land. The album reminds me of a time when Metallica were competing with the likes of Slayer, bringing back the old metal roots of Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning. It is truly a breath of fresh air to a genre clouded in smog music from bands like 30 seconds to Mars. Real metal musicis dying and hardcore followers have to rely on the stuff of old, which to be frank never gets old. Slayer, Pantera and even some older Slipknot would be chosen ahead of Metallica these days, but now the band can realistically hold their heads up high and proclaim, "We are still one of the best". Fast pedals and heavy guitar shredding is all I need to satisfy the metal craving and finally, some original work has come from such a talented band worth banging your head to.
The second appraisal is regarding an album with a very mixed reaction and I am here to tell the negative opinion pushers to pull their stubborn head out of the sand realize the quality of the album. The band is The Prodigy, the album Invaders Must Die. Since its arrival all I have been hearing is they now sound like a sub-standard Pendulum, which is ridiculous based on the opinion that Pendulum are below par in general. As the Market for that style of music is so popular recently, the prodigy are immediately compared to what is current and being labeled based on them sounding different. After Always Outnumbered was released Liam Howelett promised an album which felt like the prodigy of old, and I defy anyone to play Experience/Jilted Generation back to back with the new record without seeing massive similarities. The cold hard truth for those pessimists is that the Prodigy are back at the top of their game with a fresh mix of heavy electro, jungle and drum n' bass music that originally put them in the spotlight all those years ago.

The Most Disappointing albums of the last 12 months

The Public have been longing for a publicised mega album to come along and deliver on the hype it creates. So far in the last year many have attempted the feat but have failed. Bands at the top of their game create a buzz for a forthcoming release to large to fill and the result is always the same, a below-par record from a presumed above average band.
The first to spring to mind would be the fifteen year anticipation train that was Chinese Democracy by Guns N’ Roses which not only failed on the hype but disintegrated as a rock album in general. I personally gave special attention to its arrival but inevitably found myself skipping track after track waiting for at least one stand out tune, but to no avail. I couldn’t help but ask myself “why did this tripe take so long to come to fruition?” The answer in my opinion lies with what is left of a now tattered and worn outfit – Axel Rose. While other members of the original line up were being proactive in their post Roses work, Axel found it hard to let go and seemed to become obsessed with making Guns N Roses live again. After the longest delay for an album release I have ever heard of, he failed miserably and the album was a huge disappointment to say the least.
For the more commercially minded, the album next on the chopping block is Coldplays Viva La Vida, which is by no means a complete waste of talent in comparison to the previously mentioned. No, in fact the album itself isn’t exactly the horror show you would expect from the title of this article nor did it have as large an anticipation as the Axel nosedive. The problem I have with this album is that it began to fall under the radar and nobody prevented it. The sad side to this story is that the public may be starting to get sick of Chris Martin, who is beginning to portray the standard “celebrity in the spotlight” therefore taking notice away from the record. Am I the only one who thinks he is slightly too egotistical for his 18th Century fashioned boots? (Seriously, he has been wearing that Master and Commander stuff non stop!). Unfortunately the public media or whoever else you want to blame has caused the album to fall short of expectations after gaining worldwide recognition with X/Y. The extreme attention given to the people in the band have drawn critics away from the music which caused a chain reaction of people ignoring the album because they just don’t care. The only upside is they can actually make good music sometimes, so the wait begins again for album number five. Fingers Crossed!
Now for my primary target, a controversial pick which may disgruntle the majority audience. Some call me a music snob for my following opinion but I simply see it as a disillusioned fan sticking to his guns. And I am not the only one, for this argument has played out in a plethora of social situations always ending with an even ratio for each side of the dispute. The album referenced is none other than the huge commercial success of Only By The Night by Kings Of Leon. They literally are kings of the music world at present after mass sales of the singles Sex On Fire and Use Somebody, and big things were expected from their fourth outing together. This expectation was fueled by the brilliance of their first two albums and the ever so slightly sub-standard third. To put things into perspective, let it be known that Aha Shake Heartbreak is one of the greatest modern albums ever created with every song showing an outstanding quality to fuse southern blues and hard rock into a new Indie market. I foresee this album being remembered in twenty years the same way Led Zeppelin II, Who’s Next and Back In Black are today. It is for these reasons that loyal fans kept the torch burning when Because Of The Times was released. The album has many bright sparks but doesn’t capture the same glow as its subsequent record. Enjoyable? Yes, therefore the void we felt can relate to fans setting the bar higher than any follow up to Aha Shake would ever reach. Naivety was our poison. So with that realisation forced to the front of our minds we awaited the new edition to the catalogue, knowing that only a miracle would cause the release to exceed Aha Shake in quality. I, however, still expected a great album. What I got was something which I can only assume was a direct way to immediately change their target audience and abandon the avid fans that have followed them all the way.
Only By The Night is so well received publicly because they have succeeded in the audience change, from a cult following of southern rock lovers to Pop guzzling teens looking for the “U2” of their own generation. KOL have completely and knowingly changed their sound to reach a more mainstream level of acclaim and left behind everything we originally fell in love with. The words SELL OUT spring to mind. My first listen of the album instinctively drew me to what would soon become their first number one, Sex On Fire, reason being that it was of only a possible five tracks even worthy of release. The song itself is now my most hated as a result of an almost “Killers” style abuse of marketing with the track played eighteen times a day. In fact, the only song worth repeating on my stereo is the opening track Crawl, oozing rock n’ roll but still sounding progressive in what used to be their style. It is blatantly obvious that what they have created is specific for stadium venues to create a sense of anthemia and openly want to follow in the footsteps of U2, Coldplay and the Killers when they should be sticking to what they do best, creating raspy rock tunes that remind us sometimes whiskey, cigarettes and parties are acceptable.
Truth be told, the original and previously loyal followers have lost respect for the band, and with lead singer Kaleb adding such fuel to the fire as being quoted in Q magazine saying that playing their older songs “make him want to die”. The reality is Kaleb; the new material is having just that same affect on me.


Words by Dave Quinn

Let The Blogging Begin!

Well, It has begun.

Now anyone who has an interest in my writing and latest goings on in my attempt at a career in Journalism can check out my articles as frequently as they are posted. Look out for the group on facebook for updates on new posts in the future.

Enjoy!!

Dave

Just Another Day At The Office - Short Script

Just another Day At The Office
A Short Screenplay
By
David Quinn

Copyright 18/03/2009




















INT. Office Floor – Day
A large office floor with many cubicles. Murmurs of telephone conversations fuse with the feint sounds of printing and fax machines.



INT. Cubicle – Day
A desk scattered with stationary and take-away cups of coffee. A hand is spinning a pencil between the fingers. The computer screen shows a game of minesweeper being played. Turn to see Sebastian Hemp as he sits slouched in his chair, staring motionless at the screen in front of him. He wears a white shirt and pink tie combination but both are shabbily worn and less than presentable. He wears a telephone headset with the left side purposely not covering his ear and a thin wire comes from his left ear which is attached to an Ipod. The telephone rings, and after the fifth ring Sebastian puts huge effort into reaching for the phone and presses answer.




Sebastian
Good afternoon and welcome to Intershop.ie customer support.
My names is Steven, can I please have your ID number?



Caller
Don’t hang up on me… I mean it, don’t hang up or I’ll… I’ll… you wont
Listen, you never listen. If I’m in pain you might listen.



Sebastian
… Ok… Sir… I’m here to listen…
What can I help you with?



Caller
HELP… Help… Jesus man, I can’t fucking take it… It’s too fucking much
To deal with… I can just end it all… You would love that wouldn’t you?





A woman is walking past the cubicle and catches Sebastian’s eye. He covers the microphone on the headset and calls to her.



Sebastian
Carol!



Carol
Sebastian? What’s the matter?



Sebastian
Get Derek now!



Caller
Hello! I can’t believe this, Hello! I am literally about to jump out this
Window, are you going to talk to me?



Sebastian
Yes, Sir… Hello, I’m still here. Would you like to tell me the problem and I can try my best to help.


Caller
I don’t know if you can anymore… It’s too late.


Sebastian
Please Sir, you called for help and I am trying my best to offer
what I can. I want to help and would feel personally responsible if something… Happened to you.


Caller
You can’t SAVE me! I need someone to pour my heart out to, so I can go in peace. You are just a robot. An automated voice on the end of a premium fucking line!

Sebastian
NO Sir. I am real, I am a person and I want to help. I WANT to.
I am asking you to talk to me… Look, my real name is Sebastian.
We are told to use an alias as to not endanger ourselves. But I want you to know me so you feel comfortable enough to tell me whatever is on your mind. I’m sure you’re not a bad guy and you have friends and family that care about you. People care enough about you that they’d be heartbroken if you did anything to yourself. Please, for their sake, talk to me and lift the weight from your shoulders.



As Sebastian rambles on the telephone, Derek, his line manager enters the cubicle and stands over him to monitor the situation. Sebastian turns to him once finished his speech and gives a positive wink.


Caller
I’m sorry friend… The weight is just too heavy.


The line goes dead.


Sebastian
Hello? Hello? Sir? HELLO?


Derek
Well? What was all that about?


Sebastian slouches back into his chair, clicks play on his Ipod and opens a window on his computer with a new game of minesweeper on it. He yawns.


Sebastian
Nothing much, Boss. Just another Issue 49, but I handled it.


Derek nods and leaves the cubicle. Sebastian continues staring motionless at the screen and eventually breathes an under-enthusiastic sigh.



THE END

Film Review - Naked Lunch

NAKED LUNCH

For those who are unaware of writer William S. Burroughs previous work or writing style in general may be shocked to find after watching Naked Lunch that the film is so close an adaptation to the book that the only difference is the creative imagery predominant in the direction of David Cronenberg. This to some may seem like a match made in heaven. Cronenbergs gift for gruesome special effects and dark twisted plots fit like a glove onto the hand of writing genius Burroughs, famous for previous works Junkie and Queer. However things took an even stranger turn with the creation of Naked Lunch which further investigation reveals that the book is almost autobiographical, with Burroughs taking many hallucinogenic drugs during the writing process which further warped his since of reality. David Cronenberg adapted the book in a literal sense and with a gripping performance from Peter Weller as protagonist Bill Lee, the story (however nonsensical it may seem) is enthralling. Set in the 50’s Weller starts out playing an Exterminator using a type of powder to extinguish termites and cockroaches. The powder starts going missing and it is revealed that his wife Joan (Judy Davis) has been freebasing it as a drug similar to heroin. As they are both recovering drug addicts they succumb to the urges of this new high and Bill is eventually arrested. While being interrogated by Police he is left alone with what he sees as a giant insect. The Insect tells him that his wife is a spy for a company called Interzone Incorporated and must be killed, all of which is entirely too implausible for Bill to accommodate as he comes to the conclusion that the powder is making him hallucinate. He escapes and returns home, completely dismissing the insect’s accusations. But after a tragic and fatal accident involving his wife Bill is forced to flee to a fictional port town in Africa known as Interzone (the supposed headquarters of the previously mentioned espionage organization). While hiding here he begins to write reports on his following missions, one of which is to find a Doctor Benway by seducing a woman known as Joan Frost, who is a carbon copy of his now deceased wife Joan Lee. The story begins to unravel eccentrically has Bill experiments with more drugs and is caught up in a conspiracies involving typewriters which transform into giant insects and alien heads that are used to extract a potent drug known as Mugwump Gism. The film is quite graphic due in no small part to the imaginative and visually descriptive mind of David Cronenberg, and times may make little sense to the viewer. At many stages you are almost expected to piece together the storyline yourself, however scattered it mat be. There are references and metaphors through out the film, sometimes subtle and other times blatantly obvious (notably the Insect in command who quite literally talks from his anus) and even though the story may seem to spiral off into tangents, its theme and morals are clear from beginning to end. For those not used to either the style of the director or the writing of William S. Burroughs, then this film may be one to avoid. However, if you love nothing more than to sit down an a Sunday evening with your favorite collection of Cronenberg and even David Lynch movies, than this should be top of the pile. The book has caused more controversy than any other of its time, especially since the scenarios vaguely describe Burroughs own life. He had many problems with drugs and even shot and killed his wife “Joan” in a drunken game of William Tell. Many of the other characters are also based on real life acquaintances and the book can almost be looked at as Burroughs biography, or at least a chapter of it. But with controversy comes inspiration and most notably are writers like Hunter S. Thompson and Irvine Welsh. To read the book before watching the film is quite clichéd in today’s modern society when the writers themselves are happy with the screen adaptation and this is a perfect example of there being no obligation to follow one with the other. This film will jump out at you regardless of you expecting it or not and may not be liked at all. Take this as preparation and make your own judgment, if it sounds appealing than it may be something for your personal collection. To fully prepare yourself for this film you may need to get into a certain frame of mind, so start off by watching Scanners, Videodrome and Erasurehead. After a three tier insanity cake like that, Naked Lunch should be a walk.

* * * (3 out of 5)

Interview with Noise Control

Interview with Noise Control at Muzu studios South William Street on 21/02/2009.

Every hard working band tries to follow a step by step process to gain the recognition they feel they deserve. These steps must include a debut single and distribution.

Dublin based rock/electronica band Noise Control have already checked of some of these boxes, having released double A-sided single Cities of Dreams/Mudbath last year in the U.K. and gaining “single of the week” status. Now they tackle what could be considered the biggest promotional step in the bands history – the music video.

They aim to release the video for new single “Addiction” into the mainstream market in the coming months. Connected sat down with guitarist Kevin Whyms and drummer Declan Herbert during the shoot.

First of all guys, how do you feel the shoot went today?

We are really excited about it. Its our first ever music video and we are ecstatic over the level of professionalism involved. We tried making a video for Addiction before but it didn’t quite work out. It was at a live show which was prematurely shut down. Lets hope the second attempt goes better! We hope to get it on to MTV in the coming months as a promo, that’s the ultimate goal.

Following a busy 2008, HotPress were quoted stating they expect more great things in 2009. What is most important for the band in the next ten months?

We really just need to keep our heads down and make sure the album is finished this year. We have put a lot of work into it. We plan to tour England and do some festivals too.

Do you have any upcoming festival slots?

We Hope to play the major Irish festivals, namely Oxegen and Electric Picnic, although nothing is set in stone. We are quite keen to play Leeds this year also and hopefully some other UK festivals too.

Would this be inclusive of your plan to tour England?

The plan is to head over in June in time for the festivals but we want to go back over in late August for some showcase gigs and support slots in order to secure some headliners in the future.

How do you find being unsigned during these harsh economical times?

If we got signed that would be huge for us. The money is obviously a big factor, more money leads to better PR. But even so, everything we have accomplished to date we have done ourselves and we are extremely proud of that. The singles, the distribution and now the video have all been completely independent.

Some of your biggest exposure has come from the world of video games. Disney picked up your double A-sided single for their Xbox video game Pure. How long did you work on it and what was the end result?

We worked on it for about a year. It was quite important for us because we looked at this as quite commercial regardless of the method of media. In the end the tracks were chosen to be used on the main title screen on rotation so that was a huge success.

Do you know anything about the game itself?

It’s about Quad bikes!

Liam Howlett also personally picked you to support The Prodigy for the Irish leg of their “Their Law” tour. What was it like touring with a high profile band? Any crazy/fun stories?

To be perfectly honest the guys are really down to earth. We are so grateful for the opportunity and they looked after us a lot. They seem to have a passion for rooting for the underdog and thankfully they saw that potential in Noise Control.

I’m going to take advantage of the fact that Mark-Kid (vocals) is still shooting to ask a question about his name. Why his name is hyphenated?

(The two have a chuckle)… I don’t think he wants a hyphenated name anymore! For a long time his nickname was The Kid so eventually we just added the Kid part to his name, but these days he’s not such a kid!

And finally, do you shop in Lidl of Marks and Spencers?

Definitely Lidl. I think we will be shopping there forever!

The new video for Noise Control’s “Addiction” will hopefully be hitting our screens in the coming months.

Dave Quinn

Connector.ie - At First Glance

With the world of online social networking increasing rapidly by the day, every Internet entrepreneur is trying to find a new niche in the market. There have been a lot of murmurs recently about a blog site which may have taken grasp of such an opening, a website designed to use social networking in the interest of those who have connected and want to promote themselves or their business in the world of independent media. For those still not in the loop of this new window of opportunity, Connector.ie is the place to start your research. As an outside observer new to the scene myself, I also began at the core.

The website is a blog run by Conor Lynch, who is already somewhat decorated in the media industry having won many awards within Interactive Marketing such as Golden Spiders, Investor Awards and Digital Media Awards. Although he claimed to once be elusive, he welcomes public contact and boldly posts all contact details on the site to get in touch with him.

The blog site is primarily designed to connect people such as writers, filmmakers and other web entrepreneurs creating links between these people for possible collaborations in the future. It also gives these people the ability to promote themselves to the other members and to the public without expense. This is done through meet-ups and event organising where the members can socialise with each other face to face. The attention is ever growing with the site, especially with the anticipation of the new eMag and the latest event, Connector Meet-Up 8, which will be designed as an open mic night for those wishing to promote themselves or their business. The preparation for the eMag is in full flow with Conor shooting videos spots for the upcoming first edition. The site growth and large community interest may have resulted in the blog becoming somewhat of a cornerstone and in some cases a key starting point for anyone wanting to make some vital connections in the world of media. The blog itself is still active with daily posts including video links and links to the sites with more information along with regular updates on upcoming events.

For those who feel they have a creative talent with no ability to vent, or for those post graduates who just cant seem to get their feet off the ground, log on to Connector.ie and become a member. Once you attend an event or meet-up which attracts one hundred people plus, you will open a door to the world you have always wanted to explore. You will meet people with common interests and goals and can give you the creative boost you have needed to mould tour talents and qualifications into a career.

Words by Dave Quinn