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Playlist 548 - Mar 2024 Part 1

new year new vibes ceasefire now enjoy x Playlist 1. Laetitia Sadier – Panser L’Inacceptable (Duophonic Super 45s) 2. Penny Arcade – Jona (Tapete Records) 3. Chalk – Claw (Nice Swan Records) ( playing Oslo, London, Mar 21 2024 ) 4. Graham Reynolds feat Marta del Grandi – Linger in silence (Fire Records) ( playing Earth, London, Apr 27 2024 ) 5. The Gentle Spring – Dodge the rain (Skep Wax Records) 6. William Doyle – Now in motion (Tough Love) ( playing Deaf Institute, Manchester, Mar 24 2024 ) 7. Yosa Peit – Shelly (Fire Records) 8. Richard Hawley – Two for his heels (BMG) ( playing Olympia Theatre, Dublin, May 24+25 2024 ) 9. The Pheromoans – Downtown (Upset The Rhythm) 10. Crumbs – You’re just jealous (Skep Wax Records) ( playing Wharf Chambers, Leeds, May 31 2024 ) 11. Mikado Koko – Piano in a cage No. 2 (Caliban Sounds) 12. Astrid Sonne – Staying here (Escho) 13. Ellen Arkbro & Johan Graden – Postcard greetings (Thrill Jockey) 14. Avice Caro – At

Best of 2023 - Part 3

And finally...my last word on the music that floated my boat in 2023. May the year rise with you. x Playlist 1. Saeko Killy – Sun shower (Tapete Records/bureau b) 2. Hiro Ama – Ultramarine (Silent Way) 3. Robert Forster – It’s only poison (Tapete Records) 4. The Bonk – The stars look great (bandcamp) 5. Nation of Language – Sole obsession (Play It Again Sam) 6. Decisive Pink – Destiny (Fire Records) 7. Sprints – Up and comer (City Slang) 8. POZI – Pest control (PRAH Recordings) 9. Chalk – Asking (Dutch Tilt) 10. m(h)aol – Nice guys (Tulle) 11. Martin Rev – Dreams (bureau b) 12. The Umlauts – Dance and go (PRAH Recordings) 13. Ghost Woman – Yoko (Full Time Hobby) 14. Christian Cohle – Another life (bandcamp) 15. Special Friend – Bete (Skep Wax Records) 16. Surprise Chef – Rosemary Hemphill (Big Crown Records) 17. Sally Anne Morgan – The center (Thrill Jockey) 18. Cormac O Caoimh – A good place for you (bandcamp) 19. Craig Fortnam – Ruins in time (Believer

Best of 2023 - Part 2

More tunes from 2023. 20 more of the best. Enjoy. x Playlist 1. The Toads – Nationalsville (Upset The Rhythm) 2. Vanishing Twin – Afternoon X (Fire Records) 3. Me Lost Me – Eye Witness (Upset The Rhythm) 4. I Dreamed I Dream – The Bass (bandcamp) 5. Tandem Felix – There’s a new sheriff in town (bandcamp) 6. Terry – Gold duck (Upset The Rhythm) 7. Immaterial Possession – To the fete (Fire Records) 8. Lael Neale – I am the river (Sub Pop) 9. Death and Vanilla – Looking glass (Fire Records) 10. Trá Pháidín – m’anam go b’ea (bandcamp) 11. Nagasaki Swim – Sleep (Excelsior Recordings) 12. Nighttime – Veil (Ba Da Bing Records) 13. Symbol Soup – Overdressed (Sad Club Records) 14. The Notwist – Exit strategy to myself (Live from Alien Research Center) (Morr Music) 15. Aoife Nessa Frances – Automatic love (Partisan Records) 16. Spencer Cullum feat Erin Rae – Betwixt and between (Full Time Hobby) 17. BMX Bandits – Long forgotten summers (Tapete Records) 18. Holl

Best of 2023 - Part 1

A time of year for lists. Or for remembering. Here's some tunes from 2023. Enjoy. x Playlist 1. Ella Ronen – Truth (BB*Island) 2. Pierre Bastien & Michel Benabila – Stray carrier pigeon (Pingipung) 3. Hochzeitskapelle + Eddie Marcon – Itsuko Manika Watashitachi (Alien Transistor) 4. Gratin Carnival – City of silver and blue (Alien Transistor) 5. Henrik Lindstrand – Tumlare (One Little Independent) 6. Minwhi Lee – Borrowed tongue (Alien Transistor) 7. Sufjan Stevens – Will anybody ever love me (Asthmatic Kitty) 8. Marta del Grandi – Snapdragon (Fire Records) 9. Mitski – Star (Dead Oceans) 10. Rachael Lavelle – Let me unlock your full potential (Rest Energy) 11. Nuria Graham – Fire Mountain, oh sacred ancient fountain (Primavera Labels / New Deal / Verve Forecast & Universal Music Spain) 12. Arborist – Dreaming in another language (Kirkinriola Records) 13. Boa Morte – Hard to know (Gare du Nord) 14. Naima Bock – Lines (Sub Pop/Memorials of Di

2023 live...Chapter 25: John Francis Flynn with Trá Pháidín – St Lukes, Cork, Dec 9 2023

The green room at Henchy’s buzzing. Plenty of non JFF punters. Room for allsorts. JFF. 4 piece band. Voice-guitar-telecaster-tin whistle. Double bass. Clarinet-guitar-drones. Drums-4 track. Many interesting elements. Unfortunately they amount to less than the sum of the parts. Some genuinely interesting moments around JFF’s patented double whistle – two whistles, sellotape – giving fascinating undertones. Would remind you of the the uileann pipe background drone, as cc put it. The thought occurs that a different arrangement of the same elements might even produce more interesting results. Talent not in question. On support Trá Pháidín are a different kettle of fish. Intoxicating shifting improv jazz trad krautrock impossibly groovy two drummers gotta love that they even had a fucking harp onstage what’s more you could hear it harder than it sounds shades of Tortoise one minute Can the next even Neu! K heard a bit of Godspeed guitar violins brass flute

2023 live...Chapter 24: Rachael Lavelle – Coughlans, Cork, Dec 7 2023

Otherworldly sounds. Medieval. Baroque. But modern. Filtered vocals. Pillowy synths. Flutters of saxophone and clarinet. Pitter patter drums. And the voice. With fascinating diction. Giving every word a strangeness/newness. With yearning. And feeling. Along with that. A remarkable poise on stage. A presence. Self-assurance. All in all. Intriguing and wonderful. Big Dreams by Rachael Lavelle

2023 live...Chapter 23: Tandem Felix + Ana Palindrome – Coughlans, Cork, Nov 17 2023

Ana Palindrome . My second time seeing this 3 piece. Violin sometimes guitar. Bass. (Note – Hofner. Hello Paul McCartney.) Moog and friends. Two badass women out front. Starting to love the development of badass Irish women ruling the stages lately. Brushed violin initially. Playing with the texture not the melody. Something about it would remind you of John Cale on viola. New York John Cale. Slides. Scrapes. Drones. Woman on bass avoiding root notes. Harmonics. Note flutters. Man on Moog in charge of beats and swells. To carry on the New York theme. Distinct bang of no wave from the songs. Of anything goes. Of dance music and ballads. Rock n roll or jazz. Club or concert hall. Pop and experimental. Chanted Meredith Monk vocals. If they were in New York no doubt already record deal and art branding. Treasure this under the radar shit. Danb emosewa gnikcuf is a palindrome of fucking awesome band. Tandem Felix are superior country rock with excellent