Popular Problems by Leonard Cohen

The new Leonard Cohen album, Popular Problems, now that I like. It ain't available free on iTunes, but still worth getting your hands on. Thanks to my man at Sony, Darren Reinhardt, for sending it on, along with the two new Hendrix legacy reissues, The Cry Of Love and Rainbow Bridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTEkhoYMjZg

Songs Of Innocence

So I finally worked up the courage to listen to that new album 

U2 so kindly gave me for free. It's not very good, is it? I mean, 

some bits of some songs are ok, but there aren't any actual 

songs on it as such. And that took five years? Over produced 

to hell as well, as far as i can tell from the shitty digital sound. 

I thought of Neil Young's lines, from 'Crime In The City':

The artist looked at the producer

The producer sat back

He said, What we have got here

Is a perfect track

But we don't have a vocal

And we don't have a song

If we could get these things accomplished

Nothin' else could go wrong.

So he balanced the ashtray

As he picked up the phone

And said, Send me a songwriter

Who's drifted far from home

And make sure that he's hungry

Make sure he's alone

Send me a cheeseburger

And a new Rolling Stone.

Yeah



Good non-review in The Quietus:

http://thequietus.com/articles/16217-bono-u2-songs-of-

experience

Human Capital

"You gambled on the downfall of this country. You won."

I caught this morning at a press show a new Italian film, 'Human Capital'. A nice slice of contemporary Italian life, with a multiple p.o.v. structure. Apart from anything else, so good to hear the language spoken again, starved of it as I am when I'm not there.

http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/tribeca-film-review-human-capital-1201157301/

Dublin AfroBeat Ensemble - The Sugar Club, Saturday, September 6th, 2014

Dublin AfroBeat Ensemble performing at The Sugar Club last Saturday, September 6th, after a showing of the excellent new documentary on Fela Kuti, Finding Fela. With Gary McMahon...

Steve Earle, National Concert Hall, Wednesday July 27th

Steve Earle solo at The National Concert Hall, last Wednesday night. Photo opportunities were limited. Could I just say that, aside from classical concerts (which I don’t attend very often) the NCH must be one of the worst venues in Dublin, for any other genre of music, and especially for ‘rock’n’roll’. Between the photo police, and the drink police, and the general sterile, air-sucked-out-of-it atmosphere, it’s a less than ideal place for laying a groove down, or enjoying it. That said, Steve played well, and I dare say everyone went home happy. Oh, and it seems he’s getting divorced – again!

Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino at The Button Factory, August 11th, 2014

From Salento, in Puglia, the very heel of Italy, one of my favourite places in the world. A fantastic night, their music a mix of all the influences you find in Puglia: Arabic drones and percussion, Greek buzuki melodies, Italian romantic ballad. Brilliant musicians, the night culminated in a stage invasion by Dublin-resident Puglinese dancing girls, and two spontaneous encores (after the one official encore). Like many traditional and folk musics, much of this material has its origins in healing rituals and dance. If you're anywhere near Kilkenny, catch them at the Arts Festival there tomorrow night.

Mick Turner at Whelan's, Friday, August 8th.

Mick Turner doing a set without his friends in The Dirty Three, Warren Ellis and Jim White. Colourful and inventive, even if you miss the bottom end.