Innovative music is becoming increasingly few and far between. I’m not going to get all apocalyptic on you, honest, but such is the plethora of average acts around, it is always refreshing to discover a genuinely talented band. And none more so that The Last Dinosaur, a folk duo that craft their talent for the pleasure of others.
Comprised of Jamie Cameron and Luke Hayden, they create a sprawling, expansive blend of progressive folk to drop the jaw. Debut album Hooray! For Happiness contains such emotion and honesty that experiencing this band feels like a first meeting rather than a listen. May I introduce you to “Home”, and The Last Dinosaur. Enjoy.
It’s been almost eight months, but CheckeredShirt is back on the road!
Due to a combination of a heavy work load and crippling laziness (mostly the laziness, I’m not gonna lie to you), these endeavours took somewhat of a back seat. But no more! CheckeredShirt will once again be bringing you the best in music and media in an honest, straight forward manner.
Add to that the addition of interviews, reviews, think pieces and more, and you have something worth waiting for. Yes, even an eight month wait. Honest.
The latest effort from film god Quentin Tarantio, it follows a group of Jewish American soldiers across Europe during WWII. Their quest is simple: to kill as many Nazis as possible. Nicknamed “The Basterds” the troop is headed by Lt. Aldo Raine, superbly portrayed by Brad Pitt, and brings dry wit to some typically gory subject matter.
Far from being a one man film there are several stand out performances, most notably Christopher Waltz as the chilling”Jew Hunter” Hans Landa.
Being a solid Tarantion fan, there really are not enough words of praise for this film. Once again the perfect blend of violence, humour and stunning cinematography makes for a fantastic film.
Could this be the best combination in the world? Yes, it really is!
Glastonbury Festival has announced that it will be showing an England World Cup game live on the Pyramid stage screens. The match versus Slovenia will be broadcast on Wednesday June 23rd, surely delighting football fans across the country.
Despite this, organiser Emily Eavis has refused to confirm whether England’s following game, should they progress from the group, will also be broadcast.
The legendary festival will be celebrating it’s 40th Anniversary this June, with universal bores U2 already confirmed to headline the event.
Bangor act Two Door Cinema Club have announced a new tour to begin in March next year.
Having recently completed a joint tour with Delphic, the trio will be taking in ten venues all over the country.
Being a big fan, this is certainly another thing to check out in the coming year. For a bit of background on the band, scroll down to read my post and have a listen.
Indie film star Zooey Deschanel is to release her second music album in April 2010. Most recently appearing on our screens in the wonderful 500 Days Of Summer, the talented lady will be focusing on Volume Two for the coming year.
The album will once again be produced by M Ward following their collaboration on her debut attempt, aptly titled Volume One. Ward will also be offering music contributions, with it’s entirety being written by Deschanel.
Having never head her music, I will be very interested come the album’s release. If she’s as talented a singer as she is actress, we could be in for a real treat.
I must apologise, there hasn’t been that much activity in recent days at all, a very poor effort on my part.
To make up for it, I’ve got an artist that many of you would have heard, but probably not been aware of. Having sung with Damien Rice for many years, songstress Lisa Hannigan stepped out on her own in May this year. With her beautiful tone and endearing songs, she has lost none of her appeal she had amongst Rice’s melodies.
Although sticking to folk, Hannigan has managed to stamp her own identity on her music to prove she is more than a mere supporting act. From her debut album Sea Sew, this is the gloriously titled “Splishy Splashy”
Social networking site Myspace has launched it’s new music streaming service in the UK. Said to match up to existing ones including Spotify and LastFM, the service will see music from all over the world available for listening.
As well as music, it will also feature video and multimedia content. And as if that is not enough, a partnership with Apple means that in one click, users will be able to download their favourite tracks via iTunes.
Kasabian and Delphic last night performed at London’s Club Heaven as part of the official launch party.
I’ve decided upon a new feature. As well as new music and hot new tracks (I can’t pull off the phrase “hot new” at all, sorry), I will be featuring the odd classic album. Far from being reaches back into the far recesses of time, they will be albums that I have found important to me since I first became enthralled by music. From indie to hip hop, it’ll be a musical journey.
Anyway, to start I would like to introduce the marvelousInterpoland their album Antics. Their second album released in 2004, it marks their progression from accomplished, edgy artists to polished musicians. Featuring the sparse arrangements that made them so successful, it is the pulsing bass lines and the striking vocals of Paul Banks that really grab the attention.
It also marks their arrival in the popular market, with the album thrusting them into the spotlight. After a period of not listening to them I played the album in it’s entirety recently, and it is an instant reminder of why such a talented band should not be ignored.
Despite it being virtually impossible to pick a stand out track, I have selected my personal favourite “Slow Hands”. Currently featured on a popular advert, it showcases every inch of the band’s talents. With deft touches and minimalist ideas, here is the official video.
