Funeral Party Tour

Excellent. I don't have to put myself through the trauma of an arena gig full of 30 Seconds To Mars fans to see Funeral Party. The prospect of that had made me bork.

But no! They have announced today a UK tour in the new year!

Bristol, Fleece – Jan 25th
Oxford, Academy 2 – Jan 26th
Manchester, Academy 3 - Jan 27th
Glasgow, King Tuts - Jan 28th
Aberdeen, Tunnels - Jan 29th
Belfast, Stiff Kitten - Jan 31st
Dublin, Academy 2 – Feb 1st
Newcastle, The Cluny - Feb 3rd
Leeds, Cockpit – Feb 4th
Nottingham, Bodega - Feb 5th
Norwich, Arts Centre - Feb 6th
Birmingham, Academy 3 - Feb 8th
London, Cargo - Feb 10th
Brighton, Audio - Feb 12th

Get your surprisingly reasonably priced tickets here!

And here is Giant Song, which is a really brilliant track of theirs, and you can even download it. Look. See the button? It is the arrow pointing down. Get it? Go on, download it.
08 Giant Song by aimie

I Hate You Just Kidding

This sounds terrible, but I find it really quite a challenge to enjoy music like this nowadays. My housemate/dead-weight-round-my-neck/best friend/surrogate-incapable-teenage-son is actually fuelled by this sort of thing and, therefore, all car journeys will be accompanied by a very narrow spectrum of music. He has ruined it for me. Moron.

Coupled with the fact that all fucking mobile network adverts seems to be plundering every ounce of cute-twee-idyllic music to peddle and promote more rampant consumerism.

"I have such a beautiful, summery existence and spend most of my time frolicking in meadows. But I still need a brand new phone with the latest and most irrelevant technology every year! Now, now, now! I want a new fucking phone now! Otherwise the guy in the independent bookstore might not fancy me. Or I'll lose the ability to frost perfect cupcakes. Or I might start liking X Factor. A NEW PHONE NOW!"

Hello hipster, you probably don't have that many friends because your self-absorbed existence renders you unfit for human interaction. And you can't see past the irony of your alternative-seeking life actually further playing into the hands of the niche capitalists who have your every wish planned, mapped out and controlled remotely.

Or something.

But it must be the vocals of My Little Dove with breaks in the voice as Jessi Fulghum sings that remind me of Tracyanne Campbell from the glorious Camera Obscura which have won me over.

I Hate You Just Kidding - My Little Dove [via YouSendIt for 7 days]

And the deep tones of the other half of this duo, Jeremy Brock really add in Speakeasy, as does the pace.

I Hate You Just Kidding - Speakeasy [via YouSendIt for 7 days]

You are all probably going to like them. A lot.

Caspian

When the outside world really is just too busy, noisy, fluid and I need to generate focus, I can be often found squeezing my little black earphones in and nodding my head towards the book in my lap. And at the moment the sound to accompany this solitude is always Caspian.

Some of the most exquisite music you could wish to hear. Amazing melodies, crushing crescendo's and blissfully quiet moments. You do not get such an artistic range of emotion and sound from many other bands. And all without lyrics.

I am ashamed that I have not posted a thankful mention about Caspian sooner. The album, The Four Trees, has helped me get through a serious amount of reading. Hundreds, upon hundreds of pages. With ease. Such is the enchanting beauty of their sound that numbs my usually racing mind into a state of sheer concentration.

Unfortunately I will miss out on their upcoming UK dates. And it has been a long time coming. But they should have ventured North East way a bit more and I'd have been there.

04.11.10 Galway @ Roisin Dubh
05.11.10 Waterford @ The Forum
06.11.10 Dublin @ The Academy
07.11.10 Belfast @ Limelight
08.11.10 Manchester @ Ruby Lounge
09.11.10 Glasgow @ King Tuts
10.11.10 Leeds @ Cockpit 2
11.11.10 Birmingham @ O2 Academy
12.11.10 London @ O2 Academy Islington
13.11.10 Norwich @ Norwich Arts Centre

Here is a live performance of the opening track of the aforementioned album:

Caspian - Moksha (Live in Hong Kong) from Tommy Au on Vimeo.

Gold Panda Tour

It is not usual that I'll be so motivated by an upcoming gig that it'll end up on here. But this is pretty special. A November headline tour by Gold Panda.

Thu 11 Nov 2010 Brighton - Audio
Sat 13 Nov 2010 Newcastle - The Cut
Sun 14 Nov 2010 Leeds - Constellations Festival
Mon 15 Nov 2010 Manchester - Ruby Lounge
Tue 16 Nov 2010 Glasgow - King Tuts
Thu 18 Nov 2010 London - Corsica Studios
Fri 19 Nov 2010 Bristol - Start The Bus
Sat 20 Nov 2010 Norwich - Arts Centre

I think tickets are available through Ticket Web. I will be in keen attendance at Newcastle. Very excited. And I can't remember the last time I bought such bargain priced tickets. £6! Bloody brilliant.

Here is the video for the very wonderful Snow and Taxis.

Snow And Taxis from Gold Panda on Vimeo.

And here is a little gadget to help you sign up for the mailing list. Including a free gift when you do!

Caribou

Obviously I have been living under a rock or something equivalent. And I don't just mean my most recent characteristic period of blog neglect. I have never had Caribou in my life until very recently.

WTF! FFS! And other such acronyms.

I am a thorough Caribou devotee now. But apparently not devoted enough to be able to attend any of the upcoming UK tour dates. I'd give my ability to logic and reason (which is admittedly pretty poor of late) to go to the Manchester date at The Warehouse Project where the line-up also includes - you'll have to excuse me whilst I sob gently through genuine hurt at not being able to come up with the funds to go - Four Tet, James Holden and - I'm biting my quivering lip at this one as I've never seen him live - Nathan Fake. It might be too early for this level of upset. I'm not sharing the Caribou tour dates because I would just be too jealous if you were to go. Go and Google it yourself, you show-off twat!

Uncalled for, I know.

I have a feeling that rather than playing with research proposals I'm going to be looking at cheap ways to get to Manchester. Accommodation is out of the question. And although I have never got free entry to a gig through writing this blog, if it were to happen now, for this, I'd definitely say yes. Just in case. You know.

Less about my needs.

Here is the latest Caribou album Swim:

Swim by Caribouband

And whilst I probably like the single Odessa more, I love this video:

CARIBOU - Sun from Caribou on Vimeo.

The Hundred In The Hands

This is great. Enjoying their sound. Not enjoying the poses.

The Hundred In The Hands.

The Hundred In The Hands - The Hundred In The Hands by Warp Records

Gold Panda

There is a new centre to my universe.

Gold Panda.

I seriously cannot get enough!

I stated recently that had I not only discovered Gold Panda last week on Sound Cloud that I think the album Lucky Shiner would have been definitely one that I was eagerly anticipating. In fact, having not purchased the album myself yet, but finding a little player from which to stream it I have found myself listening to it upto 6 times a day depending on the amount of time I have to be sat at a computer.

Maybe I have gone Gold-Panda-crazy. I've heard it can happen. Maybe it just solidifies my status as a square.

Either way the man of whom I have come to form a non-real, but very real affiliation for, based primarily on this interview, produces some great awkward-techno and will be up there now with my religious-type love for The Field. There is actually a Gold Panda remix of The Field, but I am having to work myself up to something quite so momentous.

Here is Lucky Shiner..