Songs For Girls Songs for Boys Songs

Been meaning to get round to this for months. A compilation conceived and not delivered is a tragedy, like a limbless orphan dwarf at the Playbarn. The plan was to hand deliver the annual Christmas compilation but, sign of the times, I ended up not seeing a lot of the intended recipients over the Christmas or since (all D's fault). Some of you have received a copy. Martini, I had a copy for you that time we got half way to Galway and turned around. I will resort to the Postal System for the remainder of the deliveries. Expect shiny things. Most of these songs are from 2008. Others, not so much. Some of the album covers below I've never seen until 10 minutes ago. Interestingly, the application I was using to burn the compilation wouldn't let me change the order of the songs. And when I went to put together the album covers, patterns started emerging. The sun and the moon lined up, black and white rejected colour. Trees, birds and frost made patterns of themselves. Then, ar nós na gaoithe, there was a taste of tinfoil in my mouth and I passed out. So , given the odyssey, the birth pangs and the neglect this bundle of noise has been through I beseech you, give my dwarves limbs so they wont suffocate in the colouredy ball pool, give them parents with ears who are in love. Or just rip the songs you like to your ipod and never listen to the rest ever again.

Edit: Frightened Rabbit play the Academy on 1st April. Tickets €13.50. Just bought two.


Christmas 08 Songs for Boys
1. Animal Collective.................................Peacebone
I've stuck this on a compilation before I've just realised. Great song so no worries. Their new album is great aswell and they play Dublin in March.



2. Jonquil................................................Lions
UK. Accordions? Original.



3. Le Loup..............................................We Are Gods We Are Wolves
Know almost nothing about these guys. But I like it.


4. Parenthetical Girls...............................Joan Of Arc (Maid of Orleans)
Bagpipe Trance. Fey portland indie experimentation. Nice album cover. Tasty drumming. All these comments are the same.

5. Bound Stems.......................................Happens To Us All Otherwise
The artwork for this was so bland I left it where it was. Just figured out these guys are broken up. Bands are breaking up faster than marriages these days. Here's a video of theirs featuring a horny maple wood tele. It also features the words Family Afloat.

6. Bad Veins............................................Gold and Warm
Did you mean Bad Vegas? :)




7. Band Of Horses....................................The General Specific
Great harmonies.



8. Parts and Labor.....................................Fractured Skies
Crazy song. Again, trumpets turn up uninvited and make shite of the place. The drumming is amazing - I think that drummer has since left. This is a nice video aswell.



9. Miracle Fortress....................................Fortune
aka Graham Van Pelt and whatever other Montreal musicians arent on tour at the time. Lovely melodic album from start to finish. One of my favourites from last year. Nice video for another song on the album. Comes with a quaint "sponsored by the Canadian Government" sticker - ala the Canadian Film Board short films which RTE used to show after Bosco. Oh Canada.


10. The Dodos..........................................Fools
A jazz drummer and an acoustic guitarist/vocalist. Oh and sweaty moustaches. Dodos bien chicos?




11. Wolf Parade........................................Fine Young Cannibals
My favourite song from the new album. Reminds me of Television. Dan Boekner is my new favourite. The noises, tones and riffs he's coming up with here and in Handsome Furs are fantastic. Really bad artwork though. Bought this in a strip mall in Fairfax, VA as the guy I was with was running around hoovering up Wii's which he had to return the next day cos they're region specific. This song and another couple of songs on the album are proof that prog rock isnt actually evil.




12. maps..................................................Dont Fear
Nice spacey epic goes on forever but you don't notice. This song is 2 or 3 years old at this stage.




13. Wintersleep.........................................Dead Letter and The Infinite Yes
I love this even if it is a scary song about the taste of tinfoil. I know nothing about these guys nor have I heard any other music from them. But this'll do. "We're alone in this wilderness left to choke on the pills and to feed on the viruses". Actually I tell a lie. I just watched this. Equally bleak. These guys are obviously making music between duvet days. Further investigation tells me they're from Novia Scotia. On first listen this is gorgeous too.

14. Jack and The Pulpits............................Dance Area
Recessionary Indie Frippery. "So if you're gonna be a broke little bunny, better get on the floor and dance with me... cos dancin' is free"



15. Cinemechanica....................................Brain Tarp
The cover of this reminds me of that castle where we went to the medieaeval Christmas market with Linda and Siamak. Fuckers in tunics, the smell of raclette. The last time I was this turned on by twin lead guitars was an early Iron Maiden album when I was eleven (I couldnt help it, I lived in Caragh). I still have a soft spot for Honours Math rock. Riffs Built By Calculus.





16. No Kids...............................................The Beaches All Closed
Not sure if these guys are black or white. I'm afraid to look. If that's them on the cover, they're obviously white. The internet is great. You can choose precisely how much you know about a band.



17. Burial..................................................Archangel
We dont have a wii but we dont need one with this music. The beats on this album are great for mimimg epic imaginary table tennis matches to. Seriously try it. Eight minute rallies. Besides that this is some of the most atmospheric simultaneously relaxing and disturbing music I've had in my headphones for a long time.



18. Silje Nes..............................................Ames Room
There's a video of me somewhere doe eyed with a 3 week old baba at full stretch cupped in one arm held out in front of me with this song in the background. That's why it's on here.


Christmas 08 Songs for Girls (with 4 legs)
1. Blonde Redhead.....................................23
I'm pretty sure that album cover was photoshopped. I've been half listening to these guys for years and was never over impressed. This is a great song tho. Havent heard the album.


2. Bon Iver.................................................Skinny Love
Skinny love's not skinny any more.




3. Citay.....................................................First Fantasy
Guitar wankery. With a happy ending.




4. Wilco.....................................................You Are My Face
Got this from BB Hopkins (so the level is low - Graham, we need to talk). People idolise Wilco. I'm still only liking some of their songs. I think I need to see them live. Great lyrics.....Please don't cry, we're designed to die.

5. Bound Stems..........................................Winston
Great song. Still broke up though. When bands break up who gets custody of the songs?

6. The Diggs...............................................Careen
Dance action. Bought the album and this is definitely one of the better moments on there. Still a great driving song.

7. Man Man.................................................Top Drawer

"You need a black Cadillac so death can drive and we'll ride in the back" This song is durrrty. But Man Man are from Philly so it figures. Reminds me of Tom Waites aswell. This is a fantastic piece of bizarreness.


8. The Six Parts Seven.................................Stolen Moments
The cover of this reminds me of fucking Warhammer. I work with Orcs and Trolls and Wizards and Godesses. Seriously. This music is the complete antidote. Horns will save the world. Even for those dreaming so hard they forget to open their eyes. Or those not dreaming hard enough.



9. Handsome Furs........................................Sing! Captain
Dan Boekner's other band with his lovely wife. This is a great video. Best bit is at the end "Let's get a frikken Tamale". Really well packaged album with interesting artwork. We still havent figured out if we saw him play solo at the Railway Club in Vancouver. We went to see "Dan Boekner performs acoustically" as advertised. But some guy dressed all in denim playing Woodie Guthrie songs turned up and we've been confused ever since :)


10. Kevin Drew.............................................Safety Bricks
Me and D's first dance. Honest. D loves dancing. Saturday mornings on the landing get crazy in our house. I think this is a Broken Social Scene album in disguise. Wohoo Wohoo Wohoo.


11. Bon Iver................................................Re: Stacks
True Falsetto.




12. M.I.A.....................................................Paper Planes
More bad artwork. My subconscious put this on the compilation. The Clash sample made me do it. Memories of Oxblood Docs and Rosetown and running up to the record shop at lunchtime to buy an album that had been released 10 years previous. Ahhhh The Clash. They're my Bay City Rollers. MIA can go and shite.



13. Cassettes Wont Listen............................Paper Float
Brooklyn boy.



14. Tapes 'n Tapes.......................................Omaha
I read Warren Buffets biography last year. Great read, highly recommended. This has a great refrain in the chorus which will stay in your head forever.

15. Frightened Rabbit.....................................Old Old Fashioned
Gimme soft soft static with a human voice underneath. Nice video here.




16. A Weather...............................................Oh My Stars
Portland boy girl harmonies with balloon imagery. Cant go wrong. I wont wake you up.

17. Okay.......................................................Natural
From an album called Huggable Dust from some dude called Marty Anderson (bless).



18. Frightened Rabbit....................................The Modern Leper
Constant bad weather does bad things to people. Entertaining Scottish viscerality. We must be masochists. Acoustic version here.


And finally one from the archives. Ahh the chaos. Be warned. The Tortured World of Waccy Baccy features heavily.