Tag: new release

Shadow Puppets, Shaker Hymns and more acts for RSD

Posted on by musiczoneadmin

Hi everyone,

 

Hope the form is good.

 

Here are a few links for new records in the shop this week, including BOB MOULD, THE REPLACEMENTS, PEARL JAM, JOE BONAMASSA, KIRAN LEONARD, AMON AMARTH, THE SCRIPT and WHITE DENIM to name but a few… Quite a bit new this week actually.

 

Check out all the releases in video format here, there is a nice bit! :

https://musiczone.ie/videos/

 

And it’s a bit of a bumper week next Friday the 1st of April… Biggest I suppose is the newLAST SHADOW PUPPETS record, ‘Everything You’ve Come To Except’, out on Domino Records via PIAS. Out on CD, CD/Book, LP, or Limited LP + coloured bonus 7’’. Alex and Miles return for a second offering eight years on from debut. The deluxe heavyweight gatefold LP includes a 32 page booklet, and a bonus coloured 7’’ featuring lead single ‘Bad Habits’ and an exclusive new track. Check out ‘Bad Habits’ below :

lastshadow

PIAS

THE HEAVY also return with their fourth record… A real melting pot of influences and funkiness… Again there is a limited LP with a 7’’ and also a limited LP Boxset available on Counter Records via PIAS once again.

Another biggie out from PIAS next Friday is the new MOGWAI record on Rock Action… Again Indies only coloured vinyl… ‘Record Shop Day has arrived’ I hear you say, 15 days early…!!

I’m hearing a small bit of disappointment on the shop floor about the releases for RSD this year. I must agree that there are not as many belters as last year…. It is more varied and diverse for sure… But obviously a disappointing list (in some eyes) affects the day (naturally enough). Releases like the three above would have been belters of releases for RSD… But record companies know that customers are going to go to stores anyway maybe and get those three above.. I am a firm believer in LPs for RSD.. More LPs, less EPs and 7’’s for the day anyway. Fingers crossed anyway. Good LPs will always tip away. A collectable 7’’ you can look at for a long long time (forever) and may not be that collectable in the end, unless your a dustmite… Nice then alright.

 

That said, we can crib as much as we want, but there are some solid releases as always on the day! These include BOWIE, METALLICA, THE DOORS, BOB DYLAN, THE ANIMALS,NIRVANA, as well as a good focus on modern popular bands like BLOSSOMS, BIRDY,BASTILLE, and many more. So while the list may be a lot more varied this year, there are some golden nuggets of limited vinyl as always provided by the RSD day.

Overall it is still a day we are all very much looking forward to in the shop… Limited vinyl and live music always leads to a great day!

Not fully confirmed yet but a nice bit of music lined up for the day as per usual.

 

Confirmed are ANDERSON, CRY MONSTER CRY, RAISING JUPITER, and brilliant Cork newcomers CROJAYN…. Check out these boys! Should hopefully have one or two more confirmed for next week!

 

Anderson :

Cry Monster Cry :

Raising Jupiter :

Crojayn :

 

Anyway, enough of RSD until next week.. (The sign is up… We’re in the mode!)..

 

Second biggest release for this week in our opinions is the new album by THE SHAKER HYMN.. Their second record and it’s another beauty.. A bit more of a psychedelic feel than the first record.. Great tunes once again all through, and very well produced by Brendan Fennessy of O Emperor… Sax, cello, piano, organ, viola, trombone thrown in from time to time on this new CD with great effect.. I know quite a few of ye picked up the debut album from us and this new one certainly is a step forward. The Shaker Hymn really are one of the best hometown bands around at the moment… About to start a nationwide tour, and they are playing Coughlan’s on April 22nd.  Might have the lads in for a few tunes also soon..

Forgot to mention with the PIAS stuff above… There is a special 10th Anniversary 2LP on coloured of the SUFJAN STEVENS classic ‘Illinois’… I must admit his album last year was my favourite of the year.. A truly beautiful record..’The man who taught me to swim, he couldn’t quite say my first name’.. You couldn’t fault Stefan now to be fair.. Maybe not for everyone, but pour moi, a gorgeous album… Understated, soft, and dark.

PROPER

Proper have a few interesting releases out for next Friday, including the new PET SHOP BOYS album, JAMES LUTHER DICKINSON and THE NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS album ‘I’M JUST DEAD, I’M NOT GONE’, and RYAN VAIL, a young lad from Derry has an interesting record out… Classical / Electronica type of thing if that is a thing..

 

Fortuna Pop has the new SEPTEMBER GIRLS record out next Friday.. The Dublin 4 piece play Cyprus Avenue on April 16th, with upcoming Cork group The Sunshine Factory.. Will be a gig not to be missed!

 

Warner have an album by LUKAS GRAHAM (Band) out next Friday also.. Lukas (singer) had a different upbrining than most… Brought up in an autonomous artist’s enclave in the centre of Copenhagen, with no cars, street lighting or police intervention, which goes by the name of Christinia… Probably shapes you a bit different so he might have something to say..

WARNER

Warner also have a new album out next week by WEEZER… Their tenth.. The White Album… Now lads… There really only is one…

Also out by Warner is the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame DLP Live, which has a loud of household names on it.

 

The new PANIC AT THE DISCO album gets it’s vinyl record release. Also Warner have the reissue of the 1967 classic ‘West Meets East’ by RAVI SHANKAR and YEHUDI MENUHIN.

 

Lastly from Warner for next week is a new BLACK STONE CHERRY album ‘Kentucky’, on CD/DVD and LIMITED 3LP on white vinyl with codes.

UNIVERSAL

Universal have the soundtrack to new Irish film ‘SING STREET’ and the vinyl record release from the riveting AMY WINEHOUSE documentary ‘AMY’… The latest Bond soundtrack is out on vinyl, and lastly from Universal is the new album from BABYMETAL, ‘Metal Resistance’ on CD, LP and LP Set which includes a T-Shirt…

Very lastly, we have just had another SUPERB act confirmed for R.S.D… Anna Mitchell has agreed to do a slot with a little help from John Blek… That will be a very nice one.. All good…

 

Check out what’s coming and going at :

www.musiczone.ie

 

Sin é for this week,

 

Thanks for listening,

 

Ray

Record Store Day Releases…Countdown Commences

Posted on by musiczoneadmin

hi Everyone,

How’s the form…
Going to be short and sweet this week….saw way to much of the aul armitage shanks this week and energy levels are not the mae west…
Releases for next week the 18th of March include a new NEW ORDER single, new JAMES record, new PRIMAL SCREAM record, new BONNIE PRINCE BILLY, ALL TIME LOW reissue, new IGGY POP record!!! with Josh Homme on production, new UNDERWORLD record, new GWEN STEFANI, ELLIOT SMITH soundtrack, new RICHMOND FONTAINE, ELO reissue, RAT BOY single, BATMAN V SUPERMAN OST, JOHN WILLIAMS ( guitarist ) 60 cd set.

After rattling them just there, if anyone wants more info pop me a mail…

rsd2016

RECORD SHOP DAY (RSD) is around the corner now just 5 weeks Saturday….
Most of ye know the drill….cant promise or hold anything…but if you want to send me requests i shall MAKE SURE they are ordered, after that its in the lap of the gods….early birds and all that then after that as well….every year confusion over the lists….this is the list for Irish and UK records shops….there are other lists ( america )  with stock Irish and UK shops wont be sold….JOHN GRANT -Queen of Denmark an example this year….if interested in anything try let me know by closing time Monday night as i need my orders in tuesday/weds next week….thanks….here’s the list

http://recordstoreday.co.uk/exclusive-releases/rsd-2016?p=1

Sin e for this week,

 

Thanks for listening…briefly i know

ray.    https://musiczone.ie

Little Green Cars, Choice Music Prizes and the Bankers really are w*nkers

Posted on by musiczoneadmin

Hey Everyone,

Hope all is well….

Released tomorrow across the globe and in your own local record shop are records by

FLEETWOOD MAC, MASSIVE ATTACK, RAY LAMONTAGNE, THE CORAL,MEXRRISSEY,

THE BEACH BOYS, AOIFE O’DONOVAN, MIIKE SNOW and Limerick’s own HERMITAGE GREEN ( nice few bands coming out of Limerick recently) two Murphy brothers in this band, one of them, Barry, won a couple of Heineken Cups with Munster in 2006, 2008….i’d say he even has a few Irish caps…

So, moving on to releases for the 11th of March, through your local friendly corporation.

How many corporations like us do you see these days actually..?

Fewer and fewer i’d suggest…and i’m not talking about my game…in general i am on about….loads of shops seem to follow a set of rules,( procedures they would call them) employees vary from them at their peril.

smallshop

Friendly merchandisers who can upsell seems to be the future in a duller, boring more sanitised society….the barcode will be inserted into our wrists soon….everything seems to be drowning in red tape… prefer red wine to be honest.

Anyway, excuse the tangent, onto releases for Friday the 11th March.

SONY

jeffley

Sony have the latest “lost” JEFF BUCKLEY record….Jeff is one dude bar Kobain and probably to be fair Bowie ( even at the age he was at) over the last quarter of a century that the music biz lost that really could have made a massive impact….Amy as well actually ( i underrated her at the time to be honest, tabloids blinded me to the talent if that makes sense)….this record contains 10 unheard and unreleased tracks, including covers of DYLAN,ZEPPELIN, SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE and THE SMITHS as well as one completely original song…..personally, i can’t wait to hear it….top 10 albums of all time change with our moods i know but GRACE is never far away…ever.

sade

Sony also have a reissue on vinyl record of SADEs best of.

UNIVERSAL

Universal have the new and second record from LITTLE GREEN CARS….I like these folks a lot….cracking tunes and harmonies on the debut album and it sounds like more of the same on this record…seem like good skins as well….i messaged them on twitter some months back trying to track down the debut record on long player and they got back promptly and tried to help ( no real benefit for them responding to me as it was only released in the states and they had no control or right over it, but they still responded) some irish bands do not respond to us at all….not good enough for them maybe….makes no sense that to me, we are only trying to help, give them some profile, give them the money from any sales, it improves our shop also by stocking good unsigned Irish bands….makes no sense when a band aint interested in helping one another….

I hope this record throws  them into the super strata sphere….check out the latest tune…

New album available in CD and DLP formats.

 

Universal have debut solo album by GASLIGHT ANTHEMS BRIAN FALLON “painkillers” as well as new albums by AURORA and ALESSIA CARR….catchy tune, TRICKY have a song that sounded like it maybe….

cale

MUSIC ON VINYL

Some new ones in from MUSIC ON VINYL next week include ( deep breath) ALLMAN BROTHERS – seven turns, BLOOMFIELD, KOOPER, STILLS – super sessions, JJ CALE – troubadour, JOHN CALE- fear, MILES DAVIS – get up with it, DEATH CAB FOR CUTIES – codes, plans and narrow stairs, PHIL LYNOTT – solo in soho, IMELDA MAY – love tattoo, soundtracks to FORREST GUMP and THE COMMITMENTS and last but not least LLOYD COLE – rattlesnakes……few gems there.

PIAS

PIAS have the LUCIUS record “ good grief” on PLAY IT AGAIN SAM as well as EMMY THE GREAT “ second love” on BELLA UNION.

On the local scene, we are delighted to announce news of the release of the second album by THE SHAKER HYMN….inside in the corporation we love their debut album….as good an indie pop/rock record you won’t have heard in the last year or two…heres a track from the debut album, do yerselfs a favour and have a listen to it….consider it a friday treat….

THE SHAKER HYMN – NEW ALBUM “DO YOU THINK YOU’RE CLEVER?”

 

 

The Shaker Hymn have announced the release of their second album “Do You Think You’re Clever?”.

 

With a release date of April 1st, it is the group’s second album to be released in just under two years.

 

Produced and engineered by Brendan Fennessy (drummer of the Waterford quintet O Emperor), the band spent little time hanging around, completing the recording of the album in only nine days.

 

Dynamically rich and sonically colourful, Do You Think You’re Clever? sees a marked advancement on the band’s previous output, with the Cork quartet incorporating both a brass and string section to serve their growing maturity as musicians and songwriters.

 

Check out the video for ‘Trophy Child’, the lead single to be taken from the forthcoming album:

 

Tour Dates

April 1 – Connolly’s Of Leap, Co. Cork

April 7 – Roisin Dubh, Galway

April 8 – Kenny’s, Lahinch Co. Clare

April 22 Coughlans’, Cork

 

May 6 – McGing’s, Westport

May 7 – Tir Na Nog, Cavan

May 13 – DeBarra’s, Clonakilty

May 21 – Pine Lodge , Myrtleville

May 22 – Levis’s, Ballydehob

May 26 – The Bernard Shaw, Dublin

 

We really are excited about this album release….great up and coming Cork band….we hope to get the lads into the shop around release time for a tunes….we will keep ye posted on that.

 

Contact

Booking: inbloomagency@gmail.com

Band: theshakerhymn@gmail.com

 

REPUBLIC OF MUSIC have the soundtrack to OBLIVION with M83 on double LP….once off pressing…

SOAK just won the choice….well done Bridie girl….got a few mentions on these pages in the past….when you were just 16 first i think….well done….some fine irish albums last year to be fair….i would have had  HEDGE SCHOOLS and THE NORTH SEA albums in there….two great albums….but good stuff all round.

 

WARNER

Warner for the 11th of March have a new album by KILLSWITCH ENGAGE “incarnate” , the new DREAMTHEATER album “ the astonishing” on 4LP and GAVIN JAMES album finally landed on LP.

PROPER

 Proper for next week have an EDDI READER best of CD as well as STEVEN WILSON reissues on CD including “ the raven who refused to sing “ .

dannyhealy

Late news on in the background….Trump going to be the next american president….we are going to have a different Taoiseach for every season going forward….Gerry, Mickey, Leo and Danny healy rae ( ye smart alecs will have to go through me to get to him….that Danny) and the best of all….one of the two banks showed 1.9 billion profit today for 2015….the crowd that are backing brave…that crowd…..1.9 billion….yes with a B…..AH MAN…..i got a bill today from the other great bank in this nation for 3 months of the year for the pleasure of doing business with them….718 euro for maintenance and cash handled only ( we aint Dunnes by the way) ….i scratched my nose a couple of times in there, breathed some air in the vicinity of the bank…..not kidding here bank and credit card charges in 2015 amounted to 4710 euro…..nearly 5% of the cost of keeping the shop trading….is it just me or does anyone else want to vomit….for what ….5 k for what….what a country….danny healy rae for Taoiseach….

fallingdown

Anyway, before i turn into Michael Douglas in Falling Down….is that a large fries sir

Sin e for this week,

 

Thanks for listening,

Support local bands and shops if possible….

ray.https://musiczone.ie

www.musiczone.ie

MEXRISSEY, Metallica as Ambassadors and Radio 1 Editting

Posted on by musiczoneadmin

Hi everyone,

How’s it going this week?

Sorry with the day late newsletter again… High powered interviews all week delayed me a tab.. More on that in a while.

Firstly, records in the shop for release today.. BOWIE BOY, SANTIGOLD, MORRISSEY, ANTHRAX.. all the other stuff from the video today which you can find here :
https://musiczone.ie/videos/

Right so, on to releases for next Friday the 4th of March.

SONY

Firstly from Sony is the major label release (debut release really, only a live album before now) from HERMITAGE GREEN, entitled ‘Save Your Soul’… Fine up and coming Irish band from Limerick who really are supposed to be sensational live. I hope this record (only CD for now) does really well for them.. A vibrant Irish music scene is important for all of us. I personally think it’s good at the moment, without any major superstars (Hozier maybe an exception on second thought).. Anyone else??.. Bueller… Bueller..

Sony also have a new Ray Lamontagne album, his 6th entitled ‘Ouroboros’.

I see, in our first mention of the year, (more unashamedly on the way over the next few weeks, we promise), METALLICA were announced as Record Shop Day ambassadors, with a couple of RSD releases by the band themselves coming up for RSD.. Changed my mind.. Was going to have a pop of Lars, but no… Not going to.

Next up, Universal have a new band on the scene, THE STRUTS.. I like this crowd… Queen rip off one might say (the main singer is the bulb of Freddie, may have even gone to his dentist to do the job for him) but they have something I feel.. Catchy tune

UNIVERSAL

Next up from Universal is the brilliant MASSIVE ATTACK, with their ‘Ritual’ EP, which also sees the return of The Tricky Kid, as well as collaborations with Young Fathers, Roots Manuva, and newcomer Azekel…  The EP comes as a 12″ Heavyweight (180 gm) Mid Grey coloured vinyl with 4 colour centre labels housed in a black polylined inner hand placed into 3 mm spine sleeve printed 4 colour process + special screen printed 5th colour orange designed by Hingston Studios and the man himself, Rob Del Naja.

Universal also have the BEACH BOYS ‘Party’ LP.. An album of covers all unplugged. Also from Universal is the new MAX RICHTER album ‘Songs From Before’, and lastly some jazz reissues on the Verve label including ELLA FITZGERALD / LOUIS ARMSTRONG, CHARLIE ‘BIRD’ PARKER and OSCAR PETERSON.

Essential for the 4th of March have MEXRRISSEY… What’s that Ray, I hear you ask.. Well, it’s a Mexican tribute to the MOZ man.. A covers album by Mexico’s greatest musicians of some of Moz’s greatest tunes… Why are you telling us about that Ray?.. Well, simply and maybe surprisingly, I think it sounds really good.. But hey, one man’s meat is another man’s poison… (That right Moz?!!!)

Essential also have the new album by THE FEELING.

Some of you may have heard me on the Sean O Rourke radio programme earlier in the week. Firstly, t’was a great plug and was delighted to be asked.. Great opportunity to get shop mentioned to (I’d imagine) a couple of hundred thousand listeners.. But, (there’s always a but with you Ray)… I was naive thinking it was all hunky dory, wine and roses with the interview.. Not fully the case, but felt in hindsight that it was taken (the vinyl resurgence) a small bit negatively.. Price v. quality… I would have bigged up the quality in the 7 or 8 minute interview, but the 60 or so seconds kind of painted a different picture I thought.. Maybe me just being super sensitive.. Cassettes, for f*cks sake!! No wonder Sean O Rourke thought I was a nut job… Not too far wrong, the profession I have! All and all look, a great mention, just slightly caught out by those editors.

PIAS

PIAS for the 4th of March have the new M. WARD record (sounds lovely).. Must have wrote it in Ireland.. ‘More Rain’ is the title..

PIAS also have the new POLICA record, their third offering, on coloured vinyl for Indies only.
Debut from LAPSLEY also out through PIAS next week, only 19 years of age.. Take a listen below

New SABATON ‘Heroes on Tour’ 2DVD/CD or 2LP, and THE VIOLENT FEMMES have a new offering, their 9th, all through PIAS.

WARNER

Warner for the 4th of March have a FLEETWOOD MAC 3LP in concert set, and new albums by MIKE SNOW, INVERLOCK and THE CORAL, their 8th album.. First in five years..

Warner for today, a bit under the radar, have an expanded version of MORRISSEY’S brilliant ‘Bona Drag’ ALBUM, 2LP with a bonus poster.

Check what’s coming in on
VINYL RECORDS CORK

Free shipping on 3+ records if you can’t call in to say hello, or just don’t want to say hello.. (Couldn’t blame ya, ala Sean O’ Rourke)

Sin é for this week,
Thanks for listening,
Ray
www.musiczone.ie

Bleeding Heart Pigeons…the most interesting band to come out of Ireland for many a day….?

Posted on by musiczoneadmin

Hey Everyone,
Hope all is well…
Some of the releases in the shop for tomorrow include FIELD MUSIC, THE WEEKEND, JUNIOR BOYS, ELTON JOHN, TELEGRAM and BLOC PARTY.
Now going to mention what’s coming out Friday the 12th of February.
The most interesting record coming out Friday, in my opinion ( the opinion bit is to protect me from abuse) is from a three piece from up the road, down the road in Limerick.

Image result for bleeding heart pigeons

BLEEDING HEART PIGEONS release their debut long player next Friday via massive UK label, VIRGIN/EMI….I have a bit of faith in these boys that they will be around for the long haul….i would have mentioned their EP releases in the last year or two….and the big label seem to be showing a lot of fate in them also….LP only release…no CD….now thats not a call the label would have made….no way jose….so for a teenage Irish band to call that shot ( at least i imagine it was the band who called it) and be granted their wish, shows the esteem the record company holds the lads in… or the record company see’s dollar signs, that maybe fairly or unfairly more accurate.
I am sure there are guys and gals who work in record companies who want to find a band who will blow the worlds socks off, others just in for the dollars.
Here’s a tune

 

 BLEEDING HEART PIGEONS are somewhat traditional angst rock outfit i suppose with elements of prog and electronic throw in the pot, with a strong lyrical content also…something tells me there is a lot of creativity to follow….everything they have done so far smacks of forward thinking, boundary pushing music….here are a few words about the album from lyricist and singer Michael Keating ( pronounced as gaelige, i cant find da fada!!)….

12291874_916545781785936_2431608706424536011_o
Interesting lad, fair to say…
We are hoping to get the lads in for  an in-store….so will keep ye posted on that one….
I ain’t going to blow more smoke up their…….here’s another tune…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNyrfdjcOjQ

UNIVERSAL

Universal also has a live DVD of ELVIS COSTELLO, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH LP reissues of “the way of the fist”, ” war is the answer” and ” american capitolist” , each reissue on a different colour…RIDE ” nowhere” gets a standard reissue release, Australian goth/synthpopers THE JEZABELS have a new record, RONAN KEATING has a new CD and there is a reissue of SUN RAs “space is the place”.

coltranelove

Lastly from Universal is a deluxe triple LP of JOHN COLTRANES “love supreme”….as usual we beat up the big forest in the sky with our prices….

Essential for next Friday have a new album by LISSIE and a reissue of THE BLUETONES ” excepting to fly” album…i remember really liking that album…wonder did it stand the tesat of time…20 years ago id say.

REPUBLIC OF MUSIC

REPUBLIC OF MUSIC has new albums by BASIA BULAT on the secret city label with a lot of input by JIM JAMES of MY MORNING JACKET and a YOU SAY PARTY new album also.
Image result for hbo vinyl
Warner have the soundtrack to the new HBO TV series by Martin Scorsese called VINYL….Jagger was a consultant on it, well for the bits he remembers anyway….its a TV SERIES about the record industry in the late 60s and 70s….it shows how hot a buzzword VINYL is at the moment….not that record shop owners are cribbing about that…we crib enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrz4DMEjCpQ
There is a  trendiness attached to the aul record buying at the moment….so look ye are all cool….HBO done the market research and its findings were that ye are all cool…seriously, to some this is just a passing fad, some were always lifers and some who may have being the passing fad, will fall in love and become lifers….thats my tuppence worth anyway….will Vinyl be here in 25 years…yes i would guess, to what degree, i haven’t got a clue…anyone got a good crystal ball

Warner also have new albums by Mali singer/songwriter ROKIA TRAORE, KULA SHAKER, WHITE BUFFALO ( the dude who done the sons of anarchy soundtracks) and the BRITS awards compilation.

them

 

SONY

SONY for next Friday have Vinyl records reissues by THEM…” the angry young them” and ” them again” as well as reissues by ICED EARTH.
Image result for rihanna
Oh, RIHANNA released an album today…no promo, jack shit, just landed….copycat…now who was the first to do that again…..you could argue Zeppelin but everyone knew there was an album coming, just no single…there was a flood of surprise albums since 2013…one fella started that flood around his birthday.

PROPER via EDSEL have a 20th anniversary edition of the FUN LOVING CRIMINALS debut “come find yourself” on 3 cd or a fancy box-set thingy.

One last tune from my new favourite band before i go and write dear landlord

check us here at VINYL RECORDS CORK for whats coming and going…
Sin e for this week and as ever

Elton John, Xtravision and Dog Poop Cleaners

Posted on by musiczoneadmin

Hello everyone,
Hope ye are all well…
Another week’s ramblings ahead…

Image result for the altered hours
I will start with links to some of the releases for tomorrow, which include WALKING ON CARS, DEEP PURPLE, ERIC CLAPTON, PHIL COLLINS and Cork’s ownTHE ALTERED HOURS. ( album launch tomorrow night in the Kino)
There are a good few more in but not on https://musiczone.ie  yet.

So, releases for next Friday the 5th of February include from Pias the new FIELD MUSIC album ” commontime” on double orange vinyl for Indie shops only for a limited time, bit of a talking heads vibe going on here….

Also from PIAS are some 30th anniversary Vinyl reissues from ERASURE.

elton

UNIVERSAL

UNIVERSAL for Friday the 5th of February have a new ELTON JOHN studio album “wonderful crazy night” on four formats, CD, DELUXE CD, LP and super douper boxy thingy… , they have a new album by ERIC PRYDZ and also the soundtrack to the ELLIOT SMITH documentary ” heaven adores you” ( must get to see it) check out this beauty if he is new to you…

Essential have the new record by THE CULT out next Friday also on CD and DLP on the COOKING VINYL label….heres a taste

It was a bit of a surprise yesterday to hear of the demise of xtravision, and not really a good surprise.
I know a couple of the lads who worked there well and i have thought of them  both a bit over the last day or so. One of them was in fact one of Music Zones first employees when she was only a kid, i nearly worked every day of the year for the first 12 months ( MAY 2001 we opened) but i remember Jamie covering me for a match or two for the 2002 Soccer World cup ( GA background, hence the use of the soccer term)…..she worked part time for me for a couple of years and then went travelling for a bit and came back a good 10 years ago or so and settled  in with xtravision…..the second,a sound lad who loves his Vinyl and who i know down through the years ( has a young family, my own age) and has being managing xtravision shops for the last 15 years or so, was moved out of the Douglas branch about 6 or 9 months to another branch, he was in at Christmas when word was out that the Douglas branch was closing and we felt he had missed a bullet with being  moved out..couldn’t miss all the bullets in the end…..good lad, would love him on board if i had  a spot…thats the personal damage it can do.
Image result for xtravision
Some may understandably think that i may be delighted in a professional sense with xtravisions demise…not really the case.
If i can explain…
We sold the same products within reason but were very different shops i felt.
I want to survive and grow, obviously, but i feel overall the demise of physical bricks and mortar shops like HMV, GOLDEN DISCS, XTRAVISION or any of the indie guys is bad news for us all.
People have such choice now with how they consume media/ music….the buzz term in our game at the moment is multi channel platforms….less suppliers in the physical game, the less money can be made by the powers that be and hence the less interest those powers will show in that “platform”. ( just give the products to those beasts in the sky, they can sell it for us and we only have to ship it a couple of locations, makes sense, makes money, lets do it, they can rack it next to their dog poop cleaners)

That said though, DVD is under dreadful pressure, i am 4 full years in Douglas in March and in year one, DVD sales were close on 60% of turnover….this year ( year 4) running at about 19%….fell off a cliff.
They reckon 250,000 households in Ireland have Netflix, crucial point here is, those that have it were probably people  who bought DVDs prior to getting it…..another tough day for the industry i am in.
XTRAVISION needed to change quickly when that cliff approached and when you have 80 shops, you don’t move to nimbly, if move at all…… Irish man Peter McGowan ( owner of Hilco…hmv, xtravision….Hilco are a commercial restructuring company….eemmmmmmm) is interviewed in the SUNDAY BUSINESS POST this Sunday..

WARNER

Warner for next Friday have a 2CD remastered album by MCGOUGH & MCGEAR….Macca’s younger brother, Hendrix on Guitar, Macca does a bit of producing…meant to be a classic…i don’t know it…poems and all sorts i think

WARNER also have new albums by CHRIS ISAAC, german prog metal by OBSCURA,  and a fancy version of the Josh Groban album.

REPUBLIC OF MUSIC have new albums next week by JUNIOR BOYS on city slang ( electro pop) heres a listen….


ROM also have a new album by TELEGRAM…alternative rock 4  piece from London town…signed, coloured LP copies available…a live CLUTCH DVD and GRIMES debut album gets a reissue….her very first one that is….
Image result for foxes singer

SONY

SONY have the second album by FOXES out next week, hip hop sensation BRYSON TILLER gets a vinyl release….heres a snippet

Did i mention last week that KAMASI is back in…

walkingon

On the local scene, aside from THE ALTERED HOURS and WALKING ON CARS releases tomorrow, we have a bit of live music in the shop.

Local and up and coming songwriter and musician  GERALD AHERNE, is in store tomorrow playing a few tunes for us ….GERALD is only turned 17 but already there has been a lot of interest in him from record companies in the UK….Should be a good one  tomorrow…..5pm tomorrow if you’re around.
check out the site for  comings and  goings
https://musiczone.ie
Sin e for this week,
thanks for listening,
ray.,

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