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

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

Elton John, Xtravision and Dog Poop Cleaners

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.,