P2K - Pitchfork's review of the 2000's

Earlier today, I was very excited to find out that Pitchfork had produced a review of the decade in music.

In 2009. Ok, so they're a little premature. I guess 2000-09 is ten years. Anyway, I'm certainly not complaining.

There are articles on the rise of the mp3, the decade in news and the top music videos of the 2000's. Most exciting of all though is their top 500 tracks of the last ten years. So, if you feel like the last decade in music has passed you by, or if, like me, you just fancy listening to some new artists, here is the link http://pitchfork.com/p2k/

With thanks to Pitchfork.

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem

Motherless Brooklyn was suggested to me by a tutor on my writing course, and I am eternally grateful. This is the most exciting discovery I have made in a long time. The book was published in 1999, and in 2005 Edward Norton announced that he would direct and star in a film adaptation. Let's hope they hold on to Lethem's wonderful writing.
Lionel Essrog and a few other young boys are taken from their orphanage by Frank Minna, a small time crook. They start of moving boxes, but the nature of the 'odd jobs' they do for Frank soon becomes more obviously criminal. When Frank is stabbed to death, Lionel decides to find his killer.
The murder mystery plot line works well in the novel, with a series of intimidating suspects including a Polish giant and a group of Japanese businessmen. While there are wealth of interesting characters in the book, including Frank Minna himself and Lionel's companions, the protagonist outshines them all. Lionel suffers from Tourette's syndrome, a condition which makes him stand out even amongst his group of misfits. There is a certain childlike quality to Lionel even though he is investigating a murder. He is frequently hilarious without the intention of being so. Lionel is in pursuit of the truth, and while other characters see him as little more than a freak show, he proves his bravery in the end. Lethem could easily have cheapened the character by trying to get too many laughs from the Tourette's. Luckily, he avoided this. Lionel Essrog is the most endearing character I have encountered in a long time.

Ask The Dust by John Fante

I first came across John Fante while reading an article about Charles Bukowski. Fante was said to influence Bukowski significantly. So, I decided to pick up a copy of his most popular novel, Ask The Dust.
Arturo Bandini is an Italian immigrant and a struggling author living in poverty, surviving at one point on orange peels. The novel explores this poverty, along with Bandini's approach to writing. There is also an exploration of the protagonist's religious guilt. Arturo meets Camilla, a waitress in a local LA restaurant, and falls in love with her almost instantly. The relationship that develops is a strange one, involving mental abuse and drugs. Eventually, we find out that Camilla is love with Sam, a dying writer.
The novel is much more concerned with character and themes than with plot, and the approach works well because the characters are so fully rounded. Arturo (narrator of the piece) in particular is a very identifiable character, and his reactions to the various ups and downs he encounters make him seem more human. Even when he becomes a successful published writer, Bandini still can't get what he truly wants. He tries to get together with Camilla again, but it is not to be.
It is strange how closely the novel mirrors the manuscript that I am developing for my Masters. A group of young boys travel to a different country and encounter struggles with money, addiction and women. Ask The Dust was also fascinating from a technical point of view as the protagonist provides detailed accounts of his struggles with the writing process. I found the book more impressive than much of Bukowski's output and will certainly read more of Fante's work. If only I could get a copy of Arturo Bandini's The Little Dog Laughed.

Passion Pit - Manners

Just a quick note. Passion Pit released their new album 'Manners' a few days ago. The album is great. Comparisons have been made to MGMT, and I can understand why. The difference here though is that while MGMT's album 'Oracular Spectacular' had a few great singles with quite a few filler songs, Passion Pit seem to have cut out anything which might be considered imperfect. One of my top albums of the year thus far. Below is my favouite song from 'Manners' (at the minute). Enjoy.

The Knights Of Leon

My latest gig experience didn't go quite as well as the Bob Dylan concert for a number of reasons. Firstly, the band in question didn't really appeal that much to me. They were the Knights of Leon, a Kings of Leon cover band. Another problem was the venue: the Irish National Forresters, or INF as it is known in my town. My only prior experiences of the bar were as a youngster. The INF was/is a bar frequented by adolescents who couldn't/can't get served alcohol elsewhere. From the somewhat hazy nights that I spent there, I reacalled that it was quite tiny. It was unclear where a band would even set up in the venue. Lastly, I had already seen the Kings of Leon themselves live a couple of years earlier. I hadn't found them overly impressive, so what were the odds that I would enjoy a cover band? I was however obligated to go as it was for a friends birthday.
That's the last time I step inside the INF. The place was packed to the rafters. From the off, it was obvious that the bar was not designed for such a gig. The acoustics were terrible. Although the band were technically proficient at playing their instruments, they lacked any sort of charisma or stage presence. The lead singer's interpretation of Caleb Followill's singing voice was also somewhat suspect. Apart from this, the concept of cover bands never really sat well with me. Most of the time they don't come close to replicating the musicianship of the original artists. When they do, the suspension of disbelief is just too much for me. At the end of the day, they are a group who practice another musicans songs day in and day out. Where is the creativity in that? Having said this, the band would undoubtedly appeal to hardcore Kings fans. Personally, I'm tired of hearing them every time I turn on the radio, tv or walk in to a shop.

May 2009. O2 Arena, Dublin.

It is fitting that my first blog post is about my favourite performer of all time. I became fascinated by Bob Dylan at fifteen or sixteen years old. I had just been dumped for the first time and was convinced that nobody had ever felt such pain. My plight seemed unique. The only sensible option seemed to be to lock myself in my bedroom until she took me back or I died, whichever came first. Two days in to my self imposed isolation from the world, my father knocked gently on my bedroom door and sat at the end of the bed. He had a CD in his hand. While handing it to me, all he said was "Listen to this. Everything will be ok." The CD was 'Blood On the Tracks'. From the opening bars of 'Tangled Up In Blue', I was hooked. Here was a person who understood me.
Since that day, Dylan has continued to amaze me. My friends often become irritated with me as I have a tendency to spout Dylan trivia now and again. Unfortunately, I have only seen him play live twice. Once when I was eighteen, and once a couple of weeks ago. The quality of Dylan's live shows is notoriously unpredictable. The first time I went to see him I was very disappointed. He stayed behind the keyboard all night, refused to do an encore, and his singing was, more often than not, unintelligible. I left the gig downcast with a criminally overpriced t-shirt from the merchandise stand.
My admiration for the man endured though, especially with the release of a few excellent recent albums and the stunning film 'I'm Not There'. So, when I heard that he was to play two dates in Dublin, I immediately ordered tickets. Standing outside the venue with a close friend and my uncle, I became somewhat nervous. Nervous that my hero would disappoint again. He did not. Dylan, at age 67, played for well over two hours. The playlist was excellent. Rather than play a lot of songs from the somewhat sketchy new album 'Together Through Life', he played a mixture of classics (Like A Rolling Stone, Stuck Inside of Mobile, Desolation Row) and some great newer songs (If You Ever Go To Houston, Po' Boy). We managed to get quite close to the stage. As any Dylan fan will tell you, it's not often you will see him smile during a concert. On a couple of ocassions, Dylan grinned at his backing band. Good to see he still enjoys it after all these years. I left the arena that night smiling, with a program in place of the expensive t-shirt.