New albums from Eels, Le Galaxie and Julian Casablancas' band The Voidz. Plus the gigs of the week
This week’s new album releases
Eels
The Deconstruction
E Works
"The reconstruction shall begin only when there's nothing left," sings Mark Oliver Everett in his fragile and faltering voice on the opening track of The Deconstruction, Eels’ first album in four years. It’s hard not to share his fatalism but Everett finds solace among the wreckage of Trump’s self-styled "American Nightmare". As ever, the Californian artist who goes by a stark capital E manages to mix his state of the disunion address with hope and gallows humour. Compassion is the watchword and there’s plenty of love and laughs among the ruins. E’s canny mix of Disney-like theme tunes and gothic chamber pop is also present and correct. He channels his inner Tom Waits on Bone Dry and if it's a case of "kill or be killed" on Premonition, E is steadfastly hopeful as a choir of heavenly angels rush in and plaintive acoustic guitars hark back to simpler times. There is also glorious sunshine pop (hand claps and infectious guitar melodies) on Today is The Day, sixties fuzz guitar pop on You Are The Shining Light, and lush strings on Sweet Scorched Earth, a possibly ironic tale of post-apocalyptic love in the nuclear shelter. However, The Deconstruction lives up to its title in the second half with far too many whimsical half-formed songs. The vaguely psychedelic pop art album cover features a lit match sparking a conflagration. Everett just wants to burn it all down and start over again. Who can blame him? ***
Le Galaxie
Pleasure
Red River
Having recruited longtime collaborator MayKay of the now defunct Fight Like Apes as a full time member, Dublin’s merry pranksters of dance have expanded their sonic boundaries and ambitions on their third album. For her part, MayKay is freed of the ear-bleed cacophony of her former band to sing freely on tunes that are, well, actually tunes. Pleasure explodes with a whole new set of pure dance tracks that throb in all the right places. There are future dance floor anthems in the vintage sounding shape of Guy and the immersive ambience of Women in Love, while the brilliantly epic closing track The Comedown mixes atmosphere and monster beats to make the perfect end to a great night. Meaty hooks and intriguing lyrics abound but you’d have to question the wisdom of including Demi Moore, a formulaic house track that seems in search of the same crossover novelty success as Duck Sauce’s 2010 global hit, Barbra Streisand. As their name might suggest, Le Galaxie, are bigger than that. ***
The Voidz
Virtue
Cult Records/Sony
With The Strokes on vacation from the studio, Julian Casablancas’ new band The Voidz kick out their second album after a four-year break. "Kick" being the operative word because the archly titled Virtue bucks and flails with an art rock mongrel spirit that is likely to prove very polarising. The Voidz’ name could be a reference to the similarly bug-eyed Richard Hell and The Voidoids but Jules and co dismiss anything as conventional as song structures and opt for a willfully deranged, scattershot approach. Opening track Leave it in My Dreams certainly has all the cool languor of The Strokes but you’ll get a fuller picture of what’s going on here with Pyramid of Bones, which borrows both the guitars and Ozzy’s vocal from Black Sabbath’s Ironman. The Voidz spend the rest of the album engaged in acts of self-sabotage and while there’s madness in their method, after repeated listens Virtue is actually rather good. ***
Also released this week . . .
Thirty Seconds to Mars - America
Actor Jared Leto's band release their fifth album.
Kylie Minogue - Golden
Pop survivor does a reverse Taylor Swift and goes country. On the evidence of recent single Dancing, it works.
Makeness - Loud Patterns
Scotland's Kyle Molleson delivers a techno and house indebted debut with nods to Caribou and Flying Lotus.
Hinds - I Don't Run
Colourful and chaotic Spanish quartet release second album. Pure punk zest.
Daniel Avery - Song for Alpha
More high quality ambience from the London-based producer.
Hop Along - Bark Your Head Off, Dog
Philadelphia-based indie band fronted by singer and guitarist Frances Quinlan. Quality freak folk with lots of attitude.
Gigs of the week
Shame, Whelan’s, Dublin, Saturday, April 7
Are Shame the most exciting British guitar band since Arctic Monkeys? Their melodic, confrontational and uncompromising debut album Songs of Praise would seem to suggest so. Following an incendiary gig in Dublin's Workman's Club in March, they're back in Dublin for this sold-out Saturday night show
Friday, April 6
Arcade Fire, 3Arena, Dublin
Their latest album, Everything Now, got a critically mauling so let’s see how the songs work in a (thankfully indoors) live setting.
David Kitt, Button Factory, Dublin
One of Ireland’s finest singer songwriters recently returned with his very fine new album, Yous.
Trouble Pilgrims, BARQ, Pale, Cry Monster Cry, The Riptide Movement, In Tua Nua, and Mundy, Olympia Theatre, Dublin
A diverse line-up of vintage rock `n’ roll, Celtic rock and balladeering
Jinx Lennon, Blessings Bar, Cavan
Little Hours, Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Le Galaxie, Secret Location, Dublin
The dance act mark the release of their debut album Pleasure with a BYOB bash. Support from Elaine Mai and Erica Cody
Saturday, April 7
The Stranglers, Olympia Theatre, Dublin
Pillow Queens, Cyprus Ave, Cork
John Spillane, Dublin Unitarian Church, Dublin
Wyvern Lingo, St Luke's, Cork
Sunday, April 8
Ailie, Whelan’s, Dublin
A rescheduled gig from the Leitrim singer, who released her debut album, West to The Evening Sun, last year. Support comes from Kerry anti-troubadour Junior Brother.
Jeremy Loops, The Academy, Dublin
The New 52, The Workman's Club, Cork
The Outcasts, with Caff and J'aime Rachelle, Toners, Dublin, 4.00pm
Following the release of the recent documentary Outcasts by Choice, the Belfast punks play an afternoon show in Dublin.
Monday, April 9
Marillion, Vicar Street, Dublin
Jessica Lea Mayfield, Whelan's, Dublin
Tuesday, April 10
Dua Lipa, The Olympia Theatre, Dublin
The women of the moment brings her pop and r`n'b moves to Dublin. Next time she's in town she'll be headlining the 3Arena.
Epica, Tivoli Theatre, Dublin
Beth Hart, Vicar Street, Dublin
Tigers Jaw, Whelan's, Dublin,
Thursday, April 12
Mark Morriss, The Grand Social, Dublin
Former Bluetones frontman plays a solo set.
Delorentos, Róisín Dubh, Galway
Returning Irish act are set to release their new album on April 27.
Friday, April 13
It Takes A Village 2018
First day of the weekend festival in Trablogan in East Cork. Friday features Andrew Weatherall, Shit Robot, Talos, Lankum, and The Altered Hours.
Little Hours, Róisín Dubh, Galway
Goat Girl, The Grand Social, Dublin
All-female London four-piece signed to Rough Trade who have just released their self-titled debut album.
Delorentos, Whelan's, Dublin
Jinx Lennon, Thomas House, Dublin
Music on TV
Friday, April 6
Billy Fury: The Sound of Fury, BBC Four, 10.00pm
A Profile of the Liverpool singer and trailblazer in pre-Beatles English rock `n’ roll
It’s Only Rock `n’ Roll at the BBC, BBC Four, 11.30pm
Acts featured include Joan Jett and Tom Petty
Guitar Heroes on Later on Later . . . with Jools Holland, BBC Four, 12.30
A compendium of axe men at the Beeb, including The White Stripes, Buddy Guy and Jimmy Page.
Saturday, April 7
Boy George and Culture Club: Karma and Calamity, BBC Four, 11.00pm
Pearl Jam: Let’s Play Two, Sky Arts, 9.00pm
The band play Wrigley Field in Chicago
The Man Who Bought The Blues to Britain: Big Bill Broonzy, BBC Four, 12.30
Sunday, April 8
L7: Pretend We’re Dead, Sky Arts, 10.15pm
R.E.M. by MTV, Sky Arts, 12.10pm
A history to the college rock trailblazers turned mega-band through the prism of the once mighty music channel
Tuesday, April 10
Frank Sinatra: The Man and His Music, Sky arts, 1.30am
Thursday, April 12
Totally British, BBC Four, 11.20pm
A rummage though the Beeb archive from 1975 to 1979 featuring Elvis Costello and Dave Edmunds
Other Voices, RTÉ2. 11.05pm
Issac Gracie, Hudson Taylor, Them There and Katie Kim.
Friday, April 13
Ireland’s Top 10 albums
1 The Greatest Showman - Motion Picture Cast Recording (Atlantic)
2 NEW My Dear Melancholy - Weeknd (Republic Records)
3 NEW True North - Keywest (Sonic Realm)
4 Staying at Tamara's- George Ezra (Columbia)
5 Divide - Ed Sheeran (Asylum)
6 Picture This - Picture This (Warner Music Ireland)
7 The Thrill of it All - Sam Smith (Capitol)
8 Flicker - Niall Horan (Capitol)
9 Question Mark - XXXTentacion (Bad Vibes Forever)
10 Don't Stop This Now - Finbar Furey (BMG)
Ireland's Top 10 Singles
1 (last week 1) God's Plan - Drake (Cash Money/Republic Records)
2 (2) These Days - Rudimental/Glynne/Macklemore (Asylum)
3 (3) Friends - Marshmello & Anne-Marie (Asylum/Atlantic)
4 (4) IDGAF - Dua Lipa (Warner Bros)
5 NEW Call Out My Name - Weeknd (Republic Records/XO)
6 (8) Paradise - George Ezra (Columbia)
7 (10) Freaky Friday - Lil Dicky ft Chris Brown (BMG/Commission)
8 (5) Psycho - Post Malone ft Ty Dolla Sign (Republic Records)
9 (7) The Middle - Zedd/ Maren Morris/ Grey (Interscope)
10 (12) Feel it Still - Portugal the Man (Atlantic)
Alan Corr @corralan
