an unseasonal series of events

This time of the year is usually a quiet time. People in work head off on their holidays. Schoolkids head off to the gaeltacht or whatever summer stuff they get up to these days. Musicians stop releasing music. Well things appear to have changed around here.

Dublin band Rollers/Sparkers released their new album 'Hames' last Friday night in the Boom Boom Room on O'Connell Street. I'd love to tell you all about it but I was tooling around down in Bellinter House, the fancy pants hotel in Co Meath. I did manage to pick up a copy of the album prior to heading off but I've not had much of a chance to listen to it. I attempted to play it in the car on the way down but my missus was having none of it. Instead we listened to Lykke Li. Anyway, I just know that 'Hames' is great so go and buy it in your local record store place. As a result of my jaunt down to Bellinter I also managed to miss the launch of the Underground Exhibition in Road Records on Friday evening. I popped in on Saturday afternoon and it was great. It's a real trip down memory lane. When you're visiting the exhibition in Road Records you can buy a copy of Hames when you're there.

Top music blogger mp3hugger, has compiled a bunch of music for a new release, Indiecater Volume 1, and it's available for download for the meagre sum of €4.50 from the Indiecater Website. I'm listening to it as I type and I'm digging the vibe. I've listened to Beaten Awake, Burning Codes, Call to Mind and Cymbals eat Guitars. It's a very diverse and wonderful range of music and I have to commend the Hugger for bringing such a simple idea to life. I always think of great ideas but I'm far too half-arsed to put them into practice. If there's anyone out there who is short on ideas but good on organisation and planning then I could be your ideal business partner. Leave your CV in the comments if you fit the bill.