Sufjan was Stupendous!

A dream come true, seeing Sufjan Stevens live. And the show lived up to everything I had hoped for. There was wings. And confetti. And balloons. And spaceships. And day glo. And dancing girls. And dancing Sufjan. And he was sweet and so dang FUNNY! What an amazing night!



For entertainment alone it is now joint best gig with Jónsi in London.

My Musical Highlights of 2010!

What a year for music! 

Each morning when I rise, the first thing I do is open my laptop on the kitchen counter, plug in the speakers and open either iTunes or Spotify, depending on whether I have a current obsession, or am in the mood for something new. And oh the wondrous places I have been transported to! 

So a quick recap of my highlights. Not all were released last year, but all were new to me and on my 'repeat' playlists for some time.

James Vincent McMorrow's album 'Early In The Morning'. A flawlessly beautiful album. Read my thoughts on it here. 

Phosphorescent's album 'Here's To Taking It Easy'. 

Matthew and the Atlas. Two EP's on loop, 'Kingdom Of Your Own' and 'To The North'. 

Joanna Newsom's new, three disc album, 'Have One On Me', a stunning offering. Sorry, she doesn't do myspace, or the internet in any way so no links to hear any of the album. But you can have a listen to a couple of my favourite tracks here.

Band of Horses new album 'Infinite Arms.'

There are so many more bands and musicians I have been listening to, I couldn't begin to list them all, but most of them are here on ~Carnival~ somewhere back in my posts, and I have a few other posts lined up for the New Year on my eclectic range of genres that somehow seem to fit together in my head!

2010 was a wonderful year for gigs. The previous year saw me take my eye off the ball and miss three or four gigs that I really regretted, so I made sure to keep tabs on all my favourite musicians so as not to miss a thing. So, considering it was a rather frugal year, money wise, and there is always the issue of babysitters to be found, I have to say, looking back, I didn't do too badly!

February was Midlake, in Vicar St. Dublin. 

June was James Vincent McMorrow, in Whelan's, Dublin. 

July was Bonnie 'Prince' Billy in Whelan's, Dublin.

September was Iron & Wine and The Low Anthem in Belfast.

and also Joanna Newsom in Dublin.

November was Jónsi in London!

So here's to a New Year, and to new discoveries, and new releases. I can't wait to see what musical offerings 2011 brings!

Over The Sea For A Birthday Surprise.

I was taken to London on a surprise trip to see one of my very favourite musicians,

Jónsi!

It was one of the most incredible gigs I've ever been to,

you can read about it here.

Joanna, Oh! Joanna!

Joanna live!

In Dublin.

And oh what a wonderful night it was.

Northbound, On The Road.

Train to Belfast for the night with my man 

to see Iron & Wine

and The Low Anthem.

Wonderful show apart from the incredibly noisy and talkative audience.

Very frustrating.

These guys were my highlight.

Absolutely incredible.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & The Cairo Gang.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & The Cairo Gang,

Whelan's, Dublin.

Most incredible, amazing, beautiful evening.

Totally blown away.

Hear The Noise That Moves So Soft And Slow.

Amazing, amazing night out seeing this man play in Whelan's.
Check out this brilliant video for a taste of what we saw.

A star is definitely rising!!

Midlake, For Valentine's Day.

Midlake On The Menu.

I can't believe I haven't posted here about this band before now!

Back in November I was thrilled to read that on the back of their new album, Midlake were on tour, and coming to Dublin. I was still feeling grumpy that I had missed out on no less than four gigs by bands I would love to have seen, so I was determined not to miss this and bought tickets the day they came out.



I've been listening to the new album and it is just gorgeous, with echoes of English Folk that just rolls over you like warm water. I wondered if I would like The Courage of Other's as much as I loved their previous album The Trials of Van Occupanther which is on my list of Albums I Never Get Tired Of, and so far I am loving it. (The above song is from the Van Occupanther album).

Have a listen here for some more songs from The Courage of Other's.

So, that's where we'll be tomorrow night, and I'm looking forward to it, to a night of meeting and eating with friend's, a night of live music, of being transported away for the evening.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all, and I hope you get to do something lovely, wherever you are!

Update: 
It was amazing. They were brilliant. It really is something else to see seven incredible musician's up on stage, playing together like one fluid entity, each playing one unique layer of sound, yet knowing exactly where everyone else is, all in a perfect, seamless fusion of beautiful  music.
And they did take beloved songs and bring them to another level, and it was everything a live show should be.
I have to say, the above song was one of the highlights for me. The drumming alone on this song was heady stuff, and just gorgeous.

So, a happy girl I am. This will keep me warm for many weeks to come!