Mark At Night

Live, Recorded and Recommended

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2015 - My Favourite Albums

The Decemberists - What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World

I was really looking forward to this one and although it didn't fully deliver, I still found enough here to spin it for about two weeks straight. The 7th Studio Album from Portland indie/folk darlings The Decemberists opens with ‘The Singer Addresses His Audience’ and quickly establishes the current state of play. “We know you built your life around us. Would we change? We had to change some.” Sonically, not much has changed since ‘The King Is Dead’, the immensely popular 2011 album that I burned out from a month on repeat. Bold yet simple melodies built using piano-laced acoustics are still the order of the day. Lead singer Colin Meloy’s bare guitar opening - hard to tell if it’s actually a pisstake - recognises the need to set out his stall with a warning to fans. If you were expecting the prog-folk of the band’s earlier releases, that time has passed. The storytelling and songwriting are unmistakeably The Decemberists, but it feels more lived in, less planned and thought out. Like old friends getting together after some up’s and down’s and letting it flow. The result is their most accessible album yet, with it’s own peaks and troughs, but nonetheless an essential listen for fans.

‘Lake Song’ is a particular favourite; all natural rhythm in open space, Meloy’s literate lyrics as descriptive as ever - if a little maudlin - “And you, Sibylline, reclining in your pew. You tattered me, you tethered me to you.” Second single ‘The Wrong Year’ has the dubious honour of the ‘catchiest’ number on here, the thoughts of which only reaffirm the need for that opening gambit. They’re as at home playing the local venues as topping the alternative charts, normally the harbinger for diehards to jump ship. Playing for the sing-a-long moments - ‘A Beginning Song’ - brings a fanbase together more than it breaks them apart.

In spite of some filler - which seem like afterthoughts of TKID, folky coo’s and yelps aplenty - it’s a record that continues Meloy’s trajectory upwards in the current indie storyteller/songwriter pantheon. And after a near four year absence, the Decemberists are a group showing no signs of running away from change.

For Fans Of: Iron & Wine, Nick Drake, Death Cab For Cutie 

Check It Out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cErckfwG_8

Natalie Prass - Natalie Prass

2015 was a distinctly pop year in retrospect, one dominated by younger artists learning to use their not-so-perfect Gen-X lives to their chart-topping advantage. From Adele’s record-breaking third release to Carly Rae Jepsen’s neon-flecked Emotion; the radio-ready and glossily-produced songs of the year had a distinctly female-centric vibe. Hell, Taylor Swift’s behemoth 1989 only really strangled the airwaves this side of it’s 2014 release. It was therefore a refreshing take when Natalie Prass whispered the first lines of this gorgeous debut; “I don’t feel much. Afraid I don’t feel anything at all”. What followed was a perfect soul-infused throwback to the 70′s; songs of passion, sorrow, heartbreak and finding an already unique perspective on what it means to be a modern woman in love.

Prass actually completed the recording of her debut LP in 2012 with Spacebomb Records founder and childhood friend Matthew E. White producing and engineering. White’s schedule; releasing his own debut, running the label and touring, meant it was shelved until this year. The first thing that strikes is it’s air of timelessness, losing none of it’s potency from the delay. It’s a record that doesn’t so much punch you in the face as the gut, turning the tables on her contemporaries to unfold gently rather than immediately. The reward is well worth the wait.

Like any great record about a break-up, it manages to chronicle not just what it means to fall in and out of love, but who we really are, during and after. The repeated final verse of opener ‘My Baby Don’t Understand Me’ is the frustrated realisation she needed to call it a day; “Our love is a long goodbye, waiting on the train to cry”.

By the time the listener realises the kind of relationship it’s been - ‘Your Fool’ - it’s clear that Prass was heading for the door for quite a while. Not as easy said than done. The jazzy, bruised ‘Violently’ perfectly encapsulates her feeling of helplessness - “Break my legs, because they want to walk to you” -  where the graphic content is only diluted by warm strings and sharp horns. It’s raw and emotional but completely compelling.

A near perfect debut at only 9 tracks, Prass manages to fill every second with melody and make them count. By the time ‘It Is You’ floats past on a cloud of plucked harp strings, she’s come to the realisation that love is futile; “Only one will do. It is you. It is you. It is you”. In a year of pop dominated by female artists forging ahead, Natalie Prass reminds us of the beauty and truth that can be found in looking back.

For Fans Of: Jenny Lewis, Laura Marling, Sharon van Etten.

Check It Out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO8XduS7VvA

[markatnight]

The Olympia

Every city should have that place.

New York has Radio City. Paris has its own, l'Olympia. London has about 10…. But as I've grown up, with Dublin as a dual purpose home and cultural adviser, The Olympia has been my favourite spot in the city. The photos that hang not just in Maureen’s Bar, but along the corridors and foyer are evidence enough. Thin Lizzy, Bowie, U2, REM have all graced the stage. The old world Dublin charm isn’t lost on even the biggest stars and performers.

From my first visit, Feeder in 2003, to the more recent ones, a fantastic night of Ryan Adams’ back catalogue and The Staves harmonizing for the ages, The Olympia has been a big part of what it means to perform live in Dublin. Whether an abrasive punk band or a soulful singer-songwriter come to town, it has the knack of catering for everyone. From the opening “Woah-Oh’s” of Jimmy Eat World’s Sweetness to the final “Ooohh’s” of City & Colour’s Little Hell, I've heard both ends of the spectrum in this room and absolutely own the crowd.

Of course, it’s the crowd that are responsible for the atmosphere in any given room. There have been times when the two just haven’t meshed. Laura Marling was a recent disappointment, not understanding how to react to the energy in the room. Seemingly more concerned with one eager (admittedly annoying) gentleman requesting from the crowd, she failed to quieten the room into submission for the whole show. (I've heard Ray LaMontagne once asked some eager Olympia-goers to sit back down very early into his set, such was his annoyance at their will to move during his more upbeat numbers!!)

Regardless of the genre that’s visiting - Kris Kristofferson and Massive Attack are just two of the diverse acts on this winter’s schedule - a trip to The Olympia is always a perfect opening act to the headliner that is Dublin’s nightlife.

[markatnight]

ICYMI - Boys and Girls in America by The Hold Steady

Released in late 2006, Boys and Girls in America is the third Studio Album from Brooklyn, NY band The Hold Steady.

Having built a strong cult following Stateside after their debut and sophomore releases - Almost Killed Me and Separation Sunday respectively - this was the record that announced their arrival on alternative radio and brought them to the attention of International audiences.

I came a little late to the party. Early 2008 I was browsing the shelves of my local record shop. I came across a sticker, on the front of a CD, with the quotation “Best Bar Band in America”. It was from a Rolling Stone article and I was more than intrigued. All manner of associations ran through my mind; the storytelling of Springsteen, the attitude of Guns’, the singalongs of Oasis. What if I’ve found a gem, a party record for the ages, one to break out at every pre-drinking session from now ‘til forever?? Surely it’d be well worth the €10.99??

It was. A record I still listen to, not as often I’ll admit, that gets me right in the mood. Like every alcohol fueled night on the town, it’s a mix of “massive highs, crushing lows” and “lusty little crushes”. At 19, I’d found a band who stood in as my older brother; They had been through everything; alcohol, drugs, brawls, broken hearts, wasted nights and inevitable comedowns.

They’ve only played a handful of times on these shores in their already decade long career. Their other five studio albums, although not as consistent as this, keep the guitars loud and the songwriting sharp. Well worth checking out!!

For Fans Of: The Boss, The Replacements, Gaslight Anthem.

For the Playlist: Stuck Between Stations.

Listen @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJNA553jpzY

[markatnight]

A change has gotta come....

If I was to fill out an "About Me" section?? Pretty cliché. Average twenty-six year old Irish white guy with first world problems. Except that not being in or working with music has become a serious problem. To be perfectly honest, 'cause, y'know, that's the point of a Blog, I'm tired and frustrated by it. A change has gotta come....

I'm not stupid. I know this particular little endeavour into the world of music blogging isn't a fast track to Rolling Stone Editor or BBC Radio 1 Presenter. But, in my head at least, if I commit my thoughts, opinions et al. to the World Wide Web, it's a start. It's out there. Along with a gazillion other voices but still!

I don't have a particular aim as such. I just believe that some of the best music being recorded and released, right now, is heavily under represented in this country. There's no dedicated National alternative music radio station in Ireland. And while we have some extremely clued in Radio DJ's on a handful of stations, it's down to an ever expanding online media presence to get artists into the public's headphones.

I wan't to be a part of that.