neriS eht
College Tribune | January 20th 2009
MUSIC
5
A sideways look at...
Posthumous Releases
tion sounds “I would take the live shows that bit more serious than the records because people need to be entertained and we try very hard to do that” more of it seems to be in Europe rather than the States.” God Is An Astronaut strive to make their live shows as interesting and interactive as possible, adding a visual aspect to
each of the songs they perform, “Niels does all the visuals... I mean it was just another way of trying to broaden the appeal to instrumental music live, there’s a lot of people who would find it boring, not that we’re too worried about them, but if you’re playing eighty minutes for example it’s nice to have some visual accompaniment just to keep things interesting. We do take our time and we do sync all the visuals, it definitely makes it all more interesting an d it gives the whole venue a much bigger appeal rather than just looking at all the standard lights and the rest of it. For our headline shows it’s something that we always like to put on, it gives people a broader view of
what the band is all about. I think live is probably more important than the records, it is probably the only way to make money. The records are obviously extremely important though, because without it they probably wouldn’t check you out in the first place. I would take the live shows that bit more serious than the records because people need to be entertained and we try very hard to do that.” The band are all go at the moment, “I’ll leave collaborations for some time when I’m not so busy,” and they’re only benefitting from their positive attitude, “Our listenership is growing all the time and the fact that we’re getting out there and playing now is opening doors and people are beginning to take us that bit more serious now. I think we’re slowly confirming our position as one of the top five instrumental bands in the world so I think this year’ll confirm it. It was really only last year that we could get to tour Europe properly and the States as well, so it’s taken the time for the word to spread to the industry and for people to take us serious. You don’t really get to hear how well we’re doing because a lot of Ireland just aren’t interested in our achievements abroad which is a bit annoying.”
» God Is An Astronaut play the Academy on February 7th
Lisa ‘Lefteye’ Lopes’ posthumous album Eye Legacy is due out next week. Let’s face it, it’ll probably be only the first of many posthumous releases for the late rapper in what will inevitably turn out to be a bountiful postdeath career. You’d think that having passed on and all would be somewhat of a hindrance but, as experience has shown, there are legions of artists who carry on warbling from beyond the grave. You just can’t seem to shut these crooners up! Leaving aside the bucketloads of Tupac Shakur records that have flooded the charts since his demise in 1996, the list of albums from musicians who are dead and loving it include John Lennon’s Menlove Ave., Notorious B.I.G.’s Born Again, and Jimi Hendrix’s Burning Desire. So, what’s the problem? The problem is that there are reasons why the artists neglected to publish these works while they were alive. The work in question was either too raw and unfinished or, frankly, crap. Imagine someone taking some halfwritten essay of yours and submitting it to your tutor; a) you’d be pretty pissed off, and b) you would probably get a pretty shoddy grade. Releasing work that an artist may not have approved of is a fairly obscene form of disrespect for the dead. Also, most of the releases smack
Wednesday 21st January: Dick Gaughan, Whelan’s, €20, doors at 8pm Thursday 22nd January: Theo and the Redbeats, Whelan’s, €15, doors at 8pm James Yorkston, Crawdaddy, €14, doors at 8pm Friday 23rd November: The Zombies, Whelan’s, €28.50, doors at 8pm Padraig Rushe, Crawdaddy, €15, doors at 8pm Saturday 24th November: Primordial, Button Factory, €20, doors at 7pm Fighting With Wire, ThinkTank, €12, doors at 7.30pm Sunday 25th January: The Streets, Olympia, €33, doors at 7.30pm Anais Mitchell, Crawdaddy, €12, doors at 7.30pm Monday 26th January: After The Explosions, Whelan’s, €10, doors at 8pm Tuesday 27th January: Akon, RDS, €49.50, doors at 7.30pm
of a fairly blatant cashing-in exercise. To that end they are remarkably successful, as death is often a lucrative career move – Elvis’ estate is worth a fortune today, yet had he lived it is estimated that he would have been destitute within six months, leaving the unsettling impression that Priscilla and Lisa-Marie probably thank their lucky stars that he kicked the bucket when he did. Of course, there are exceptions – posthumous releases that escape disapproval. Eva Cassidy, for example, was entirely unsuccessful in life, and it was only when an album of her work was put together after she died that she received deserved mainstream attention. It would be churlish to advocate denying the world her music simply because it was put together without her say-so. Mic Christopher’s Skylarkin’ also stands out. Then there’s Brainwashed by George Harrison, who died while recording it but left behind a guide to completing it in the capable hands of his son Dhani and producer Jeff Lynne. Nevertheless, there is something inherently unsettling about the whole business. Everyone protests that it’s all about keeping the artist’s memory alive, but if you really wanted to do that then you’d listen to the albums they made while living. SEBASTIAN CLARE
Judy Collins, Whelan’s, €30, doors at 8pm Wednesday 28th January: Of Montreal, Button Factory, €17, doors at 8pm Ebo, Crawdaddy, €7, doors at 8pm Thursday 29th January: Amusement Parks On Fire, Whelan’s, €15, doors at 8pm Friday 30th January: zZz, Upstairs in Whelan’s, €14, doors at 8pm Hamlet Sweeny, Whelan’s, €10, doors at 8pm Saturday 31st January: Chris Brown, O2, €56, doors at 8pm Angel Pier, Whelan’s, €10, doors at 8pm Sunday 1st Feburary: Ray LaMontagne, Olympia, €49, doors at 7.30pm Monday 2nd February: Crystal Antlers, Upstairs at Whelan’s, €14, doors at 8pm
ANGEL PIER WHELAN’S , SATURDAY