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College Tribune | september 30th 2008
manic
of squalid bars, spontaneous mer single. influence. Mundy is also candid about his desire to create a purely traditional album covering Irish folk songs; “I think that’s something that I will eventually have to do because there are so many beautiful folk songs that need to be revived and kept alive. It’s definitely something that I’ve thought about.” His interest does not just end with Irish traditional music. Mundy recorded his third album, Raining Down Arrows, in Texas and confesses that it was his interest in country music that brought him there; “I was basically influenced by a lot of country - basically Americana and
There are so many beautiful folk songs that need to be revived and kept alive. It’s definitely something that I’ve thought about Indie music which was fused with a country style. I saw this guy doing a gig one night in Chicago and I asked him did he record albums. He did and we stayed in touch by email. I didn’t really have a big budget at the time but I told him that I had a bunch of songs that I wanted to record and so I flew over to record them with him. We did three songs as an experiment and they sounded really good.” The importance that he stresses about having to take inspiration as it comes is truly evident here; “I definitely wouldn’t have been able to
create the same sound in that record otherwise.” He has played alongside some of the worlds biggest acts such as Neil Young, Van Morrison and The White Stripes - “That was amazing, it was an honour to be asked to do it” - and yet he confesses that his favourite venues to play are smaller, intimate ones. “I’m a big fan of just playing in a rotten, dirty, dingy bar,” he laughs. “In particular, I played with Sharon Shannon and a bunch of people in a place called the Boogaloo in London and it was simply just a bar with a jukebox. You know you could even smell stale beer but it served its purpose because it’s all about atmosphere really.” Mundy strikes you then as a singer who really enjoys playing live most of all, and it is at one of his concerts that fans are most likely to hear his new material. “I’ve a song called Fever at the moment,” he continues, “and it’s probably one of my favourites to do live. I just like the lyrics and I love the sentiment to it. It’s good fun.” Mundy is evidently one to be watched. And yet for those of you who are just interested in the next Galway Girl, don’t despair; “I’ll definitely be collaborating with Sharon again,” he promises, “we’ve talked about doing a bunch of songs together.”
» Mundy plays The Academy on th the 9 of October
Music
5
A sideways look at The Script The Script, by The Script, is an example of everything going on in the music industry today. It lacks a general sense of any originality, and we’re not just talking about the title of the album. It cannot fit into any particular genre but fits perfectly into the bin. Perhaps this is a little hasty. Who are The Script? They’re three dudes from Dublin who sound about as Irish as Idlewild sound Scottish. More than likely, your little sister is already listening to them, helping them get to number 1 in both the UK and Ireland. As Anglo-American as possible, The Script appeal both to the unimaginative commercial radio stations in this country and are inoffensive enough for the larger foreign markets. Lead singer Danny O’Donohue manages to find the nigh-on-nonexistent middle-ground between Maroon 5 and Dave Matthews Band in the broad musical spectrum. So We Cry is a song about crying... but at first listen it sounds like hip-hop aping Bryan-with-a-Y McFadden’s style of musical authorship. It doesn’t really offer much except replayability (yes its a word), and the fact that the 9-to-14-yearold demographic will buy/pay to download it. You’ve probably already heard the song but can’t quite remember the words - here are some of the inspiring lyrics: “Mary’s ambition was to be a politician/She been
dreaming about it since she was a girl/She thought that she could go on and change the world/Always trying to pave the way for women in a man’s world.” Obviously this is a song written in a parallel universe where there was no 2nd Wave feminism and white pasty guys from Dublin can rap. Talk You Down, the second track, makes creative references between the demise of a relationship and suicide. Enough said. Another example of the band’s groundbreaking style is their second single, Before the Worst, which features Danny repeating the name of the song over and over...The third single due out shortly must have resulted in some tricky thinking from the band members as, unlike We Cry and Before The Worst, the title cannot simply be repeated ad nauseum until the music stops or the listener gets bored, mostly because the title is too long: The Man Who Can’t Be Moved. This single is representative of what makes The Script such a powerful and memorable band, like Razorlight or the Plain White T’s (they were the Hey There Delilah guys). Who? You won’t need to buy or download this album because you’ll hear it everywhere. You’re probably listening to it right now.
keV DOYLe
from 1st October 2008 Wednesday 1st October: Crystal Castles, Academy, €21, doors at 8pm Subtle, Whelan’s, €15, doors at 8pm
7.30pm
Friday 3rd October The Charlatans, Academy, €34, doors at 8pm necro, Button Factory, €17.50, doors at 7.30pm One Day International, Whelan’s, €15, doors at 8pm
Sunday 12th October Dragonforce, Ambassador, €33, doors at 8pm This Will Destroy You, Whelan’s, €14.50, doors at 8pm
Saturday 4th October Art Garfunkel, Vicar Street, €60, doors at 8pm The Melvins, Button Factory, €24, doors at 7.30pm Lir, Whelan’s, €15, doors at 8pm Monday 6th October Bodies of Water, Whelan’s, €14.50, doors at 7.30pm Tuesday 7th October Bon Iver, Tripod, €28, doors at 8pm The Blackout, Academy, €24, doors at 730pm Thursday 9th October Mundy, Academy, €25, doors at 7pm Jape, Button Factory, €15, doors
Friday 10th October Super extra Bonus Party, Andrew’s Lane, €10, doors at 8pm
Monday 13th October The Stranglers, Ambassador, €34, doors at 7.30pm deUS, Tripod, €28, doors at 7.30pm Tuesday 14th October Funeral For A Friend, Academy, €25, doors at 7pm The Divine Comedy vs. Duke Special (Amnesty International), Vicar Street, €30, doors at 8pm n ed’s choice: Bon Iver in Tripod on Tuesday 7th October