Favourite Music of 2012

Most people that know me know I'm a big music fan, I love discovering new music and rediscovering gems from the past.

In no particular order here is some of my favourite cds of the past year.

Matthew Mayfield - A Banquet of Ghosts
Discovered this on www.noisetrade.com a great wee site with some amazing music....and it free. Something about this guys voice & the way it carries and is carried by the melody that grab my attention. Great tunes particularly love the track 'Take What I Can Get' & the bluesy 'Track You Down', 

Charlie Peacock - No Mans Land
Let's face it Mr Peacock is a musical genius. And this new album brings together all that great about him. Whether its a bit of soul, a bit of country a bit of folk. It's all here & it's all at home here. The combination of his soulful voice and the beautifully produced tunes is bliss. Highlights are the opening Death Trap, the folky soulfulness of Mystic as well as Kite in a Tree

Matthew Perryman Jones - Land Of The Living
Another discovery I made on Noisetrade a few years back, absolutely love what this guy does. Land Of The Living sees him take a step in a more musically intense direction though all the more stunning for it. It's surely an injustice he's not up there with the best of them. Lyrically this cd is full of what a man on the radio used to call depth charges, that slowly sink into your soul & explode with truth,

Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
Everybody loves a bit of Bruce. this is up there as one of my favourite of the past year this is the Boss at his best with a patriotic heart he addresses what he sees wrong and the hopelessness of his homeland. Great tunes with almost an overall Irish feel to it.

Chris Taylor -Frame the Light

There's something about Chris Taylor that resonates with me, there's something in his  music & his words that draw me in. I feel that through his songs I can see myself,I see my struggle, I see my search, I see my failings, I see my hope. I love this album, to these ears probably Chris's best album to date. musically Frame The Light takes me on a sonic journey. And on this journey we pass rock n Roll, some blues even a little electronica but all in the frame work of what I believe Chris does best & that's a man his voice, his hollow wooden instrument & his honest and open heart

More to follow....

a portal to the yet unknown!!

Sometimes people just come up with great ideas, wish I could. Anyway, theres this website called Noisetrade (www.noisetrade.com). The basic idea it would seem is to provide a vehicle for bands, artist etc to make their music available for free to anybody, everybody. Not exactly sure how I first came across it, but I did & let me tell you it has changed (for the better) my whole musical landscape.

The new music I've been introduced over the past year is some of the best I've ever come across.
Well theres Trent Dabbs and Matthew Perryman Jones, Josh Garrells Amy Stroup and so many more.
my next few blogs are gonna be reviews of some of this great music. if you haven't already I suggest you mossy on over & check it out.

This portal to the yet unknown could open up a whole new musical landscape

Gary Lightbody smiles a lot

He really does!!!



Recently, well probably about a year now, I've become quite an avid user of Twitter @markmews (sometimes you need your stalking in 140 characters or less).
So the other night I was all cosied up for a wee Saturday night in, you know that craic, (you do don't you?) and I just randomly fired up twitter on the aul HTC.
@snowpatrolband had tweeted they were gonna be sound checking at the City Hall in Belfast at 9pm so c'mon down.
I ,just as habit has it, read it out to those present (namely Jean, Amy and Ben.) Next thing I know I'm (as in we're) standing outside the City Hall in Belfast happed up to the 9s against the elements.
Also along the way we picked up some randomer (namely Andrew Reid, my bro).

So anyway we wait, next thing ya know the SP lad are out sound checking to what some have said was close to 5000 peeps.

Absolutely loved it.

Something about the music, the setting, the feel, that has recently drawn me to the Snow Patrol sound.

and if i was the public confessing type I may just divulge that after almost 30 years of U2 a the top I may now have a new favourite band

that's probably bout all i got to say.....

oh!!! Gary Lightbody smiles ALOT!!!!

here's some pics...the aforementioned randomer bro took....

Snow Patrol and Dark Horses

Just got listening to the new singles from ....

Snow Patrol 'Called Out In The Dark'

and Switchfoot 'Dark Horses'

Snow Patrol is on first listen something a bit different from them, got a few beats going on there, on the other hand Switchfoot seems to be business as usual which is also a good thing.

Looking forward to album from both these bands both out this year :D

Burning Like The Midnight Sun

I've been a fan of the Choir for a good few years now, loved their Circle Slide album, still do and would listen to it still on a regular basis....
but just recently by chance (https://noisetrade.com/index.aspx# ) I discovered the Choir had released a brand new CD called Burning Like A Midnight Sun. I must say it's a great album, love the theme of friendship and friends that seems to run through it...
well worth checking out

http://www.thechoir.net/

looking to go back to the future

listening to....

Jars of Clay (on spotify) //

The Choir - Burning like a Midnight Sun & Circle Slide

and loads of Thin Lizzy (I'm reminiscing)

reading....

Francis Chan - Forgotten God

hello,
just wanted to pop in and blog a few things....

Recently got a wee message on FB from my cousin letting me know of a Canadian Band called Blue Rodeo who where coming to Belfast...
After a lot of will I won't I go deliberation i decided to give it a go, exhausted and all as I was.... oh my goodness...
they where amazing... totally blew me away. Before Eva had mentioned them I'd never heard of them.
They had a stand in guitarist for the night called Luke Doucet.... AMAZING.... i watched him nearly the whole night... that guy is G.O.O.D.

Blue Rodeo @ the Real Music Club

for a review of the night go here

http://stocki.typepad.com/soulsurmise/2010/10/blue-rodeo-live-at-the-errigle-inn-belfast-281010.html

its kinda funny really you make a choice go one way then find maybe just maybe that wasn't probably the best thing to do..

at a bit of a crossroads now wondering, praying for a clear road to take

a friend said to me recently (well when I say 'said' i mean through FB) going back is wrong if you're just going back but if in going back you can go forward then maybe its worth it..

also just over this past weekend was at GLS...someone at it said 'bad decisions make for good reason are still bad decision...hmmmmmm!!!

to be continued (maybe)

Aaron Ferris // Solitary Realignment - The Review

it's been along time from I've done a review.... here's my thoughts on the latest by Northern Ireland's very own Aaron Ferris



Artist: Aaron Ferris
Album: Solitary Realignment
Url: www.myspace.com/ferrisaaron
Time: 10 Tracks / 38.17 mins.

Almost 5 years after the release of his debut solo EP A Round of Silence. Aaron Ferris who hails from Northern Ireland is back with his first full length album Solitary Realignment and boy what a way to come back.


The title, as the cd sleeve lets us know, is a play on the words solitary confinement. These songs I feel are borne out those solitary moments where it was just him and God, deliberate moments. Moments he has chosen to draw near, to listen and be realigned by the Spirit and moments he has captured in 10 beautifully crafted songs.

The lead of track All I Ever Wished For kick off the album beautifully upbeat and sees Aaron back playing with a band for the first time in a long time and that my friend is a beautiful thing, no less than the song deserves.


These songs, for me, paint pictures in my mind. I see myself crying out ‘I don’t deserve you, I don’t deserve such grace’. I’m right there as those of the persecuted church are martyr in N.K. and I realise the blessing of my wife and the challenge of being a husband in Heaven Awaits & Chosen to Love. Song after song I’m drawn in and I’m laid open before the Father.


Standout track for me is the haunting N.K. which recounts the martyrdom of believers in the persecuted church and included Scripture read in Korean and include the line ‘I would rather die than deny my king’ Other tracks worthy of a mention are Chosen To Love, Someone like Me & I Don’t Deserve You.


It seems to me that too often much of what we hear musically, no matter how good it is, doesn’t seem to go much further than tickling our ear. These songs demands our attention and should have us longing of those solitary moment where we to can be realigned.
To paraphrase what someone much more intelligent than me has said. ‘These songs are not just good but good for something’


By the way I just love the sound of the bass on this album.

Check Aarons MySpace for a taste of the tunes and details on how to get your hands on a copy of the album www.myspace.com/ferrisaaron