Ciaran’s jukebox

theassistants — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:58:32 +0000

I thought I’d also share some of the music that I’ve been listening to. For those of you wondering what ol’ Uncle Ciaran is listening to, here is my list:

John Cale – Paris 1919
Fela Kuti – Confusion
Fela Kuti – Shuffering and Shmiling
April March – Chick Habit
Colin Newman – Not to
Colin Newman – Commercial Suicide
Van Dyke Parks – Discover America
Van Dyke Parks – Song Cycle
Pulp – His n’ Hers
Eno, Moebius, Roedelius – After the Heat
Eno, Moebius, Roedelius, Plank – Begegnungun 2
Kate Bush – Hounds of love
The Tindersticks – Hungry Saw
The Congos – Heart of the Congos

Kiley’s Top 5 Newly Discovered Albums

theassistants — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:33:25 +0000

1) Wire – 154: I was into wire a few years ago. A fellow musician had all the vinyl and was thoroughly obsessed. I did my best and duly listened to Pink Flag and Chairs missing from begininning to end. Repeatedly. And then I forgot all about Wire, for a long time. Thanks to Ciaran’s newly found obsession with Wire, I’m back on the bandwagon… 154 is a standout album, a strange brew of punk, experimental noise and pop.

2) Robyn Hitchcock – Fegmania: I’ve been a devout Hitchcock fan for as long as I can remember, but somehow this album fell under the radar. Upon recently discovering it, Fegmania has quickly become my go-to Hitchock album, the one that I always wished he had made (and, as it turns out, he did). Jangly, melodic and still very strange.

3) Colin Newman – Commercial Suicide: It’s the guy from Wire, but his subtler and more ambient solo project. Some great songs on this album, especially the closer “How Can I explain the Delay”

4) Echo and the Bunnymen – Echo and the Bunnymen: It took me a very long time to get into these guys. I found their first three albums a little too overwrought and dramatic. Although I’ve come to appreciate Ocean Rain and Porcupines in all their glory, I would have to say that the self-titled fourth album is as close to perfection as they got. It’s a 180 degree flip from their earlier material, an unhurried and assured batch of outright pop anthems.

5) Arthur Russell – Another Thought: Great album… takes a while to get into, but once you do, the songs stand out as some of the best you’ve ever heard. Can’t get enough of that disco-cello.

Mod Clubbing

theassistants — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:59:55 +0000

Photo by Claire Hayward.

The Assistants made our debut at the Mod Club Theatre this past Saturday – easily our biggest show yet. I (meaning Tim this time around) have been wanting to play this stage for years. The combination of top-notch lighting and sound and the spaciousness of the venue make it both a great place to play and to be seen. So scoring this gig was a big deal.

We went on stage at about a quarter after 11, warming up the night before the DJs took over. Our set was 9 songs long, featuring contributions from all 3 songwriters. Yes, I’ve got one too, now. The audience response both during and after the show was overwhelmingly positive.

Here’s some photos taken by the Mod Club staff. Our thanks to them and everyone who was there last Saturday. And if you weren’t there, you suck and I pity you. Seriously.

http://www.themodclub.com/modGallery/main.php?g2_itemId=25242

Changes afoot – The new Assistants website and blog

theassistants — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:11:05 +0000

So, after years of promising the band a website face lift, I’ve finally found a few spare hours to start the big ‘revamping’ and make our, um, web presence a little less pathetic. The new page can be viewed at http://www.theassistants.net . This page, however, will now become a forum for all five of us to express our deepest concerns to anyone unluckly enough to end up here and have their computer freeze, in which case offering little ability to avoid reading what we have to say, aside from unplugging their monitor.