Electric Picnic Countdown - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

I was introduced to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros when I was in the States recently and they will definitely be worth checking out at the Picnic. They're a band with a ridiculously large number of members so it would be interesting to know how many of the ensemble will be present in Stradbally.

Their style is almost retro and is reminiscent of a Cash-Carter sound:

Electric Picnic Countdown - Foster the People

Foster the People aren't around that long and their debut album Torches is the kind of foot-tapping indie-electropop that's so catchy it's infectious. Their harmonies and the overall feelgood summery vibe you get from them is just too much to resist.

I love this post-apocalyptic video with its evil kids. Must've cost a fortune to make:

Electric Picnic Countdown - Blonde Redhead

Even though these guys have been around for quite a while I only recently discovered them and what a pleasure it's been.  Pitchfork's Ian Cohen is infamous for being overly harsh with his reviews and has lived up to his reputation with his scathing critique of their latest album, Penny Sparkle. I have to say I fundamentally disagree with his review, it's a beautiful album.

Kazu Makino's vocals are just angelic and so wonderfully soothing; this creates an ethereal sound that floats along, wrapping you up in a dreamy electronic reverie. But not only does it do that, their music also evokes feelings of expansive open spaces filled with meloncholy and sadness.

This song is a particularly good example. So full of woe:

Oslo isn't exactly upbeat either but I tend to zone out on the lyrics on this one and just listen to the melody.

I found out today that I will not be able to make the picnic because of family issues. So disappointed that I won't get to see Blonde Redhead but there will be other gigs :) Going to continue with my online mixtape regardless.

Electric Picnic Countdown - Mylo

Listening to Mylo's Destroy Rock and Roll really brings back memories of finishing my degree which feels like an eternity ago at this stage... Since then he's only really done freebie stuff for Mixmag which I actually haven't listened to.  Hopefully he'll be bringing out a full length album soon because he's a legend.  Like, who can make Dr. Beat by Miami Sound Machine sound so cool? A one-time PhD student from the Isle of Skye, that's who. 


Really looking forward to his DJ set. 

Electric Picnic Countdown - Best Coast

Bethany Cosentino really seems to have an obsession with cats; from album covers with cats to videos featuring cats.  Now I love our little feline friends but I think the boundaries between pets and music needs to be firmly delineated.  The other thing about Best Coast that I don't get are their lyrics.  Have you ever listened to them? They're so bad!  A five year old could write them.

Here are some of the lyrics from Boyfriend:

'I wish he was my boyfriend

I wish he was my boyfriend

I'd love him to the very end

But instead he's just a friend
I wish he was my boyfriend'


Jaysus.

But cats and poor lyrics aside her jangly singalong music has some endearing qualities to it.

Electric Picnic Countdown - Shit Robot

It's amazing that Marcus Lambkin, aka, Shit Robot, is in his forties and only released his first album last year.  The story goes that this Wicklow lad became friends with James Murphy while DJing in New York which subsequently led to him being signed to DFA.


Being signed to the label resulted in album contributions by other DFA artists, and the two songs that I've chosen from his debut album feature Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip (Losing My Patience) and Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem (Take 'Em Up).


Losing My Patience is directed by Fergal Brennan and I'm proud to say my friend Karl worked on it as a modelmaker.


Shit Robot - Losing My Patience from DFA Records on Vimeo.


Maybe Lambkin wants to showcase Irish directorial talent as this second video featuring Nancy Whang using some really nice stop-motion was directed and produced by Eoghan Kidney.


Shit Robot - Take Em Up from Eoghan Kidney on Vimeo.

Electric Picnic Countdown - Warpaint

A quick blogpost today because I don't have much time...


Friday's recommendation is Warpaint. I was at Primavera not so long ago but never got my act together to go and see these melodic ladies.


Best song on the album is Undertow, everything else is a bit the-samey but worth a listen every now and then if you're feeling in a chilled out mood.

Did you know one of the girls was romantically linked to John Frusciante?

Electric Picnic Countdown - Santigold

Up next on my Electric Picnic list is Santigold.


It's not surprising that this Philly native has been likened to M.I.A. because the two have worked with some of the same people and also have the same influences (and because they're both female right?).


Unlike M.I.A. her music doesn't have any political undertones and dare I say it, is a helluva a lot better than anything produced by M.I.A - who's a bit of a one-trick pony if you ask me.


My favourite track from her 2008 album, Santogold, is Lights Out:

She's also done a few collaborations and this duet with those BKLYN legends Beastie Boys is a cracking tune. Beastie Boys have never disappointed on the video-front and this is another to add to the creative collection:

Her new album is supposed to be released sometime over the coming months, no doubt we'll get a sneak preview at the picnic!

Electric Picnic Countdown - Zola Jesus

Seeing that Electric Picnic is just around the corner it's only appropriate that I would blog about some of the bands/acts that are to grace the stages of Stradbally. So...over the next two weeks I'm going to post my own recommendations and in doing so create a little online mix-tape of sorts.


First off is Russian-American songstress Zola Jesus (real name Nika Rosa Danilova). Her dark, almost haunted vocals which are accompanied by synths and lots of reverb give rise to a mysterious and eerie sound. She denies the 'goth' moniker but the musical and stylistic parallels are too close to be ignored. But in saying that, pigeonholing her in the gothic genre is unfair as her music is far superior to any gothic music I have ever been unlucky enough to listen to.


My two choices from her album Stridulum II (no idea what that makey-up word means) are The Night and Sea Talk.


'Gothic' Power Ballads at its Best.

Mobile Marketing - trends and technological developments

Whether social media has reached saturation point has been bandied about for some time now, but no one can predict where social media is headed. In saying that, eMarketer predict a slowdown in social networking in developed countries over the coming years but there is definitely still room for growth as penetration is still low for many segments of the population. 

But mobile is really where we’re seeing growth, recent research by Amarach (May 2011) found that 37% of all Irish mobile phone users owned a smartphone and this is only going to increase. Right now people are using their smartphones to purchase music and apps but this is going to change, soon consumers will be using their smartphones as a replacement for credit cards or cash.  In fact, Mastercard are working with mobile manufacturers and operators to embed tags on mobiles which may render plastic dead.

Smartphones also allow consumers to receive notifications of discounts depending on where they are located at any particular time. For example you might be at a particular location and get a message saying that the coffeeshop next to you is offering two coffees for the price of one or something similar. This market is nowhere near fully optimised and will experience huge growth in the coming years. Related to this are digital discounts and vouchers. These work either as discount coupons downloaded via iPhone apps (O2 are already utilising this as part of the O2 Treats offers) or as barcodes sent to mobiles offering free products or gift vouchers. The nice thing about this is that it is cost efficient, trackable and paperless.  This will create rich data for brands as they will be able to track specific locations, towns and times of day that coupons were redeemed.

QR codes are also an exciting mobile development, they’re going to move from experiment to an essential ingredient of the marketing mix over the next few years. In terms of marketing, QR will become widely used in advertising as a means to direct users to online content, thus making advertising much more engaging, rather than the consumer passively receiving content.

Mobile is also to be positively effected by Augmented Reality (AR) – AR can be used to promote products via interactive AR applications. AR will allow smartphone users to get information about their surroundings, translations or street signs – or even access the social profiles of passers-by! Disney have already used this at the premiere of Prince of Persia. Android and iPhone users who were standing near one of the outdoor film posters could play the movie trailer and play an augmented reality game. In return for this they received value points for playing the game.

So all and all, mobile is going to grow hugely. All of these new developments will force more and more consumers into the smartphone market as they will find it increasingly difficult to do even the most basic tasks without one. In order to stay afloat marketers must embrace these changes as technology is going to become a serious differentiator of competitive advantage. Technology is going to become the business.