Irish music or the music of Ireland is such that it has various styles and a kind of a lyrical soothing sound to it. Traditional Irish music is still very much firmly rooted in Ireland. The one thing that crops up in my mind about Irish music is the music and dance oriented act, Riverdance, which popularized many aspects about Ireland. Riverdance had such an appeal that it gave a new dimension to the Irish music and dance scene. Although experts argue about the authenticity of the Irish music used (because it has a lot of influences as well), I personally loved Riverdance; its beautiful sets, brilliant dancers, exquisite costumes and the very talented musicians had me asking for more.

Irish music still has a strong foothold today despite the emergence of new styles of the music scenario. Irish music saw its peak from the ninth to the middle of the eleventh century. The voice was always used in accompaniment with Irish music. One’s voice was obviously one of the oldest ‘instruments’ one could use. The traditional aspects of Irish music are still very much preserved today.

The main characteristic about Irish music is the slow moving change. In the ancient days, the ancient Celts were known to have passed the music and lyrics orally. The Irish were forbidden to speak their own language when the British invaded them. This was the time music was used to remember some of the important events and was also considered to be a way to keep their heritage intact. There were various styles of Irish music as well. Let us take a look at traditional Irish music.

The traditional Irish music or the Irish folk music is a term that is used for music that has been composed in various genres all over Ireland. The traditional songs were always written in the Irish language. The melody in traditional Irish music was always considered to be the most important factor and therefore the harmony was kept simple. This was also the time when the sean-nos were considered the highest point of traditional singing. The sean-nos are the unaccompanied vocals. This is always performed in a solo version. One’s style is also considered to be very important in traditional Irish music.

Back on home turf for a month-long residency to mark their 20th year, “punk cabaret” trio The Tiger Lillies are as fragrant as ever - just don’t put them in a vase.

Because a Lillies gig is a stroll on the seamy side, down crack alleys and cul-de-smacks where life’s unfortunates come terrible croppers. It’s Threepenny Opera territory - hookers, freaks and ne’er-do-wells - and no sin is left unturned: the Lillies’ overdriven oompah songs, but one facet of their repertoire, could soundtrack George Grosz’s caricatures of 1920s Berlin.

Backed by longtime foils Adrian Stout on contrabass, theremin and bowed saw, and Adrian Huge on a grab bag of percussion, frontman Martyn Jacques, wearing bowler hat and greasepaint (the Fat Controller via Baron Samedi), gives shape to listing sea shanties, sly ballads and wind-up tangos - hymns to death and deviancy all - with gusto, accordion, and a keening falsetto that is the band’s hallmark.

By turns hectoring and tender, if at times suggestive of Dame Edna Everage gargling with cellophane, Jacques’s voice merits a wider audience. Read more…

As both an underground and mainstream presence, Patton has specialized in being hard to swallow, either through noisemaking irritation (Maldorer), avant juvenilia (Mr. Bungle), one-hit wonder-dom (Faith No More), metallic free-jazz abstraction (Fantômas), lustful hip-hop lounge music (Lovage), or digging into the world of plastic pop (Peeping Tom). As widespread and expansive as music is in terms of culture or genre, it’s possible he’s looking to try it all before his mortality catches up to him. The man is his own niche.

Having just come off a small stint composing film scores, (A Perfect Place, Crank: High Voltage), Mondo Cane is Patton’s foray into orchestrated Italian pop music. With the high-class three-piece suit exuberance of an Italian Scott Walker from way back when, Patton treats us to homage wrapped in language barrier, romantic and sexy enough to set a reproductive system on “ovulate” like a Star Trek phaser. Fuck, dude… after hearing this, even I want to bang the guy.

When Faith No More covered Lionel Richie’s Easy in the early 90s, whether that move was intended as a jab or not, Patton sold himself as a high-level vocalist, capable of more than proto nü metal raps, eerie croons or squeals and screams. Not that one could ever have doubted his chops before that, but his versatility became much more apparent. It isn’t surprising then that Mondo Cane exists, showcasing Patton’s talented throat and the ease at which he embodies this sort of classical approach to operatic pop, backed by orchestrated arrangements worthy of someone like Jack Nitzsche, though obviously more modern.

Mina’s Il Cielo In Una Stanza is a mid-tempo pop romance treated with some distorted embellishments that seem there for severity. Don’t want you to think that Patton got TOO prissy, right? From there an amusing take on Dragnet introduces the quick paced crime drama of Fred Buscaglione’s Che Notte!, where sirens ensue and the caper is on. I guess.

Hearing Ore D’Amore by Fred Bongusto, it’s apparent that this may have been a source of inspiration for his A Perfect Place score and accompanying vocal tracks, as the song’s noir posturing seems to revolve around a lot of what Patton was shooting for. Read more…