Can you go back in time to fix things that lie firmly in the past? This is the question which compelled CP Fletcher from A Permanent Shadow to write the song “Number One Fan”, an ode to someone dear to his heart who has not always received the respect and attention she deserved. What better way to express remorse and regret than channeling Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” whose chorus concludes that “you don’t know what you got till it’s gone”?

After “A Xmas Gift in May”, A Permanent Shadow presents a second standalone single which addresses matters of the heart, something quite unusual in the APS cannon. “I don’t tend to write lyrics about personal relationships”, affirms CP Fletcher. “I’m much more comfortable writing about tsunamis, self-help gurus, religion or the corporate world. But I’m happy how ´Number One Fan´ has turned out, and it can be seen as a heartfelt way of saying both ´Thank you´ and ´I’m Sorry´. I tried not to be too cheesy though.”

A Permanent Shadow are currently preparing the release of their third long play, “No Leaf Clover”. Neither “A Xmas Gift in May” nor “Number One Fan” will feature on the album as the record has a common thread which deals with dysfunctional relationships and challenging upbringings. The lyrical themes range from premature fame and its consequences to abuse of power and life in warzones. “As always with us, the outlook is rather bleak”, confirms Fletcher. The core team of Fletcher, Albert Català (keyboards, arrangements) and Valentí Nieto (guitar, bass, production) started working on the album in early 2022 at Barcelona’s Mini Blind Studios.

Right now, however, it’s the turn of “Number One Fan”, a catchy yet melancholy ode to loyalty and unconditional support. The single comes with a performance video directed by Jorge Rodríguez and is out now.

For more information, please visit www.apermanentshadow.com 



NUMBER ONE FAN

A Permanent Shadow, the musical collective around CP Fletcher, returns with a standalone single called “A Xmas Gift in May”. The song will be available in three different versions from May 19th. Originally titled “Black Lolita”, the track was initially not intended for release, but CP changed his mind after listening back to the original version sung by a guest vocalist. “I had all but forgotten about the song, but I accidentally found a copy on my hard drive and thought that it would be a shame not to re-record and release it with a different title as A Permanent Shadow.” 
The original was recorded in 2021 as a birthday gift for a soon-to-be past flame of CP’s, inspired by the rather rocky beginning of a relationship that eventually proved short-lived and turbulent. “I wrote this song in a state of absolute euphoria and an unbearable urge to be with a person who in hindsight was not for me. All the red flags were there but I refused to acknowledge them.” 

“A Xmas Gift in May” will be released in its original arrangement which features some interesting musical references to classic Sixties pop like “All you Need Is Love”, albeit in a modern guise using a metronomic backbeat and modern-day production values. CP is especially fond of a remix performed by longtime collaborator Valen Nieto which leans heavily on elements of Eighties Italo Disco. The EP release is completed with an intimate take consisting of piano and lead vocals only. 

However, none of the EP versions will be included on A Permanent Shadow’s next album, tentatively called “No Leaf Clover” and out in autumn 2023. “This song and another standalone single we are planning to release will not feature on the long play”, states Fletcher. “The album has a different sound and narrative that neither of these two compositions would fit in with. A straight love song like this one would be at odds with the rather bleak lyrical themes that the album deals with.”

“I strongly believe in A Xmas Gift in May”, asserts Fletcher. “It’s a heartfelt piece of romanticism, which is a rare subject matter for me to write about. I have fond memories of the rollercoaster ride which was my life when I wrote it, and I hope we’ve managed to pack some of that desire, longing and uncertainty into the song’s spirit.”


A Xmas Gift in May (Piano Version)

A Xmas Gift in May

A Xmas Gift in May (Italo Remix)

This week my guest was Kieran Keohane, Professor with the Department of Sociology & Criminology at UCC 
Kieran  is originally from Co. Clare. He attended secondary school in Limerick and worked in construction and manufacturing before entering UCC. After graduating from UCC (M.Soc.Sc. 1986) he lived in London for a while, then he taught English in Spain, before moving to Toronto, Canada in 1989 where he did a PhD in sociology / social & political thought at York  (1994).  

Then he returned to Ireland, to UCC, where he is presently a professor with the Department of Sociology & Criminology.  

He is the author / co-author of 8 books, 16 book chapters, and 40 journal articles, variously on changing Irish culture and society, the social pathologies of contemporary civilization, and on theory, cultural analysis, cities and public health. 

(This was for me was special one - Kieran was my MA supervisor when I was doing my MA in Sociology in 1999)

We had a great chat about libraries, UCC Libraries and we took a deep dive into his music selection and chatted about why these tracks are so important to him

Shush 314 - Kieran Keohane Takeover

Satellite of love-Lou Reed cover

If Your Eyes...

Dj Chris Rod
"FUNKY BEATS"
Épisode 11

1) George Benson "Turn your love around (maxi extended rework Late Nite Tuff Guy edit)"
2) Al Green "Love & happiness (maxi extended boosted & rework edit)"
3) Melba Moore "You stepped into my life (maxi extended rework Tony Johns edit)"
4) Wild Cherry "Play that funky music (maxi extended rework Re Vam edit)"
5) Daryl Hall & John Oates "Maneater (extendedr rework Luxxury edit)"
6) Blondie "Heart of glass (finest rework Once I Had A Love edit)"
7) Marshall Hain "Dancing in the city (extended rework Wilson & Greenwood edit)"
8) Tears For Fears "Everybody wants to rule the world (finest rework The Crystal Ship edit)"
9) Herb Alpert "Rise (maxi extended rework edit)"
10) Lou Reed "Walk on the wild side (extended rework Aussteiger edit)"
11) Suzanne Vega "Tom's diner (extended rework Mdme Stoll's & Petko Turner's Fully Paid edit) "

contact@djchrisrod.com
facebook.com/djchrisrod
instagram.com/djchrisrod64

Dj Chris Rod "FUNKY BEATS" - Épisode 11

NOTE:  THIS TRACK HASN'T BEEN MASTERED YET, AND SO YOU'LL NEED TO TURN YOUR SPEAKERS UP A BIT.

I've decided to make my upcoming release a "concept album," despite the fact that I've never really liked concept albums in the past and am suspicious of the whole concept, artistically speaking.  But since this will be my 24th solo album, and I try never to repeat myself, I guess it's time to try out the format to see if I can do something with it that I actually like.

Here's the concept:  

An alien crashes on Earth, with no chance to get home.  Using his powers to blend in, he sets about exploring his new surroundings in a country called the USA.  He encounters baffling and alarming chaos and duplicity, with the few humans who are trying to be better than their instincts and programming feeling overwhelmed and disillusioned at the behavior of others around them.   Some leave their home country, conflicted, in search of a more altruistic community to live in.  Traveling farther afield, our alien observers the desperate search for love amidst the crumbling world civilization.  He is stunned by those who refuse to see their situation for what it is, hiding away in churches or in meaningless virtual games.

Infiltrating the gatherings of the parasitic rich, our alien meets image consultants, agents and PR specialists who bray and boast of their exploitations--regaling him with tales of manufactured outrage on behalf of their “artist” clients to generate something called “clicks” and “buzz.”  Caught up in this whirlwind, our alien finds himself leading a punk band with a giant PR machine behind it, but soon enough recoils from his handlers and breaks free.

As the societal collapse approaches terminal velocity, our alien feels a planetary consciousness stir, as the Earth attempts to intervene and rid itself of some of the most destructive monkeys infesting its skin.  And as he approaches the end of his lifespan, our involuntary visitor feels a profound loneliness as all that he has seen and experienced weighs heavily upon him.  In his final moments, he dreams of how it might have been if the planet’s human inhabitants had only felt some sense of connection and common purpose between each other. 

This new song, "That Missionary Heart" will be the opening song (preceded only by a short instrumental that represents the spacecraft crashing into the Earth).  I think the influence of '80s Lou Reed records is pretty evident here :-)

That Missionary Heart (© 2026 Walter Ehresman)

That missionary heart
steps on what it finds;
Sews the seeds of propaganda
in the bedrock of your mind.

Makes you doubt the things you know;
Tries to make you hate your past;
Hammers out there’s just one path—
“you better drop your memories fast.”

And loyalty just goes one way;
Look beneath that golden sheen;
You meekly give and give again;
Adopt the dogma as routine.

[chorus]
Conquistadors hit your shores
with viral tooth and claw;
Steal most of what they saw;
Burn the rest to show who’s boss;
Look for chances to do more—
……to drive you down.

That missionary heart
in the chest of parasites;
Pumps the blood of selfish anger;
Attack everything in sight.

You gotta learn to spot ‘em comin’;
You gotta learn to shut it down;
Paint your soul in purest Teflon;
Aim your vote straight at the crown.


Walter Ehresman:  vocals, guitars, 4-string ac./el. fretless bass, keyboard percussion, drum machine programming.

For official Walter Ehresman releases, please click here:   https://walterehresman.bandcamp.com/

p. 2026 Walter Ehresman.  All Rights Reserved.




That Missionary Heart (unreleased; unmastered)

with apologies to lou reed and the cast and crew of mystery science theater 3000

Satellite of Love (Single Edit)

I put the new music I'm making here. Hope you like

Called "the quintessential Austin DIY artist" by famed local disc jockey Charlie Martin, Walter Ehresman relocated to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in Feb. of 2015. A prolific songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recording artist, he is equally at home presenting a delicate acoustic ballad in an intimate club as he is busting out screaming lead guitar with a full rock band on a roaring stage. However, he’s just as likely to be holed up in his Snipe Bog Studios, surrounded by odd gear and recording strange, unclassifiable experimental music at 4am with a big grin on his face. The consistent factor is a restless musical spirit, always looking for something new, coupled with sophisticated and fearlessly honest lyric-writing. August of 2025 saw the release of his 23st solo album of original music, "Collapse, Cha Cha Cha".

Welcome to UCC Library’s very own radio show -  Shush! Sounds from UCC Library - a twice weekly show on UCC Campus Radio (UCC 98.3FM)
On my Monday morning show I have guests from around University College Cork who pick the music and then we chat about those songs and also chat about their work and the role  libraries  play in their lives.

My Thursday evening show is called the Quiet Shush and the music is of a more mellow kind.

Cover di: THE CURE, THE SMITHS/MORRISSEY, QUEEN , NICK DRAKE, LUCIO BATTISTI e altre. Un omaggio da fan.

the sloth holler is well met
under the dark dark stars

New tracks tagged #lou reed