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Category: Music Review

  • The Saw Doctors Live at The Olympia Review

    saw doctorsI was probably the only person in the country not to have seen The Saw Doctors live, so on Saturday April 2nd, I headed to The Olympia Theatre in Dublin to check them out.

    Threading the boards first though, were Keith Mullins and his band. I had prior knowledge of Keith’s music and he appeared on Culture Cafe but had never seen him with a full band.

    Playing tracks from his album ‘Across The Ocean’ and a couple from what Keith described as ‘hopefully album number 2’, Mullins and Co warmed up the audience with their brand of country folk.  The full band sound definitely adds a different dimensions to Keith’s Americana sound.

    As I waited for The Saw Doctors to come on stage it felt like this was almost a rite of passage, something that you must do as part of Rick O’Shea’s Irish Citizenship Test. Everyone else had already passed, I was about to take the test. (more…)

  • Brooke Fraser: Flags Review

    brooke-fraser-flagsWho is Brooke Fraser? She’s a New Zealander who has released three albums. Flags, her latest album is the first to get a full release here. I’ve been listening to this album for about two weeks and Fraser reminds me of a couple of different artists. She’s like a Sarah McLachlan with a dash of Tara McLean and perhaps Norah Jones.

    The album opens with current single, Something in the Water. It’s hardly surprising that this has been nominated for a Australian Performing Rights Association, Song of The Year award. It’s uptempo, bells and whistles, catchy and totally singalongable. The whole album is produced by Fraser also and she has done a great job. Everything sounds organic and is spaced beautifully, there’s different things happening all around the soundscape making this an aural feast. (more…)

  • Lestrange: Aisha! (Shut Your Mouth) Review

    Aisha! CoverLestrange is Gareth McNamara from Co. Mayo. Aisha! (Shut Your Mouth) is his latest release and it’s quite interesting. McNamara’s acoustic punk rock style is refreshing and echos Billy Bragg, Ian Dury and The Clash.

    It’s hardly surprising that his music lyrically looks at social and political themes. Aisha looks at Islamaphobia and refers to how the media ‘Focus on the price of oil’ so its a good old style protest song.

    Is it any good? It’s not bad. McNamara uses an acoustic guitar and an electric on this track.  His vocals are good and he shows that he’s more than just a shouty punk rocker. Seeing as he does have a particular message to put out, I’d like to hear his vocals a little bit higher in the mix and the electric, a little lower and perhaps not completely mixed to the left. Mainly just to make sure all his lyrics are crystal clear.

    Not a bad effort at all.

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  • The Riot Tapes: Photograph Review

    I actually wasn’t going to write about this cos I basically did a review of it when I played it on the Culture Cafe on Thursday night but a few people who know my kind of music, asked me what I thought so here goes.

    There are always a few comparisons and stereotypes a band will get with a female singer backed by a few blokes. The opening ‘Stupid Girl’ Garbage/Clash-like drum beat on ‘Photograph’ doesn’t dispel these. The feedback guitar intro then dips into a more Texas-like verse.

    Elaine Doyle’s vocals are strong and commanding, I can’t figure out whether its her vocals or the vocal production that reminds me of Sharleen Spiteri. It’s enough to make me listen a couple of times to try and figure out if the vocal lines are reverbed or doubletracked. </nerd>  (more…)