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Category: Music Review

  • Rob Smith: The Juliana Field Album Review

    ROB SMITH The Juliana FieldThe Juliana Field is Rob Smith’s sophomore album and sees the Dublin based musician return to basics. The stripped back productions throughout the album shows Smith as an artist happy in his own skin.

    The first track on the album is recent single Way Back Home, a catchy earworm of a song that will get in your head and stay there. Memorable hooks and hand claps do the trick nicely, thank you. The Stomp Song lives up to its reputation with a driving beat and bass line. Production wise on this track, everything is given room to breathe, however I think the track may have benefited from the vocals being a little higher in the mix.

    It’s not too surprising that other places seem to feature in Smith’s music. After all, he’s one of the few Irish singer-songwriters who seem to play more outside Ireland than in it. Marrakesh is a interesting instrumental piece building up with guitar and percussion. Really like this, if Smith can produce more of this maybe he should go into soundtrack work. Rue Saint Dominique is a tender song with nice guitar style. It shows that Smith is really a big teddy bear, but shhh! Don’t tell anyone.

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  • Everything Everything: Man Alive Review

    It’s about eighteen months since I first heard of Everything Everything. MY KZ, UR BF (My Keys Your Boyfriend) became a stable on my radio show. Being named though as one of BBC1’s Sound of 2010 is definitely a good thing although with company like Marina and The Diamonds, Two Door Cinema Club and Ellie Goulding, you have your work cut out for you.

    Man Alive is the debut album from Everything Everything. The UK band are hard to pin down, they definitely don’t abide by the norm. Post indie with a good dash of electronic eighties, they seem to aim to be deliberately arty with lyrics that you could spend hours trying to decipher their meaning.

    The album opens with MY KZ, UR BF, re-released just before the album, the track got a well deserved second chance at life. Catchy hooks and breakneck speed vocals dominate with a subtle driving bass line. love it. You’re not going to get any  ‘Baby I love you’ songs here, Everything Everything are far too clever for that. ‘Qwerty Finger’ shows this completely. It’s almost like the band have put these two songs first to completely disorient you from what you would traditionally call music. Instead they chose to overtake your auditory senses with such a sonic explosion that you will be putty in their hands.

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  • Pavesi EP Review

    pavesiTaking their name from the old ballroom where they practised, Pavesi are a four piece from Donegal. They’ve just released a three track EP.

    The EP opens with ‘East Side’ a melodic mid tempo track. There’s nothing wrong with the track, it all just seems a tad safe and a bit formulaic. The chorus has a nice little hook, it just needs more of a build up into it to differentiate itself from the verse. There are also two instrumental breaks, in a four minute song it seems a bit overkill and slightly drains the energy from the song. The last minute of the song is entirely instrumental. Cut that off, you’ve a better chance of radio play.

    From the opening notes of ‘Shake’ I’m asking if this is the same band, there seems to be more energy to the song. The drum/guitar into works well and is a lot more contemporary than the previous track but somehow falls back into a safe mode.

    Listening to the two tracks, it seems that the band may have over produced themselves. While the tracks are mid-tempo, and well thought out, again there’s not enough definition in the production and mix for this writer.

    Turnaround Year is the best track on the EP, perhaps the band used a different producer. There are more highs and lows to Turnaround Year, the instruments are better mixed together. Much better all round.

    The first two tracks just are too safe and there’s nothing we haven’t heard from other bands here. Turnaround Year seems to be from a different collection altogether. More of that one please.

    http://www.myspace.com/pavesimusic

    This was written for MusicReviewUnsigned

  • Feeder: Live at the Academy 19/08/2010 Review

    Feeder: Live at the Academy 19/08/2010 Review

    Feeder: Live at the Academy 19/08/2010 Review

    Feeder rocked the Academy to its foundations on Thursday night with a mixed set of new and old material. Starting off the night were upstarts Storyfold, who within a short space of time, have become serious contenders on the Irish music scene. The band treated the waiting crowd to a rousing set, which included the singles ‘Delphine Wakes’ and ‘Behind Closed Doors’. By the end of their set, Storyfold had won over the crowd.

    Feeder come to to stage to the sound of Ecstasy of Gold, better known to you and me as the theme tune from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Rather apt giving the title of Feeder’s latest album ‘Renegades’.

    The band launch into ‘Barking Dogs’ and ‘Insomnia’ as the audience step it up a notch, bouncing and clapping.  A good mixture of new and old material keep the them on their toes, with ‘White Lines’ from Renegades being followed by ‘Feeling the Moment’. Material from the new album is grittier and less commercial sounding than the band’s bigger hits. Crowd reaction to the new material is just as enthusiastic.

    Touring as a four piece, adding keyboards, Feeder have a huge live sound, all the instruments balanced perfectly. However, Grant Nicholas’ vocals could have been higher in the front of house mix. Mind you, it didn’t really matter as the audience sang every word of every song anyway.

    ‘Just the way I’m feeling’ gets a massive response. The band on stage seem to be having some sort of deliberations before Grant approaches the mic and says ‘Ah Fcuk it’  before the whole venue erupts to strains of ‘Buck Rogers’. The entire crowd sings and bounces to the song, as the Academy is transformed into a mosh pit.

    This audience reaction continues despite the next song being ‘Down to the river’ the only real slow tempoed song of the evening. Fan favourite ‘High’ turns the gig into a religious experience, band and audience in unison. ‘Callout’ brings the audience to an almost frenzied state before the band leave the stage.

    Throughout the night, the high points seem to get higher as the gig progresses. The encore includes ‘Home and ‘Seven Days in the Sun’, leaving ‘Just a Day’ as the perfect track to end the night with.

    Feeder have a devout following and this gig seemed to celebrate the connection between band and fans. The night was really well vibed and everyone seemed to be out for a good time, including the band. They duly delivered.

    Grant announced Feeder will be back in Ireland in February 2011. Miss them at your peril.

    Setlist: (Open to correction)

    1. Barking Dogs
    2. Insomnia
    3. White Lines
    4. Feeling The Moment
    5. Renegades
    6. Lost and Found
    7. Buck Rogers
    8. Down To The River
    9. Come Back Around
    10. High
    11. Callout

    Encore:
    12. Home
    13. Seven Days In the Sun
    14. Just a Day

    With special thanks to Goldenplec and MCD

    Storyfold supporting Feeder