With its definite leanings towards the ‘folk’ genre, this four track EP from the hotly tipped RYAN O’REILLY BAND is venturing into slightly dangerous waters on this website! But I’ve been fed, it’s a bright, sunny day outside and my football team just won so all is right with the world.
(I’ll just type this out quickly before something happens to alter my mood ….)
The ‘Emily’ EP most certainly borders the ‘twee’ tag, but for the most part is saved by little eccentricities in the delivery that give it a quaintly quirky feel. Opening and title track ‘Emily’ sounds like it has been teleported forward from a time when everything seemed to be sepia coloured and the ‘movies’ were all silent, but accompanied by a rickety old bar-room honky-tonk piano. It’s chirpy enough, and as with other tracks, by incorporating the sound of brass (more Yorkshire than Tijuana) and Hammond Organ it definitely has quite an eclectic mix of sounds that actually blend pretty well.
‘November’ has the rhythm of a cantering horse, and the deep, darker guitar twangs and quiet sounding ‘pedal-steel’ truly give a bit of a Country feel. ‘The Morning’ has the slow, steady, metronomic pound of the bass drum to thank for the pace, and the hooky little guitar notes to thank for its memorable moments. The vocal harmonies are soft and the whine of the pedal-steel guitar all combine well, and in fact this is my favourite of all four tracks. It’s different. And it’s not ‘twee’ – although in flashes, it reminds of a Christmas song for some reason…..?!
Closing track ‘John Keats’ is best forgotten. In fact it has! (I’ve had to play it again right now to remember what it is about this track that made me forget it in the first place!!) It’s boring, that’s it… even the Northern sounding brass can’t save it. Sorry.
Not really for me this one, although it does have its pleasant moments.
(Released on 25th October 2010 – don’t know who through!)
(6/10)
________________________
With
