Reviews

Music Reviews April 2015

A rundown of some recent local releases.

 

 Image description

Fawn Spots

From Safer Place

LP

Released on Critical Heights

Design by Alex Hornsby

 

This album doesn’t pull its punches, hitting you with an angry wall of noise from the outset of first track New Sense. Modern Punk at its best, From Safer Place is ten tracks, each track one to two minutes long. They’re concise, chaotic hymns that are designed to throw yourself around to, and that’s all that really needs to be said about it. Fawn Spots are one of the bands putting York on the national music map at the moment, and it’s their uncompromising, edgy style that’s doing it. They’re doing something different, and we always need more different.

By Graeme Smith
Image description

 

Vinnie & The Stars

Development

LP

Development is the 3rd effort from York-based band, Vinnie & The Stars. Featuring songs like, No Deamons and Got Enough, the band have certainly made an impression. Craig ‘Vinnie’ Whitehead’s spoken word style and strong Hull accent works excellently with the fast-paced guitar and thrashing cymbals, turning the whole album into a masterpiece, with no two songs sounding the same. His lyrics are expressive and seem personal to the band, which makes listening toDevelopment a very compelling experience.

By Daisy Woolett

Image description

Darren Eastell

Unnecessary Noise

EP

 

Unnecessary Noise is the debut EP from Doncaster local Darren Eastell. The first track, Gone, starts with a distinctive acoustic guitar and a soothing beat, which contrasts with the deep, husky voice of Darren that’s overflowing with raw emotion. Each of Darren’s songs weave relatable tales of heartbreak and nights out with your friends. There’s some really interesting imagery used as well, such as ‘…memories sneak out of my eyes…’ in Your Face. The EP has an indie vibe and what truly stands out about it is Darren’s distinctive, masculine voice.

By Kate McHugh


 

Image description

Toby Noble

Rivers

EP

On his debut EP, Toby Noble channels the roots of folk music to create a lush collection of acoustic melodies. The classical picking style Noble adopts across these four songs is underpinned by a prominent blues spirit. Opener Bill perhaps elicits this sonic fusion the best, the track’s graceful, opening melody transcending into an evocation of the chaotic folk baroque style popularised by the likes of Bert Jansch. Noble’s talent to maintain a constant, flowing atmosphere of peaceful landscapes through his masterfully measured picking style is a rare quality which makes Rivers a more than worthy product of its vast influences.

By Patrick Barnes

Image description

David Lawrie

Dorothea’s Boat

LP

 

Melodic, layered, ethereal, Dorothea’s Boat invokes a voyage. From its cover art to the art of its music that voyage is most certainly intended to be universal. The genre of ‘world’ music seems to be insufficient to describe these twelve tracks. Second track Dorothea is a stand out one, with building layers of percussion and electronics behind a relentless, hypnotic lyrical pattern. The musical voyage continues growing ever more diverse in styles from the experimental Hypochondriacal to the dirge of Chlorine,before bringing it back to Earth with a folky Spanish guitar on final track Traffic Lights at Night [Yumiko].

By Graeme Smith