The Emerald Armada – Strangers EP Review (Chordblossom Review)

Posted by Sam in Chordblossom, Portfolio      No comments

Aug
23

When a potential (and, perhaps, unenlightened) listener, solely ‘acoustic’ music might seem like a moody, mellow and perhaps slow genre that, unless in the mood for, doesn’t make great mainstream listening. This is a misguided interpretation, and all it takes to prove it wrong is one artist to show that this isn’t the case. Enter acoustic quartet The Emerald Armada. They’re making some noise in the industry (and not just in a musical way), and from the quality of these three tracks, entitled Strangers, Everyone and I Don’t Mind, it looks like they’re going to end up in a great place.

From this record, its plan to see that The Emerald Armada clearly have a knack for producing great, catchy and talented acoustic music, which can easily put the preconceptions of the genre straight to bed. It’s not folk, it’s not rock, and it’s not even indie. It’s just catchy. In fact, it’s not only catchy, but its acoustic music that manages to kick up a great ‘party-esque’ atmosphere, almost effortlessly. It has a great, overarching ‘sprightly’ feel to it, a cheerful, spirited sounding take on the acoustic genre that makes it an appealing record to any casual listener.

Title track I Don’t Mind showcases this upbeat aspect of the music perfectly, with quick paced acoustic guitars and funky-orientated bass-lines that complement some excellent vocal work from the Irish lads. There’s an excellent use of both maracas and flute on Strangers, which ordinarily would pre-mediate a slower, more mellow song, but that knack that The Emerald Armada have of producing upbeat songs without even thinking about it kicks straight in again, and it’s another enjoyable listen.

Issues? Not really that many. Three tracks aren’t enough to give any sort of criticism, because they might be issues that are solved in other tracks, released on an EP or an album. The only real criticism to make is that the tracks should be part of an actual record, put together to form something tangible that’s more memorable to a listener. That’s not an issue with the music though, and clearly something that the band are working on. That goes without saying. Musically, all that’s left for this reviewer to say is carry on.

So, a talented and almost issue-less release. It’s a great set of tracks, excellently written, recorded, mixed and performed, with enough of a unique twist on it to make it memorable, and familiar sounding enough to make it appealing to a new audience. That takes immense musical talent, so it’s clear that The Emerald Armada have that in spade. Plus, if these tracks are anything to go by, The Emerald Armada are set to be a huge musical force to be reckoned with within the next year or so. Look out for them.

Read the original article here: http://chordblossom.com/musicreviews-emeraldarmada-strangers

20 Second Century – Self Titled Release Review (Chordblossom Review)

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Aug
23

20 Second Century, a punk-rock four piece hailing from Co. Down, are playing a dangerous game. Punk rock isn’t exactly on the rise, it could be argued that it’s a tired and overused genre, and should be consigned to the depths of history along with so many other past genres. That’s not stopped them releasing this, their latest EP, which is a definite attempt to revive the style and create something new out of it.

It’s an emotive sounding release, which gives it a slight edge over other punk music. It’s more heartfelt, with a definite passionate twinge lingering throughout the vocals, which are nicely placed in among the music (not too prominent, but not too lost in the sound either). Musically, it has a great sounding distorted, punky sort of crunch sound on the guitars, which complement half-sang-half-chanted vocals, a style made famous by punk bands such as Sum 41 (Still Waiting) and Blink 182 (Feeling This). The differences come in the pleasant lack of an over-accentuated American accent, which, whilst unavoidable, does become tedious in the aforementioned older punk style. The other pleasant and slightly different aspect is the ‘bassy’ quality the music has. That makes it slightly different, giving it an almost ‘electronic’ vibe, alongside the punk style. It’s a specific area to focus on when praising this album, especially when it has so much to offer, but it’s something that really stuck out all the way through that this reviewer kept noticing.

Areas to improve – the EP could be slightly longer, four tracks, whilst usually long enough for an EP, especially a debut one, isn’t long enough to showcase music of this style properly. It just doesn’t have the time to show off the vast amount of talent that 20 Second Century obviously possess. It’s just enough to whet the appetite of the listener, enough to make them think “wow, I really like this”, and then it’s over. The vocals could be placed slightly more prominently over the music as well. They sit well as they are, as mentioned before, but it might be good to have them slightly more in the foreground, to give the impression of the importance of them. There’s no point having that amount of emotion and passion within the vocals, and then not making them stand out.

So, it’s very clear to see from 20 Second Century’s EP that the energetic, jumpy sounds of punk aren’t quite dead yet, despite the eras of New Found Glory, Sum 41, Blink 182 and others arguably fading into the distant past. This reviewer thinks that a revival is perfect. The tired old style still has some gusto left in it, and 20 Second Century have put a twist on it that refreshes it and makes it interesting again. – Wonderful stuff.

Read the original review here: http://chordblossom.com/musicreviews-20secondcentury-selftitled

Mere Moths – Water of the Land EP Review (Chordblossom Review)

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Jul
30

Indie rock four piece Mere Moths, hailing from Co. Down in Northern Ireland release their debut, three track EP, entitled Water of the Land this month, through Circulation Recordings. Mixing crunchy distorted bass and funk-esque tempos, the band create a mixture of rock tones that give it a groovier feel than most indie rock available on the market at the moment.

It’s clear to see from the offset that Mere Moths have bags of potential, and have only just begun to tap into it. For such a newly signed and, at the moment, small band, the production quality of Water of the Land is really rather good. It’s well recorded, mixed and produced, giving a good representation of both what the band are capable of sounding like, and the attitude that the band have towards their recordings. The fact that the EP is so short just goes to show this attitude even more clearly, that Mere Moths put so much effort into each individual track that it takes as long as many other bands would take to put together a seven track EP has materialised into three, meticulously produced tracks that sound nothing less of professional. Now that’s dedication.

Musically, again it’s got a great groove to it, a refreshing take on the rock/indie genre to put something a little more funky into it, and it makes it interesting to listen to and that little bit special. The standout track on this EP has to be Mine, a song that just oozes feel-good tones, sing along vocals and talented instrument work that makes it a great track to listen to all the way through.

One of the only problems with this EP is, as previously mentioned, the fact that it’s a little bit short. Three tracks weren’t enough to get a proper appreciation of the talent that’s gone into creating the music. But, on the flipside of this, being so new, Mere Moths are only just getting started, and three tracks on this Water of the Land does definitely enough to whet the appetite of the hungry listener, and leave them want a lot more. It’s not an EP, it’s a starter.

So, overall then, Water of the Land is a very good and well put together EP, with just enough to give across the right impression of the style of music that Mere Moths are going for, without giving too much away, and just enough to leave the listener wanting that little bit more. Clever and teasing, this reviewer hopes to be hearing a lot more from them very soon.

Read the original article here: http://chordblossom.com/musicreviews-meremoths-wateroftheland