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Red Light Inferno

Red Light Inferno- you are on the road to success! This band has an amazing sound, great songs and lyrics. Red Light Inferno has some great usage of instruments on their EP, which is something that really impressed me. This band wouldn't usually be a band that I would sit down and listen to but I have to say I really enjoyed listening to Red Light Inferno for a few hours and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on more of their music and seeing them in somewhere like Whelan's in the not too distant future. Their music has a really funky, unique sound. I would listen to this band anytime but particularly when you are getting ready to go out as their music would put you in good humour and make you want to put you're dancing shoes on! The songs are extremely hard to get out of your head and you will be going around humming the songs for days!

Review by Emer Kelly

https://www.facebook.com/redlightinferno

Re-Tuned

 

Tuned In/Turned On

Re-Tuned is the master plan of Dublin singer song writer Rob Purser, Rob produced and played every instrument on this album also penned the eleven tracks to make up his debut album that was released in May this year via download on his www.reverbnation.com/retuned page.

Turn It On is the first song on the album and what a way to kick in a debut, pure rock n roll with the indie flare, a great instrumental that would be a great intro to any live gig, track two "I Can?t Stop Falling", it's got a great catchy chorus and has an almost 80's pop feel with a devilish rock kick to it, Rob's voice sounds great on this track very uplifting with some great melodic tones.

Deadman's Suit is the third song, it has funky melodies with a raw old school indie feel, Ian Dury and the Blockheads came to me, I think it is the way Rob phrases some of his vocals on the track, not bad it's different for sure and has a cracking guitar lick to bring the song out.

Track four Dearest Hag, this has cool rock n roll sound and the backing vocals reminds me of the way the Beatles use to do it in their songs, the song is driven by a catchy guitar hook that loops throughout the tune and is backed up with great lyrics from Rob, excellent tune!

Those Shoes is number five the album, this is a more ballad style song with a slight pop feel coming from the karma of the sound, this is a great acoustic number and I'm sure it would go down well at live shows and make a any audience sing along to. The next song is called Give Me a Sign, Rob's voice sounds great on this song and works well over the melody, very indie pop middle of the road kind of tune.

Number seven is called Heaven Hurts My Eyes, the dynamics and vocal work in this track is superb, I love the pulsating bass line just under the melody it give the song just that little kick of a rock tone, just enough to brighten the mood in this song, Bowie meets Prefab Sprout on a cloudy day, cracking song.

Track eight Carry On sounds great but the bass line caught my attention, at first listen I said no! But I have to mention it; it?s The Cure "Love Cats" hey nothing wrong with that after all the music scene is like one big washing machine and if you can make your own song of it well.. why not.

Fade Away is number nine on the album, this is nice upbeat rock song with a catchy chorus that works, it is simple and bland with lots of melodic guitar, great mix and tone almost sounds like the early U2 music from their Boy album period, track ten is called My Generation this made it to number one on the WDAR 96FM unsigned chart show, great song and just shows the amount of talent that Rob Purser has, creating a wonderful wall of sound and surrounding it with his fantastic voice, breathtaking and superb .

Final track on the debut album is called Last Song, great sound effects and the guitar solo is electrifying almost a flashback of some Pink Floyd sounding music with the use of experimental effects great instrumental to end a great album.

Review by T.Halpin
5/6

www.reverbnation.com/retuned

Rory Faithfield

 

Songs For Sooner

Rory Faithfield, an Australian born Dublin based singer songwriter's new album "Songs for Sooner" was produced in late 2010. The album has a very Celtic folk vibe to it. But occasionally a song like "Into the World" shines through and has a pop rock vibe that gives the album a more upbeat feeling.

Occasionally the lyrics in the album feel as though rhymes are being forced for the sake of rhymes. Overall the lyrics are quite poor and lack lustre compared to the instrumentation.

Faithfield's guitar has a fairly standard feel, tending to play the same two or three chords for the majority of the song. However the music in the background, the subtle piano on "Clonard" and the dominant bass on "Something Real", truly define this albums likeability factor.

Overall I felt the album was poor compared to Faithfield's strong live act.

Review by Philip Dalton
2/6

http://www.faithfield.com

Ross Breen

 

When I Met The Devil

Ross Breen's creativity shines throughout this his debut album. Without listening to the music you can see the he is creative. The album cover design and the unique numbering of the tracks provide you with enough interest to pick up a copy.
The title track of this album, When I Met The Devil, opens superbly. He shows his vocal ability by hitting the highest and lowest notes he could on this track. The powerful guitar backed up by a choir chorus gives his album a powerful opening.
Not all the songs are as loud and strong as the open track but they do give a nice mix. Most notably song is Monet, a slow but suited song which fits in well. Straight after this in the line up, picking up the pace is Elephant's Foot, a quick catchy tune which compliments Monet well. The debut ends with Keep The Light On, a John Lennon-esque song which ends this album brilliantly. An album well worth buying and listen to, start to finish.
Review by Gary Woods
6/6
http://www.rossbreen.com

Resurrection Fern

 

Transcend Morality

Gosh when I first listened to this I expected to be bombarded with heavy trance. But it was the opposite, I was overcome with laughter. The first song was so hippy and polite (that’s a nice way to put it) that I laughed out loud good and hard. I really do not know how to describe this music. Maybe the word I am looking for is old fashioned? I certainly can’t see myself listening to this on my I-Pod but I can imagine it being a big seller on vinyl 20 years ago.
I simply have no interest in this music and there is not a market for this music anymore.
Review by Sandra Nash
2/6
http://www.myspace.com/resurrectionfern

Rivers of Sound

 

Rivers Of Sound

When I put this CD into the CD player and it opened with Lost Property I instantly knew this album was off to a flying start. Rivers of Sound are Lewis, Paul, Matt and George. The EP consists of a sheer love of music.
The boys hammer home incredible vocals with pain sorrow love and joy al been felt through their lyrics. With strumming guitar riffs, perfect bass lines and sensational drum beats, I can’t fault these guys on anything. Their love for what they do shows through their lyrics and cleverly thought out music.
Rivers of Sound is a name you’ll be hearing on the air waves soon.

Review by Jennifer Ormsby
5/6
http://www.myspace.com/theriversofsound

Room 39

 

I am of the opinion that the best music ever was produced nearly half a century
ago. Seems like modern bands missed the boat entirely just for being... um
well, modern.

There is however a lot to be said for bands who adopt that 60s kind of sound
characterized by the Beatles and their peers. Some may disregard them as
plagiarists, others consider them merely paying tribute to the legends that
formed popular music. I agree with the latter personally but whatever your
having yourself.

Room 39 remind one of similar artists who took that great sound of 60s pop and
made it their own such as The La’s. Their EP contains some great gems of
nostalgiac pop/rock. Opener “Walkin” is immediate and grabs you immediately.
The lyrics aren’t exactly Bob Dylan but they serve the purpose.

Other tracks such as “Holding On” and “Oh Elaine” are slightly more
disappointing. Their problem lies in overstaying their welcome and sounding a
little bit too samey.

This EP is a mixed bag for sure. Some of the tracks sound a little unsure of
their intent, whether they want to be singalongs or “shh just listen” songs.
However magical moments like “Welcome to the Real World” save this collection
overall and invite you back for a few more listens.

Review by Kevin McCabe

4/6

http://www.myspace.com/room39uk

Red Cub

 

New Wounds

Westmeath trio Red Cub linger on the edge of Goth styled rock music with hard and deep lyrics that could be obscene to many but not if your Goth, their new EP "New Wounds" has four pretty good songs all in around the same genre.
Dave Farrell is the lead singer and he's got that Placebo/Joy Division style thing going on when he sings, I like the way each track rotates some colorful melodies, it's like the dark deep vocals of Farrell contradicts the bright punked up pop melodies of Paul Kavanagh's guitar licks.
Favorite song for me of the EP is "1000 Yard Stare" there is some nice effects used on this track both in the vocals and the guitar, there is almost an industrial rock sound hindering from the melody, I could see a Vampire movie use this song for it's opening theme song as it's Goth music to the bone.
Review by T.Halpin

5/6

http://www.myspace.com/redcubband

Relief

 

Marie
Marie, is the new single due for release in August from Dublin four piece rock outfit Relief. The band were voted 'Best Unsigned Band 2009' by the listeners to Dublin's 98 FM.

Marie is a mid tempo radio friendly rock song, there's a touch of fairydust and polish about these guys that I haven't seen on many Irish bands of late. Having already supported Gavin Rossdale and Brett Michaels, maybe it’s the little bit of experience that's helping these guys. Either way if the rest of their album 'How to Hijack a Hearse' is on par with 'Marie' we won't be seeing much of these guys locally. They'll be on a bigger stage.
Review by Nessy

5.5 /6

http://www.myspace.com/relief

Redtwelve

 

Mines

Redtwelve are a five piece modern rock outfit from Dundalk/Louth Ireland and have put together a fourteen track album of some high end music and powerfull vocal driven songs! lead singer Ciaran Boylan has got some real good tones to his voice reminds me of Muse meets placebo... Track one "Unopposed" has some real American goth feel to it, this would fit nicely into one of today's vampire satires. With a hard rock edge track two "Fight/Lie" has got some cracking vocals and effects too, upbeat and rocking song. The album is a journey of melodic bliss and has got some super rocking songs and mellow ones too... like track six "Caught Inside" moody acoustic guitars rotate under the voice of Ciaran, soft and melodic with very nice lyrics. Track fourteen "Start Again" this is a beautiful song, soft and harmonic with every note on the piano hitting just the right notes, Redtwelve have got themselves a little gem of a tune here both vocals and lyrics have a bolt of passion that can be felt in every note on this song... superb stuff.

Review by T.Halpin

5/6

http://www.myspace.com/redtwelve

Red Cub

 

Red Cub are a three piece band from Westmeath/Ireland and most of the super groups are made up of three members and that would be something special if Red Cub could live up to that, the sound that they have created has more of a big sound with some deep melodies and slow griping grooves,overall for a demo CD it's pretty good compared to most of the music that is emerging on the scene it think Westmeath should be proud of Red Cub and give them all the support they deserve, I feel there is more on offer from Red Cub but maybe their time is not yet.

Review by T.Halpin

3/6

http://www.myspace.com/redcubband

Róisín & The Beards

 

 

With a name like Róisín and The Beards, one automatically hopes that The lady in question has a couple of blokes in her band and doesn't suffer from some other terrible affliction. On seeing photographs of the band, its safe to say its the former!
'Meet me at the Central Bank', the last line of many a conversation in Ireland's capital, ten minutes before it actually happens.
'I'll be the one without the skateboard' sings Róisín, 'Come on let's take a ramble' which is what seems to happen in this tune. A series of refrains, all chorus like seem to make up this song apart from one slight breakdown. It needs a little more direction I'm afraid.
A nice ditty, probably a good live song but not blowing me away.
Review by Nessy

Rank: *** 3 out of 6

www.myspace.com/roisinandthebeards

Rob Smith

 

Throwing It All Away

When artist asks if you would like to review their album for your blog, it's a bit of a kick but you also wonder if they are slightly cocky?
Rob Smith has every right to be cocky. 'Throwing It All Away' is Rob's debut and was released in 2008. He wears his influences on his sleeve, The Stone Roses, Oasis, the hero’s of 90's Britpop and for a change its nice to see an artist more popular abroad than in his own native land.
The album kicks off with an instrumental track called 'The Jam', nice introduction. Recorded and Produced by Colin Whelan, Conor O'Brien and Smith himself, it’s well recorded and mixed but occasionally the vocal levels could have been higher in the mix.
Smith fits right into the Britpop genre, his voice is actually a nice surprise. 'Soul Shaker' seems to melt all Smith's influences into his own perfect four minutes of swagger. Smith is consistent in his songwriting, with a nice variety of song structures throughout this debut.
Standout tracks would be, along with 'Soul Shaker', 'When Your Feet Were Dancing'. Honourable mention must also go to 'Lasagne', a hidden track at the end of the album where Smith shows off his sense of humour. Good ending!
Review by Nessy

RANK: ***** 5 out of 6

www.myspace.com/robsmithireland

REDFISH

 

De Profundis Album review

British Columbia Canadian Four piece band Redfish has a real clean cut image for a rock outfit and with the release of this eleven track album things are gonna start to happen for them with songs like "Breanna" high stylized modern rock melody and has a catchy chorus to die for, another track "Citizen" has already received airplay in the UK and the response has been excellent"cracking song were can we buy the Redfish album...Dave Collins Thescene Liverpool FM" this song is very commercial and in no doubt should be heard by a bigger audience as i feel this band would suit the festival scene very well here in Europe, I could hear heavy Bon Jovi influences, wouldn't it be great to get another Jovi!... like track six "Sky Pilot" the vocals sound like Jovi with a Bowie twist Edward Hagman the lead vocalist has got great potential and with songs like Sky Pilot, keep them coming Redfish powerful stuff. Although Redfish have been labelled by press as sounding like U2 meets The Red Hot Chilli peppers, what I've heard on this album is a complete original sound crafted from some fantastic influences.
Review by T.Halpin

RANK:****** 6 out of 6
www.redfishmusic.ca

Redvers Downs

 

The Last Summer album review

UK man Redvers Downs has put together thirteen songs and created a virtual world to back up his image, each track is very cleverly done as they seem to be reminiscing part of his musical journey, you can hear some blues and post modern rock as track four "Lost My Gaulois" has got that catchy commercial blues feel to it, I love the lyrics and the way it can stick in your head its got a real Chas and Dave ring to it. Every song on the album have a different feel to them this is nice on albums as a mixture of styles can sometimes be hard for a critic to find a genre, you got some dance grooves going down like on track six "Oh Lover" it has a real sleazy bass groove with a blues/rock rhythm over the dance beat very retro but nice. Track nine "Wedding Bells" has that tango feel or like a tune you would hear on Hawaiian holiday grass skirts and all that, I can see where Redvers is going with this album its got something for everyone's taste in music and my favorite on the album would have to be track ten "Gene Pool" its a real moody song and the guitar melody is mixed nice with a clean sound to a soft metal one works well together and its seem to be a very honest song that Redvers sings on this album straight from the heart.
Review by T.Halpin

RANK:**** 4 out of 6

http://www.redversdowns.co.uk

Roy Shiels

 

self-titled EP review
Dublin musician Roy Shiels is a one man outfit and playing almost every instrument on this EP apart from a special appearance on strings from Sean De Burca,
Roy has created a wonderful single and producing three high standard tunes well worth checking out "Born and blown away" is the first song on the EP it is a very upbeat pop/rock orientated sound with some soft ghostly tones coming from Shiels voice with some fantastic work on the layering of the vocals this would make good catchy radio tune its got all the elements of one. Track two "Denial" this is more laid back song with a soft melodic riff on the guitar and Shiels sings with a chant in his voice very clever and very moody tune,excellent stuff! The final track "The Fire" the piano and offbeat rhythm fuses this tune into something very special its got a great catchy groove and the lyrics knit nicely into the song giving a real pop/jazz feel, I think Roy Shiels has got something very promising here.
Review by T.Halpin

RANK:****** 6 out of 6

http://www.myspace.com/royshiels
RODINA

 

OVER THE SUN

Nowadays women singers seem to be combining different elements of music in their songs and making it their own. This is great to see because fresh new sounds are needed in the music scene. The lead singer of Rodina, Aoife Hearty, dips her feet into soul, blues, pop, Latin and a bit of Jazz on her debut album ‘ Over the Sun’.

Aoife is originally from Laois in Ireland and moved to Leeds when she was young. Her voice is crystal clear and the emotion heard gives off an eerie vibe, sending shivers down your spine. The emotion is also felt by the different instruments played, especially the piano, sax and violin, it sounds beautiful. It is definitely an album to put on when you want to unwind and chill. I enjoyed the first track ‘Always had a dream’, with its jazziness and Latin sound. Other songs on the album that are a good listen ‘You Cry I Cry’, ‘These things you do’ and ‘Shine’. The vocal arrangements of ‘Corcovado’ touches on Sheryl Crow’s song for the James Bond film ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’. Rodina could be doing a James Bond theme tune yet. My favourite track was ‘Runaway bay’; it has a combination of sounds such as Bailey Rae and Lilly Allen. This album has so many variations, it’s a must listen!!!

Review by Laura Mc Glynn

RANK: ****** 6 out of 6

www.myspace.com/rodinaalbum

ROBERT O’CONNOR

 

DISTANCE

Review

Robert O’Connor singer songwriter from Dublin, Ireland unlike many singer songwriters Robert has produced his songs to the highest quality. Distance has 10 tracks of very interesting listening with a broad range of musical arrangements from both the pop and R-n-B rhythms scene, he has put down some great tracks on this album like “Ten years time” it’s got everything going for it, the song lacks no boundaries and it has all the commercial qualities of becoming something great just like Robert he has a very smooth voice and its working for him on Distance, excellent stuff.

Review by T.Halpin

RANK: ***** 5 out of 6

www.myspace.com/robertoconnoronline

RED KID

DEBUT ALBUM LAUNCH

CRAWDADDYS

DUBLIN

8/8/08

Review

The long awaited album (Rocket Ship) from the high energetic group Red Kid. They kicked off in Tower Records early on in the day and the lucky people who bought the album got into the Crawdaddys for free for the launch gig, Wow now that’s what you call a bargain and you wont find many in Dublin today. Red Kid hit the stage with an explosive bang of high energetic music which had the crowd hopping instantly, the lead singer Ronan likes to be busy on stage and really getting into the groove jumping up and down and getting the crowd into mode, the whole band gave one hundred and fifty percent on the night with the music giving off a real hint of Ska and retro pop/punk feel very Dexy’s midnight runners… the brass sounded great and added some great feel to the gig too, well done to the lads on a great album launch night.

Review by T.Halpin

www.myspace.com/redkidtheband

REBEL TERRITORY

Clements road review

 

Three piece band from Derby/Nottingham,
United Kingdom have brought rock music a new lease of life with this 3 track debut E.P stunner Clements Road... elevating rock with some dirty licks with tons of commercial potential, rock is alive and the Rebels have captured the meaning of great music and guitar work to die for, excellent stuff lads...

Review by T.Halpin

RANK: ***** 5 out of 6

http://www.myspace.com/rebelterritory
Redwood Thinkers

 

An easy on-the-ear acoustic/folk band from the North-West UK. Well, I say 'band' as the appearance of other musicians apart from acoustic guitar & vocals are infrequent and fairly low key. This is not a criticism or hindrance because deep at the heart of Redwood Thinkers are the supremely compatible, tight and dovetailed vocals of singers Darren Cummings and Kezia Wilkinson who bring a fat slice of Beautiful South styling to their soft and comfortable tunes. Its the effortless quality of these vocals that carry the songs and with such symbiosis they could probably sing the phone book to a metronome and you wouldn't notice, highlighted perfectly on tracks 'May we be forgiven' and 'Fade so simple'. The tracks rarely venture from the slow and dreamy and I did start wondering how it would feel if Redwood Thinkers did tear it up, just a bit (as Beautiful South could do) but its not in their make up. They are definitely in their happy place, within their warm and fuzzy folk tunes that give a shop window to the vocals, despite it often reducing the other band members to almost bit players.
So I'm sitting back with my large mug of steaming coffee marvelling at the soaring, perfectly harmonising vocals and think 'yup, an easy 5 out of 6 for these guys'...then it happens...the dreaded Myspace bio! So do band biographies affect their playing ability? Of course not. But, as in my case, its very important issue as its the first stop to finding out something about the band I'm listening too. Unfortunately the vast majority of bands self-written bio's I see (and the Redwoods rather saccharine, self aggrandising blurb is a good point in question) are hopeless at it. Please, please, please think about how you describe yourselves, it is important to realise that I (nor promoters or record industry types) want to know or really care how fantastic you think you are or how you all met at the pub and then the last bass player left to get married etc etc. We just want to know a little about what you do, where you want to go and what you're like. My best tip for a bio is to help the reader, try using quotes from what other people have said about you, it works. You really don't need to blow your own trumpet, simply inform people that you have one is more than enough! Sorry, bugbear aside Redwood Thinkers are very good and, I still say, bio notwithstanding...

Review by Drumhead

RANK: ***** 5 out of 6

www.myspace.com/redwoodthinkers

RIOT POLICE

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the name of a band doesn't necessarily effect their chances of success or failure (with a few notable exceptions). I liked the name 'Riot Police' when it slid across my screen and I though 'ooh some strident punk or perhaps a bit of industrial metal' but no, unfortunately for me, Riot Police from Kildare bare little resemblance to their rather hard-edged moniker.
This three piece offer some of the politest, saccharine, jingly pop songs heard outside of a church knees up. Not that this makes them a lesser band in anyway or the songs aren't pleasant enough, but for my tastes it sits on the rather wrong side of 'nice'. From the uber-clean twinkly guitar sound, to the recorded-in-one-take freshness and sing-a-long, REM-lite vocals. The songs are the brain-child of singer/guitarist Ross MacMahon and, hand-on-heart are all pretty well written. Ross and co. who obviously have the right stuff about them (although, unaccustomed as I am to commenting on other peoples reviews, I think that the quote on Riot Police's Myspace bio from Emma at The Voice magazine, was having a pretty surreal day when she gushingly compared Ross's vocals to Editors frontman Tom Smith) but it lacks in any sort of real energy or drive . Highlight of the songs on offer on Myspace is the more melancholic 'Lake' where things veer slightly more towards the darker side and shows Ross in his best light.
Maybe, with a bit of dirt rubbed in and some rock n roll magic dust sprinkled over them, Riot Police could grow into their name, otherwise the name and style are unlikely to really reflect each other in any way. Currently though, some nice ideas, perhaps which, with a bit of repackaging and working out, could grow into something stronger.

Review by Drumhead

RANK: *** 3 out of 6

www.myspace.com/riotpolicemusic
RO TIERNEY

TICS & POLITICS

 

Review

Ro has a very sleek and soft melodic vocal approach to his songs on Tics & Politics, I am gonna break this review down to each track cause each one has its own charisma of pure songwriting imagination.

"Sticks and Stones" rhythm flows from the acoustic guitar with a raw upbeat bass line, they both give the impressions of reggae pushing into folk blues with a hint of jazz, the vocals are sweet on this track with cool catchy lyrics, reminds me of a full bodied rare bottle of wine' this is a one off track and has great potential of a hit.

"Tumbleweed" jazzy folk with some excellent craft on the instruments, the dynamics in this tune have some soft tones and fantastic vocals to push the song to its peaks.

"The Voice" this one is for the road trip, it has the feel of Dylan meets Donovan, lyrics are very well written makes you wanna get up and go, upbeat march snare gives the tune that southern feel yet Ro has a very unique way of changing the mood of the song with some class tones coming from his voice.

"Sunrise" this song has every element of folk the guitar and the piano merge together giving the tune a real peaceful ingredient that makes the vocals stand out and make this tune a wonderful piece of art.

"Tics & Politics" reggae bass line with jazzy vocals this works well in this tune the bass stands out in this tune with some clever jazz tricks and melting well with the overall songs a very strange mix but very interesting to listen to.

"Rongo" we got some latin soul in this tune and Ro sings with a soft melodic voice rather than most singers would opt for the Enrico approach this is what i like about Ro there is no boundaries in his songs but he sticks to his original voice.

"Sing for the children" this is a nice little number, catchy chorus and some upbeat folk blues beats with more of a traditional vibe and you just might hear a hint of ska if you listen close.

"Sleeping on your side" vocals are fantastic on this song, the dynamics with the piano sway with the tune in perfect harmony, its a real slow set number and one for the lovers of the night.

"Velvet sky" this tune is short and sweet with some beautiful lyrics very poetic piece.

"Blood-red Manifesto" the rhythm spills through out this tune with some great vocals and a very powerful story line, the music is blended with some cool effects and awesome dynamics coming from the instruments giving the tune a more anthem feel, i would say this one would sound great live.

Review by T.Halpin

RANK:****** 6 out of 6

http://www.myspace.com/rotierney

ROADRUNNER

DEMO REVIEW

Roadrunner are a four piece rock band from Dublin, they capture rock music with the essence of rhythm and blues with an indie edge.

Dr Jekyll and Mrs Hyde – This tune has some great melodic structures in the song with some indie rock feel and a Guns n Rose style going on, upbeat and rocking great stuff.

Sparks – This is a more easy listening tune more indie than rock with a nice country feel, the vocals are excellent with some nice catchy lyrics, the mid changes are cool they lift the tune up nice with some great grooving bass and effects streaming from the guitar.

Thief in the alley – This tune has great Who type of an intro and keep its momentum through out the song it kicks and bites with some great vocals and rock out beats.

Review by T.Halpin

RATE: **** VERY GOOD

http://www.myspace.com/roadrunnerband