Maria Doyle’s Lockdown Listening 1

Hinds – The Prettiest Curse

I came across this all female four-piece from Madrid through The Stephen McCauley Show on BBC Radio Ulster and immediately personally awarded it the unofficial album title of the year.  It neatly encapsulates the universal law of enduring the worst is sometimes for the best, although not realising it at the time.  A ‘montage of’ bittersweet summer cruising moods and relationships, painted by layers of female vocals. Spanish guitar is everywhere, all making for an Indiesummer’, we can hope.   Plus, the perhaps eventual ‘Riding Solo’, has a shaking of samba and curious words making for a mesmeric machine gun of sound.  The band have been releasing selected tracks including from this their third album on streaming sites, the entire album will be readily available from June 5th.

The Defects – The Death of Imagination

The fifth studio album by some of the original orchestrators of Belfast Punk, formed in 1978 they started out playing their favourite covers, and when, a year later, they released their first 7” single ‘Dance Until You Drop’ they were immediately signed to WXYZ records on the strength of one listen! The emphasis is still on oldschool DIY punx and this record was wholly recorded and mastered at a home studio. Many of the socio-political issues of the 1970s and 80s are manifest today, albeit it in relatively different forms. The band have stated the themes of the album (energetically demonstrated by the taster track, ‘Iron in the Fire’) are avarice, hoarding and greed.  Using Kes in the video would suggest being working class is having a glass ceiling and all the goodies were above, below lay lack of opportunity and entrapment. 

THE DEFECTS – IRON IN THE FIRE

Alot of people asking for a wee taster heres a song from our new album “The Death of Imagination” we have ordered the cds (no vinyl yet). If anyone would like a copy presale please PAYPAL £10 (uk) teenagekicks227@hotmail.co.uk this includes p&p plus stickers and a lyric booklet .. £13 (rest of the planet) ..thankyou for your support !

Posted by THE DEFECTS on Wednesday, 27 May 2020

The album is available for presale PAYPAL £10 (UK) teenagekicks227@hotmail.co.uk (stating full postal address).

Baleful Creed – The Lowdown

Vaunting a guitar-driven sound with a distinctively NI edge, Baleful Creed are a four-piece Heavy Rock influenced band from Belfast. Featuring a dual guitar team that lay down head-nodding chunky riffs that touch on the Stoner Rock sounds of Black Sabbath, Danzig and Fireball Ministry topped off with soulful melodic vocals that are fuelled by the thud of a powerful bass and drum rhythm section.

The Lowdown will take whatever is sitting on your counter of problems right now and swipe it all into the nearest bin.  The opening track, ‘Mr. Grim’, begs the question is he a stern lover calling or the secret stasi banging at your door threatening as to “when I take control”?  Second track in, The Phoenix could be a metaphor for never (personal) surrender in the face of coercion and erosion of rights-based humanity in the current political systems. There is a super naturalisation placing within Baleful Creed’s work that casts one in a darkish, gothic realm where it is possible to dissect the present day more satisfyingly. (She knows how to) Pilot my Head appeals, lead me, but don’t drag me, by my acquiescence… remember to “call me by my name…” at the very least to be expected.

Linley Hamilton – For the Record

The album opens with the shimmering piano of ‘Right Angle’, the direction you are pointed in, in trying something new, if its only musically.  Linley’s trumpet style is classic, note perfect, like a well steered drive in a sports car around the Cote d’Azur.  Indeed, the album will transport the mind to sunnier climes, even it this is not possible in the physical. The sultry sounds of the Beatles classic, ‘And I Love Her’, makes you wish you never succeeded in giving up smoking.

Overall, the feel is of an embrace, a tutorial and a unified sound.  In the track, Mo’ Hip, Linely’s style kicks back and relaxes a little, to allow for bathing in jazzy chords and low time signatures. The standard of musicianship on this album will definitely offer a leg up out of an otherwise dull, monochrome existence.

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