Eilis Frawley – ‘Stats’ – Single Review for Louder Than War (2020)

 Eilis Frawley – ‘Stats’ 

Single Review for Louder Than War - 5th September 2020 

https://louderthanwar.com/eilis-frawley-stats-single-review/

Eilis Frawley

’Stats’

Reckless Yes

Download and Streaming Now

8/10

‘Stats’ is the first track from solo drummer and conservatoire-trained percussionist Eilis Frawley’s second EP due this Autumn. It’s a blistering feminist social commentary which demands to be listened to.

I appreciate hearing a track for the first time that grabs your attention and makes you stop what you’re doing, for me this is one of those tracks.

With ‘Stats’ I was hooked from the opening, electronic militaristic drum beat (ironic?) mixing into early electronica (avant-garde but familiar and fresh at the same time).

It was when Australian Eilis’s spoken-word delivery came in that I really started to pay attention, taking me back around 40 years to the first time I heard ‘The Boiler’ by Rhoda Dakar, not that this is quite as harrowing, but from the off it is an uncomfortable listen which never lets up.

The former ‘Party Fears’ member runs through the everyday hardships that women encounter. Lyrically like a more explicit, angrier sibling to Saffiyah Khan’s ’10 Commandments’ on the recent Specials album covering sexual harassment, abuse, rape, domestic violence, panic attacks and mutilation (amongst other things) until suddenly stopping dead.

As a 50 year old male I wasn’t sure if I was the target audience for Eilis’s unapologetically graphic piece of work and discussed this with a close friend. She pointed out that actually every male probably should be, not so we’d feel guilty, but to be mindful of the points made, to understand them and champion them.

In an ideal world there would still be ‘Top Of The Pops’ where Eilis could perform between Little Mix and Ed Sheeran to highlight how challenging and educational music can be, as there isn’t then I hope that an invitation to Jools Holland or a play on daytime ‘6 Music’ may not be far away.

I would definately recommend to anyone who wants to likes their music to land with a message.

More details and social media links for Eilis Frawley:

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram

 

Iain Key 2020

Fightmilk - ‘If You Had A Sister…’ - Single Review for Louder Than War (2020)

Fightmilk - ‘If You Had A Sister…’ 

Single Review for Louder Than War - 31st August 2020

https://louderthanwar.com/fightmilk-if-you-had-a-sister-single-review/

 FIGHTMILK

‘IF YOU HAD A SISTER…’

Reckless Yes

DL and Streaming from 4th September

 

The second single to be lifted from the slightly delayed and as yet unnamed follow up album to 2018’s ‘Not With That Attitude’ (thanks coronavirus!) and follow up to the magnificently titled ‘I’m Starting To Think You Don’t Even Want To Go To Space’

‘If You Had A Sister…’ is a slight, but definitely not unwelcome, departure from the punchy, polished upbeat, pop-tones that you may expect if you’re already familiar with their work and can be traced back to a slight change in line-up with Healey joining on bass.

As the band explain… “we put ‘If You Had a Sister…’ together during our first practice with Healey, which seemed like an incredibly good sign. I don’t think any of us expected it to come out sounding all that different from a regular Fightmilk song, but the more we worked on it, the less it seemed to need to”.

Personally, the first thing that struck was that the opening doesn’t sound too dissimilar from ‘Disintegration’ era Cure, which set the tone, but as soon as Lily Rae’s vocals kick in it’s definitely Fightmilk. The song builds steadily with slightly restrained verses and yearning vocals before breaking into a satisfying tumble of drums and melodic guitars. 

The band expanding, “it’s a bit slower and quieter than the fast guitar pop of the last album, and it’s about all kinds of dark things – but if there was ever a time for songs you can do ominous slow dancing to, it’s 2020.”

I’m not sure if ‘maturing’ is a dirty word and hopefully it’s not one that the band won’t turn their noses up at or running for the sick bucket.

Their debut album seemed to come out of nowhere, confident and fully formed. With the release of ‘If You Had A Sister…”, although a little more subdued, I think it signals the band getting ready to take things to the next level.

 

Follow Fightmilk on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

~

Iain Key 2020

Crimson Bloom – Finer Times – Album Review - for Louder Than War (2020)

Crimson Bloom – Finer Times 

Album Review for 'Louder Than War' - 15th August 2020 

https://louderthanwar.com/crimson-bloom-finer-times/

 

Crimson Bloom

Finer Times

Streaming/Out Now

Crimson Bloom release the long-awaited follow up to their eponymous debut. Iain Key reviews the album for Louder Than War.

Crimson Bloom released their self-titled debut album in 2018, and in their own words, ‘drew heavily on the late 80s/early 90s independent guitar scene with a knowing nod to the psychedelia of the 1960s and a few clubby, dubby flavours thrown in here and there’. To all intents and purposes, it was an unashamed love letter to those heady days of the late ’80s and specifically The Stone Roses, especially on the track ‘Fall For You’ which is like a cousin to ‘Elephant Stone’ with its baggy groove and wah guitar.

Thankfully the second album hasn’t taken 5 years to see the light of day and it builds on the debut picking up more influences rather than just repeating the same formula. If you’re already a fan of the debut you won’t be disappointed. For those new to the band it will draw you in with its melodic hooks, jangling guitars and gentle grooves which give a warm glow and takes you back to summers gone by.

Compared to the debut album, Finer Times is more psychedelic in places and more heartfelt. It deals with a whole range of subjects; Death, Love, Corruption and The Seven Deadly Sins. Having had the album for a few weeks I guarantee anyone coming to it will be rewarded through repeated listens. Andy and the band don’t shy away from their influences, such as The La’s, The Smiths, The Coral and even Can and nor should they, but I feel that their talents as a songwriter and musicians may initially be overlooked.

I won’t break the album down track by track as I think this does the band a disservice and takes away some of the enjoyment of seeking out and hearing an album or new artist. What is pleasing is there is a definite flow to the album with each track complimenting the next. There is nothing that jars or takes you away from the pleasure of listening. This is an art that’s been often forgotten with bands or record companies catering for streaming, loaded with ‘the hits’ before petering out, possibly not expecting the audience, or crediting them with the ability or staying power to last 40 mins before switching to something new.

That’s definitely not the case here as ‘Finer Times’ starts strongly and keeps the listener engaged throughout to its blissful climax.

~

Crimson Bloom are on Facebook & Twitter

Iain Key 2020