Music Review L

Latitude

The Bloody Stream, Howth
Live review
28/08/09

As I walked into this cosy tavern under the Dart terminus in Howth, I was met with a huge backdrop behind the stage, depicting a winged Goddess surrounded by Zombies on horseback. There was an air of excitement about the place, as the boys from Latitude were setting themselves up for what looked like a busy night.

In this small venue I wondered how you'd get a good crowd in, but as the night unfolded I realised that the audience also included anyone sitting outside at the smoking area, who could enjoy the show just the same through the windows and with a small amount of seating inside, it was a case of standing room only apart from a couple of bar stools.

Made up of five members; Ian O'Reilly/Vocals, Chris McDonnell/ Guitar, Dan McAleese/guitar, Philip Doyle/ Bass and Mark Verling/ Drums & Sax, this band hail from North Dublin and consider themselves a mixed cauldron of styles. With Rock/Blues influences and lots of charisma, they instantly brought to mind a favourite band of mine, Jaded Sun. Lots of old and new acts filter through their songs such as Zeppelin, Guns and Roses, AC/DC and many more. They are young, gorgeous and seem to have everything going for them and this was my first taste of their music live. I couldn't wait for the show to start!

Sugar Rush
Twin guitar riffs, distortion throughout, a screaming lead solo and a fast moving beat, this was a fabulous number to start on.

Highs & Lows
The riff intro in this is seductive and is done by two guitars in synch. It has a classic rock beat which is fast, a catchy chorus with the now familiar riff repeated in the background, sweet flourishes on lead guitar and bass to die for throughout. Philip was a bit squashed into the background but his baselines are certainly not subdued. Harmony is cool here and Ian's vocals are excellent. There's a fantastic screaming solo. This song blows me away!

Blackout
One or two technical hitches had to be fixed up before the guys continued. That was sorted out and they started with a sweet intro, which got a big cheer from the crowd who were treated to a few hi jinx a la Phil on bass, to keep them amused. He got a big cheer and as soon as they launched into the next song, they got a huge response from the now warmed up audience. Is it Brian Johnson or Jon Bon I hear in Ian's voice? Whichever it is, he has a clear and appealing delivery of each number. Tricky guitar bits, a slow down for the middle eight and yet another amazing lead solo.

Ian asked does anyone here like the Beatles and my hand shot up. I was totally bursting with delight when I heard the intro to Get Back.
Chris sang the chorus along with Ian here. Bassist does a lot of exciting stuff and those sexy guitar chords that get me every time I hear this classic are phenomenal and I give them top marks for a fab rendition of it!

Lexi
This is a slower number and I wasn't sure about the sound in this one. There seemed to be a bit of an imbalance. However, this song has a Guns and Roses style melody and I really enjoyed the guitar solo.

Boneyard Blues
Slinky ZZ Top type number, with distortion all over the place, fluently played riffs and hooks and Chris performs a sweet riff, while Dan plays a sexy lead solo. They then do a twin guitar solo and it's absolutely perfect.
Phil, who is no shy violet, also gets a look in here and you just know that Latitude's general sound employs a lot of elaborate baselines which are his forte.

Walk this Way (Aerosmith Cover)
A popular number with young rock crowds, this number went down a treat. Ian does a great job of the vocals, which my guest remarked have a tinge of Robert Plant about them and he certainly has charm and a way with an audience.
The place was hopping and you could feel how much these guys love what they do. They definitely have something and there is a void in the current music scene where this kind of rock is concerned, that I think they'll fill beautifully.

Phil's song
Chris sings the lead vocals in this song. Big resounding chords in the verse and generally a sweet number, it went down well.

Beat it (Michael Jackson cover)
This was an unexpected extra and was performed as a sign of respect for the great man himself R.I.P.
I wondered how they'd carry it off. Ian performs his less squeaky version of the popular number and the chords and lead were all done seamlessly. Not an easy task either!

Dark Heart Blues
About a walk on the beach, this number has a trickling lead intro and develops into a moody strut, with a choppy beat. Phil got a nice bit of bass in and those bending notes on lead supplied a sexy backdrop. Dry ice lends atmosphere and both I and my friend agreed that it was the best number of the whole evening. Melody is divine and Ian's vocals at their best.

They did yet another cover Brown Sugar ( Rolling Stones) and then Bloody Mary which has a lovely intro. This fast song involves some juicy lead and is explosive and memorable. Chord combinations are delicious and a blistering solo is done, plus more twin guitar riffs that I can never get enough of. The chorus involves a key change and is just excellent.

Tigers
The whole place was fogged up with dry ice as the lads began this song. Busy bass, distortion laden riffs and a catchy melody, it's a fast and cheeky number. The guitars are everything here and Ian's vocals pretty special, but his mike was a little too quiet. This adrenaline packed song is well written, has a fantastic solo, is explosive and I love the lyrics; She's a tiger, she got dirty dreams inside her.

Lifeline starts quietly, but builds up. This was a good choice for a last song with a screaming solo in the middle and a big rolling finish.

They got an encore and did 'Walk this way' one more time and were pestered to do more. I thought I'd mention to the drummer how I felt they had a sound like Jaded Sun's and was thrilled to bits when he told me he knew Gavin, their drummer and that their next big gig was going to be in The Village, with none other than Jaded Sun. If I can make it, I think that would be a double whammy for sure.

LBIONIC
"It's right when it's wrong"
Review
lbionic

Lbionic aka Brendan McHugh has crafted a six track EP called "It's right when it's wrong" strong jazz root links on this EP and Lbionic has created a fresh side of hip hop or maybe even slight electro/dub styled rhythms its got all the marks of fusion jazz but the songs are well coated with hip hop tones and electro strides. The work on track one "Celtic Tiger Turd" is deep in electronic dub with jazz styled vocals almost touching the hip hop boundaries. Track four "It's ok to feel wrong" if you know your composers well lbionic should be up there with Lalo Schifrin for producing such a track this music would suit a lot of movie theme work. Track six "Dazed" has your lazy hip hop styled tone,it sounds a bit like Gravediggaz in the way Lbionic uses the deep murky effects on this tune. I feel this EP is a statement that stands out for attention.
Review by T.Halpin

Rank: ***** 5 out of 6

http://www.myspace.com/lbionic

Four piece band Ladydoll from Cork/Ireland have put together a very interesting two track EP, first song "Honeybunny" starts and stop style melodic rock with some Foo Fighter sounding like tones.. but not to take away the fact this track has some potential but lacking originality. The second track "Genetics" this song is totally different to the first track its like Ladydoll were on a different wave length when writing this, the first thing that jumps out at you is the melodic guitar at the intro but the vocal weeps like Placebo to me i feel Ladydoll need to build on originality more and try hide their influences, it's ok to like a band but to sound too much like one...not a good move unless your band is a tribute act.

The opening track ‘Santa Maria’ is I believe the oldest Lisa De’Ville track to date, and it is a great introduction to this Artist. ‘Santa Maria’ outlines everything that after this you will come to expect from Lisa De’Ville, stunning vocals, an eerie quality but strangely you’d feel comfortable listening to this on a Californian beach to the metronome beat of the sea, and melodies that graze past ideas of ‘Hallelujah’ (whichever version you wish to compare it too.)

‘Darkest Hours’ is the second track that is encouraged out of its shell with the spooky begins of Viola followed by picked deep electric guitars and then Lisa’s unsettling voice. The lyrics take you through a dark tale of a vulnerable person repeating ‘In my darkest hours I called your name’.

The track then comes to life Epically with pounding bass and thumping drums that leave everything to the skins to signify the pounding of the subjects heart possibly, before guitars, crashing cymbals and Lisa’s voice are taken to a further more intense surrounding, with hints of influence from Amy Lee.

After the cooling off of ‘Darkest Hours’, third track ‘Moving On’ enters, with the jangle of Banjo’s, Double Bass, and picked acoustics. Lisa recently played this track on a Live session with BBC Radio Leicester, and it is easy to see why she chose this.

‘Moving On’ is a much more listen-able track to the others so far, despite being crammed with layers of instruments, it doesn’t require as much devotion as the previous two tracks, and so a completely different listen to the first.

Simplified one stage more, as it seems like Lisa is teasing listeners in a ‘dumbing’ down fashion stage by stage. By no means do I mean this in a bad way, because fourth track ‘Blue’ is arguably the best song on this myspace.

With Catchy enough melodies, the beautifully complimentary slides of electric guitars over more deep strings and layers of acoustic guitars, this track wouldn’t be out of place along side a play list of Regina Spektor’s ‘Begin To Hope’ album, or on a film score, a very sad piece that would pull the coldest of hearts to stop and listen.

Every Artist has the dilemma when writing of how much of their talent to show off, and how much to hold back for the song and do what is needed. In the final track ‘A New Day’ Lisa manages to crush these decisions by including every inch of her vocal talent while allowing the music to hold back and be carried by this phenomenal voice.

By this point in the Myspace if you haven’t been sucked in by Lisa De’Ville then you must be either Deaf or you just really hate your ears being used in the best possibly way they were designed for.

I love the term "Alternative rock" because a) it must be the largest catchment of bands there is, and b) it has to be satisfying as songwriters, not to popped into a convenient industry genre.

Alternative or alt.rock is a badge worn with honour by Ladydoll, as they forge their own path of guitar driven, catchy, indie rock songs. The thing that makes me grin into my cappuccino is that even I am struggling to find bands to use as comparisons to illustrate their style - so for a cynical and addled reviewer like me, thats pretty cool, and a good indicator of innovative song writing. So, what you have is some cleverly thought out and colourful sounding guitars that drive all the songs along, which combine great sing-a-long pop song sensibility and credible indie act in equal measure. The guitars are definitely key, and are either quirky staccato riffs or driving Foo Fighter chord play that lead the songs from the front, but they also have the added bonus of some clever use of word-play, vocals and bang on backing vocals to make a well rounded package. The whole band are tight and even when the riffs go a little 'off-piste' from the more grand pop hooks they operate as a unit and sound like a proper "band" playing for the songs, from the head nodding and Feeder-like 'You know best' to the quirky Strokes-like goodness of 'Charm Alarm'.

One anomaly on the whole deal is Fin Sedas's vocals, which, don't get me wrong, are well sung but are delivered in an unapologetically, West Coast American accent, despite hailing from Cork, but it doesn't seem to detract in any way from the songs to me, in fact it gives them a very Wheatus or Fountains of Wayne feel. Personally - that could have been a bit of a gamble, but I like it and it sits well in the context of the songs although he can explain himself to his Mum...

I see that Ladydoll are in the finals of the National Student Music Awards in April ('08) and good luck to them. Any band that can make fantastically catchy and well executed songs that instantly live in the memory, and yet remain refreshingly original would get my vote. Don't believe me? Kudos just has to go out to anyone who can make the line "This upright posture's damaging me" into an anthem.

'Ludwig' O'Niell is a solo singer/songwriter from Belfast. Christened Davy O'Niell, he was nicknamed Ludwig as a youngster and it seems to have stuck. He has a new EP out called 'Let Go' out and a shopping list of live dates (only in Ireland at the moment though) and the impressive CV of a seasoned performer. How do I know so much? Well take a look at the beautifully written but probably one the of the longest bio's & gig lists about a solo artist I've ever seen (no really, its like a highbrow novel!). One things for certain, Davy is definitely an open book and thats part of the charm and charisma of the guy which filters through to his music. And what of the music? Well you have Celtic tinged, folk based guitar ballardry, topped with Davy's warm, dark brown vocals, no doubt hewn out of a long time crooning in (formerly) smokey bars. If you'd like a thoughtful Van Morrison or a chilled-out Joe Cocker, you'd be hard pushed to get better than Ludwig. The EP (which can be bought online) is very very good. Moving pictures painted with guitar and fiddle but keeping well on the right-side Celtic diddly-dee clichés. The moody and heartfelt lilt of the title track 'Let Go' is worth getting on its own but "How do you feel" is brings us much closer to a Celtic Oasis, circa, 'Wonderwall'.
Davy 'Ludwig' O'Niell is one of those artists who are just plain good. They're not trying to be 'scene' or elbow their way to the front of the Pop Idol queue. And its a sad indictment on the powers to be that record label A&R guys won't be beating a path to his door for exactly those reasons. But what you do have is a song-writing quality, depth and heartfelt warmth in abundance which, for my money, is worth a million of Simon Cowell's opinions.

This collection from Little Nightmare brings some polished metal sounds
together with well-worked vocals.
On one hand, the recording of a solid collection of songs while, on the
other hand, the tracks hold the directed diversity of a mature sound.
The versatility and dynamics of the vocals is mainly what keeps these
songs
fluid and interesting.

LILA

ARTIST OF THE MONTH DEC 07

'Hold On' EP Review

Both of these songs are of a catchy pop/rock nature. ‘Hold on’ has all the appeal of a nineties anthem with a well-suited vocal style, while ‘Find a Way’ is more upbeat and with more changes in tempo. Both songs have some good dynamic qualities and Lila’s sound becomes more attractive with each play. The songs are easy-listening, radio friendly and highly stylized tracks.

A unique style of singing full of original flavor Liam Cottrell can change the mood from light to dark.

WASTE IT ALL - There is a real good feel coming from the rhythm gutair in this song, vocal sounds great especially in the chorus very energetic and driving, a nice build up in the vocal sounds excellent.

LONDON TOWM- Here is a great catchy tune, lyrics are very well written and placed in this song, its got a good rhythm gutair with a good moving groove in it.

WHEN SHE SMILES - This song has cool intro on the gutair gives off a folk feel until it kicks into the chorus a really rocks out, vocals are excellent on this track.

Lorraine is a singer songwriter from the

United Kingdom

with some Irish roots that reflect trough out this album very mystical with a Celtic flow catching the melodies with some cool blues jazzy tones. "No resistance" vocals sound superb in this track keeping the melody in a nice drifting manner, a real easy listening tune with the elements of Joni Mitchell. "From the heart" at first I thought this was a BB.King number has the flow of a blues great but Lorraine's vocals shift it to a different feel with a folk gospel twist nice. "Your love" fantastic folk feel from the vocals with some real solemn music backing up the tune dynamics are perfect in the voice Lorraine works her vocal like an instrument of a angel. "Danni" there is a bit of Paul Simon feel from the melody like new world music with the vocals grasping the tune to a different level bringing in a subtle folk tone over this song. "A light over there" were have you hear these lyrics before? excellent the way Lorraine composes and structures the lyrics is fantastic it’s catchy and a real mellow with a jazzy folk feel to the melody. "If you want me to" this is a very deep and moving song with strong Celtic folk roots vocals are very well constructed and the dynamics are sweet in Lorraine's voice a real Sunday morning song after a heartbreaking weekend. "Dreamers" the rhythm coming from this tune has all the elements of a trad folk mixed with Irish feel, vocals and the wording of the lyrics are perfect for a nice jig in the sun on a rainy day. "Your majesty" this tune is very mystical like a song from a fairytale story with folk guitar playing and beautiful melodies in the background very sad feeling tune fantastic lyrics. "Nothing has been said" very laid back acoustic folk tune with creative lyrics very soothing to the ears, uplifting vocals dynamics are great. "Sweet mystery" there is a cool country blues feel from this tune the vocals a very bright on top of the beat all of the time upbeat with a nice jazzy tone. "Dum di diddle" very melodic both vocal and music flowing rhythm with a great title to catch the ear.