The Irrepressibles - Nude : Landscapes (Cooperative
Music/Universal Music)
 |
| The Irrepressibles - Nude : Landscapes |
Release Date: 24th March 2014
Man, there are a lot of these
guys. There's Jamie, Nicole, Charlie, Jordan, Chloe, Sarah, James and Ian. One of
these people plays an instrument called the Xylo-synth and at least one of them
is from Scarborough which is where my Gran, rest her soul, was from so they're
alright by me already. The opening to this EP, however, is so starkly beautiful
that you can't help but stop what you are doing to listen as a solo male voice
sings out from the corner of a dark room before piano, violin and what I think
is a rattling guitar join in on 'Out World It Fell So Quietly'. Immediately you
are aware that here is a band doing things very, very differently in creating
Oscar-worthy film scores without a film to inspire or guide them. Jamie
McDermott's soft, soulful vocals are at the fore again on 'New World', carried
only by the gentle piano chords and the listener is transported to a place
between the Ministry of Sound chillout sessions and an emotional place from all
the most heartrending films you've ever seen. I'm talking Forest Gump, Saving
Private Ryan, Toy Story 2 - essentially anything where Tom Hanks is in trouble
and slow-mo is used..
'Wind' is about 10 seconds of the
sound of wind (the natural force not a post-sprouts moment of unfortunateness)
which gives way to 'Arrow', a song so obviously about love that it pours from
every instrument in the lush aural surroundings as the heartbeat drums boom
deep inside your chest. '(sea)' is a lot like 'Wind' but it's in brackets and
is, well, the sound of the sea instead of wind. 'Ship', however, is a magically
nautical tale that takes some inspiration from the ballads of the likes of
Spandau Ballet whilst whipping up an orchestral frenzy. Slightly surprisingly,
'Needing Release' starts with a simple acoustic guitar melody and McDermott's
voice grazing the surface only to be joined by some perfectly subtle harmonies.
And just when you thought you had this lot sussed out, they go and finish up
with the most haunting version of Elvis Presley's 'Always On My Mind' that you
will ever hear. The piano and vocal combination will make this a top choice for
indie funerals in the next 40-50 years but, all flippancy aside, when the
strings swell and the piano crescendos you would have to be incredibly hard
hearted not to at least well up a bit. Creatively speaking, The Irrepressibles
have got to be one of the most intriguing and exciting acts around with the
potential to do anything they want. Apart from taking a taxi anywhere together,
there are just too many of them.
More information: http://theirrepressibles.com/
Live Dates:
26th March - Village Underground, London
29th March - Stealth Nightclub, Nottingham
31st March - Deaf Institute, Manchester
3rd April - The Cellar Bar, Oxford
4th April - ARC, Stockton-On-Tees
5th April - Tin Angel Music & Arts, Coventry
6th April - The Fleece, Bristol
8th April - Whelans, Dublin
9th April - The Black Box, Belfast
8th April - Whelans, Dublin
9th April - The Black Box, Belfast