Eugene McGuinness - Eugene McGuinness Vs 
The Universe (Mellowtone Records/Docklands Speed Shop)
Release Date: Out Now
I have to admit to a certain amount of trepidation around listening to this album because it came with an aura that it might just be one of those albums that stays with you for a long time. Folks, I wasn't wrong. So, steel yourself and clear some space in your diary, we're going in. 'Eugene McGuinness Vs The Universe' is the latest album from Eugene McGuinness (shocker) but it is more than an album - this is a thing of beauty that should be treated as such. From the opening track, 'Meteor Man', we are welcomed into an abandoned mansion currently inhabited by the spirit of Phil Spector recording an album with Richard Hawley - how's that for a start?
'Seascape' has the feel of the Verve at their peak with lush strings swooning around McGuinness' effortlessly charming vocal delivery. Recent single 'London' still works brilliantly as a bitter sweet ode to the city while 'If You Say So' is the Bond anti-theme dripping in 60s ambition, vintage vibes and some honest song writing. On 'From The Bridge', the arrangements get stripped back to something more intimate (despite the choir) but 'Icarus' has a dreamy, almost trippy quality that will have you floating off to somewhere, anywhere else.
The clattering percussion and smooth synths of 'Eastend Requiem' put me in mind of more chilled out Arctic Monkeys moments while 'Drag' takes us to an altogether dreamier place where acoustic streams and vulnerable vocals flow on a gentle stream of melodies. Penultimate track 'There's Always Next Time..' sounds like 'Wichita Line Man' if it had been written from a Londoner's perspective and that rich vocal more than fills the gaps left by the sparse instrumentation. We leave our hero on final track 'Warped Tapes', a world weary lullaby for the times we live in. This is the kind of album that will be held dear by many and that's just as it should be, a deeply moving and impressive record.
More information: https://www.instagram.com/eugenemcguinnessofficial/