New Music Review: Kiernan McMullan - Perfect People Are Boring

Reposted from Paddy-Whacked Radio™

By Natalie Herman

http://pwradio.net/news/?p=63

“You have no idea how damn entertaining it is to be me.”

So sings Kiernan McMullan on “Stick it Out,” the opening track to his One Eleven Records debut, Perfect People Are Boring. After listening to the CD, one would have to agree.

For one of such a tender age – McMullan is days shy of his 22nd birthday - he manages to combine fun with intelligence, a feat that few artists can pull off. His extensive vocabulary and historical and pop culture references (Ghandi, The Beatles, and Johnny Quest are equally represented) combine with his self-deprecating sense of humour and unwillingness to take himself, his subject matter, or life in general too seriously. Even with his tongue-in-cheek approach, he still manages to pull off sage lyrics and astute observations.

“Cardboard Swords,” a sexy-sounding piece with great drums and captivating keyboards, is a fun-filled homage to the television series, “Venture Brothers.” Kiernan and company have compiled a fitting video from home-movie footage showing the band through everything from setting up and performing to life on the road and how they amuse themselves during downtime. This song, like many on the disc, just begs to be played on “repeat.”

All isn’t fun and games, however; McMullan shows his serious side, touching on issues such as homelessness, teenage parenthood, addiction, and domestic violence with songs such as “Pretend” and “Grace and Love.”

McMullan can lean toward stylistic similarity to Jason Mraz, especially on songs like “Fireworks” and “You’re Only Angry (When You’re Wrong).” Like Jason Mraz, though, it is obvious that McMullan is an individual whose songs mean a great deal to him.

Don’t let titles like that of the funky “Ballad of a Shallow Man” fool you – McMullan’s writings come from somewhere deep and honest. Luckily, he doesn’t let that honesty translate to self-importance, as evidenced by his directive, “If you’re going to go mad, go mad with intention.”

McMullan’s fingers seem to have been made for the strings, which he demonstrates particularly on “Little White Lie.” Anyone who has seen McMullan perform can attest that he has a fascinating way of handling his guitar. Happily, he has found himself surrounded by a group of musicians who seem equally equipped to bring the best from their instruments. The drums over the bridge of “Borderline” or the funky bass in “Do it Right” are perfect examples of what can happen when the right instrument falls in the right hands.

Recorded partially at the famous Grouse Lodge which has birthed albums from the likes of R.E.M. and Michael Jackson, this collection of songs successfully spans many genres while remaining a solid and cohesive album. One wonders if the disc perhaps has taken a bit of the magic of the studio with it.

Perfect People Are Boring, but this album is anything but!



Kiernan is currently on tour in the U.S. promoting his album. He is making his way through the eastern States before taking the stage at SXSW in Austin on March 18.

Natalie Herman provides content for Paddy-Whacked Radio™ News

Copyright © 2008 Natalie Herman and Paddy-Whacked Radio™

"I hate your face but I love your body"

Okay, so perhaps you have read the PWR review of Kiernan McMullan’s debut CD (and then RUSHED out and downloaded it LEGALLY from iTunes / Amazon / Napster / Rhapsody for your listening pleasure, right??) and wondered what my favorite song off it was?

Well, someone did ask me what my favorite song from this addictive disc was and I was unable to provide an answer. For this reason, I bring you:

The Screeching Fangirl Breakdown of Perfect People Are Boring :D

Stick is Out is fast fun furious
Cardboard Swords is dreamy and campy and fun
That Afternoon - never better dialogue in a song since Bell X1’s “Rocky Took a Lover.” Beautiful harmony vocals
Ballad of a Shallow Man - that is a damn sexy song. I love the “oh-oh-ohhhs” and the incredibly sexy caesurae.
Borderline – hearing this song on the disc was kinda great cos I knew it so well already, but the polishing changes are great and the drums over the bridge - Dec Clarke is really in great form
Grace and Love - heart wrenching and honest and his voice just matches the mood so well
Worst Enemy – Funky all around and wall-tumbling, ass-kicking drums. This song rocks so hard.
Pretend - are you SURE this is a 21-year-old writing this stuff??? Tragic, touching, inspired. Background vocals for the win!
Do It Right - funky, fun, naughty, sexy
What Was I Thinking - so honest and self-reflecting but not preachy or arrogant, just one man recognizing the futility of his ideals - but you still get the idea that he will hang on to them anyway
Fireworks - I love it when Kiernan does that scat thing. Few people can pull that off well, and his voice is all sultry and there is something about the audible fingers on strings that gives me chills. I wrote earlier that he reminds of Mraz on this tune, but upon further listen, I can hear a bit of Sting in his voice, too. Very nice.
You're Only Angry (When You're Wrong) - that is SUCH a brilliant take on relationships and despite it being brutally honest about a crappy situation, it is fun and hopeful, not all emo and self-pitying
Little White Lie - the guitar on this just BLEW ME AWAY. If for nothing other than the guitar fingering, this song is brilliant
Force Me Into the Light – acoustically breaks away from the rest of the CD while maintaining the same intent and grain of the disc. An eye-opening song about having your eyes opened – as you are kinda dragged kicking and screaming into it. Even so, there is no bitterness or anger, just the peace that comes when you finally let go of the things that are holding you down. The light, airy instrumentation echos the release

Talk to me after another 30 listens, I might have more stuff to say.

>.>

<.<

Once

I know you all, reading this, are going to judge me. Don't worry, I judge myself.

Before we start my defense, allow me my opening statement, as in any good jury trial. Shall we, then?

Anyone who knows me even an iota knows how much I love U2. Well, know, then, that I have a large number of U2 concerts on video that I have compulsively obtained and hoarded, but which have remained unwatched. It is not easy for me to expose myself to something new without the benefit of giving it my full attention. And my full attention is rarely mine to give - I am rather well-known for being a multi-tasker.

That said, I rarely can devote the 1-1/2 to 2 hours to watch a new movie unless 1) I go to the theatre and have no choice but to pay attention; 2) someone else is watching it with me and I have no choice but to pay attention; 3) an outcome of some sort is expected of me from having watched the movie. Even if it's something that I am highly anticipating or that I desperately want to watch, as in the above-cited example.

Once has been on my to-do list for quite some time.

Well, yeah?? 1) Glen Hansard of The Frames. I'm on board! 2) Highly recommended by a number of people 3) Personally recommended - well, actually, that is not a strong enough word. I believe the edict from my brother was "Go. Watch it tonight. And buy the soundtrack." - by my brother. Fear not, dear brother, I bought the soundtrack as directed and of course, it is phenomenal as expected. 4) The gut feeling that it is just an amazing film. 5) A slew of fancy awards and whatnots. Not that I ever really let another's opinion sway me to or against something.

Finally, perhaps influenced by my complete inability to sleep like a normal person and therefore being awake really early after staying up really late, I decided enough was enough and it was time to watch Once.

I am so glad I did not watch this movie in the company of other human beings. Most people would not understand my inexplicable weeping every time a song played. I knew this would happen, but I didn't realize the extent of it all. There is so much power in the music of this film that it put whatever part of my brain that controls my emotions on "override" and just completely took over the place.

Thank God for the little bits of comedy in the movie. Without it, I fear the taxation of my being would have been too much.

This movie and the music that accompanies it is beyond brilliant. So gripping, so powerful, so poignant, so amazing.

I mean, I knew it would be amazing - I myself have recommended it without having watched it - but I had NO. CLUE.

I think I must watch it again tonight.

You had me from "Hey hey, sha la la"

originally posted August 7, 2007

I saw an interview recently in which Larry said that when he listens to "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses," he cringes because it is so bad and he feels like they could have done so much better with that song.

So I want to say to Larry:

I had always been, at best, a casual U2 fan. Sure, I liked U2. If someone asked me if I did, I would say yes, although I really only knew what I heard on the radio. But I counted myself among the "fans." I was not prepared for what would happen to me when I first heard "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses."

It not only opened a new chapter in my life, it broke open a brand-new book, fresh empty pages begging to be written.

The cassette single (well, now I am dating myself, aren't I?) was the first item of U2 merchandise I ever purchased. I listened to "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" and the included extra songs over and over. It was like that song - that one moment in time as I walked through the living room and caught the video (playing on some station which I can only assume was MTV back when they played videos) and froze in my tracks - changed who I was. Everything that I thought about music was about to change and it was that song which awakened me to this.

I bought Achtung, Baby and played it until I knew every song in my sleep. Then I bought Zooropa and I continued my musical feast. I went backward in time and purchased all of the previously-released U2 CDs I could find - and I mean ALL; I paid dearly for some bootlegs before I saw the light and learned about u2torrents.com.

Although I was all about Bono - I practically worshipped him - I appreciated the other parts of the songs as well. I can see it now that I hear music in separate tracks as opposed to as a merged whole and my ears anticipate a bass line, a guitar riff, a cymbal crash. It's like you guys unzipped music for me, taught me how to dissect a song and reconstruct it again even as I listen to it. I never really paid attention to who did what or who sung what (which has caused many an uproarious moment in my recent life as I learn time and again that I have been inadvertently perving over The Edge for the past 12 years :/) or who was married or who was single or who said what or did what. It was all about the music for me.

I bought your biographies and didn't read them. I bought the magazines and didn't look at them or read the interviews. I taped the TV appearances and never watched them. It was all about the music for me.

I jokingly say that until January of this year, I didn't know that there were three other guys in the band. But just now, in the car, listening to "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" to see why it makes you, Larry, cringe, I know that that is a lie. Edge's guitar is in my brain. Your drums are in my brain. Adam's bass is in my brain. You four became not just a part of but a representation of my life.

And it all started with "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses."

wHole

The title track, "wHole," in its third-place position on the album, serves to define the entire tone of the album. The song "wHole," itself, is a play on words, and the songs you will find here are the stories of individuals who are anything but "whole." The songs collected on this sophomoric CD from Little Palace are all searching for those missing pieces to complete the self, the situation, the search. "Is this me under my skin?" The journey to find the self begins with this idea.

The most stand-out song is "Tourniquet," with its infectious bass line, superior percussion, and guitar solos that compel you to sit up and take notice. Combine this with melodic harmonies and the easy way that the lyrics spill from Brunnock's generous store of brilliant material and lines which seem plucked from the Theatre of the Absurd, and you have a song of unmatched caliber.

"End Game" finds Brunnock's usually tender voice stripped and raw. His voice digs its heels in the dirt and launches at you, quelled only when joined by Ann-Louise Mulvaney's chilling harmony. The strings which intro this song mirror Brunnock's voice, simultaneously course and refined. This piece is an instant favorite.

"Soft White and Indigo" is an earnest offering which on the surface seems so simple, but it is an exercise of both vocal and string feats of excellence.

It is clear from songs such as "Tourniquet," "My Way," and "wHole" that Brunnock is comfortable with language and that language is equally comfortable to pour forth from Brunnock like a stream running swiftly down a mountain, taking the curves where needed without missing a beat.

Percussion is a definite strong point on this album and its employment serves as the mortar the binds the ballads to the rockers.

One does not need to understand Gaelic to recognize the incompleteness expressive in the lonesome vocal strains of the beautiful elegy, "An Buan".

Invoking gems of wisdom ("Every path is the one when walked by companions," and the deliciously dual-meaninged, "pride is enough to bring a nation to its knees"), posing thought-provoking ideas with no explanatory redundancy ("Happiness was born a twin"), and lamenting the inevitable situations when "sympathy is a luxury," this is a thinking person's compilation.

Despite the excellent musical talents that contribute to make this album, the vocals of the three members of Little Palace are what really define this band. Their voices rise together, pass through one another, become one, and just as easily return to themselves like beams of colored light crossing and changing and separating again. Occasionally, a guitar will sneak itself into the trio to become the fourth vocalist.

Unfortunately, Little Palace disbanded in 2000, but Brunnock has continued as a solo artist, releasing his solo debut, the brilliant So I Do, in June of 2007. It is a slight departure from his work with Little Palace, but continues in the same vein of imaginative and intelligent songwriting found on Whole. On one point, Brunnock hits the nail on the head: he is, indeed, on his way.

Buy wHole at CDBaby

Buy wHole on iTunes

http://www.myspace.com/michaelbrunnock

So I Do

One does not simply listen to a Michael Brunnock song – one experiences it. Michael Brunnock's songs, while pleasingly smooth and unobtrusive, somehow refuse to remain "background music," and they pull the listener in to their ephemeral existence. So it is with So I Do.

Mournful without being sad. Emotional without being "emo". Evocative without being self-indulgent.

I first heard "Fallen Leaves," about four months ago, and before the song was even complete, I knew that I had to become familiar with the entire music catalog of this artist whose name I did not yet know. More than a hundred listens later, "Fallen Leaves" is both completely ingrained in my mind and brand-new simultaneously. Each listen is as the first; the string solo employed in lieu of a bridge held me captive, and when the drums returned with brilliant force, I found myself struggling to catch the breath that I didn't even realize I was holding for the past four measures.

Michael Brunnock's performance is straight-forward and unassuming. However, don't be fool enough to dismiss this artist as a simple countryman; his lyrics reveal an intelligent and well-educated man behind his gentle melodies. Listen carefully and you will hear literary allusions, complex metaphors, and well-placed puns along with political commentary and disdain for mindless militancy.

"Little Boy Blue," perhaps the most political song in his repertoire, is also the most evocative. It employs strong imagery both lyrically and musically – one can almost picture the small orchestra backing him as he sings his complex simplicities.

"Dance to the Wind" is a beautiful piece which displays both Brunnock's impressive vocal diversity and his imaginative lyric writing; the anthropomorphic song is told from the point of view of a wise old tree in a tale reminiscent of Dr. Seuss's The Lorax.

Not to be dismissed as a minstrel, Brunnock pulls "Born Again" and "Niagara Falls" from up his sleeve, showing that he can rock with the best of them.

Jenna Nicholls's backing vocals on "Man Overboard" and "Breastplate" both blend with and complement Brunnock's voice seamlessly. Nicholls's airy vocals at the end of the penultimate of the original tunes somehow punctuate the mood of the album.

Michael Brunnock revamps "Secret," a powerful song from his days with Little Palace, to round out the CD, convincingly evidencing that he is fully capable as a solo artist.

One would be hard-pressed to find a more well-pieced collection of songs that satisfy both the spirit and the intellect. So I Do does so both humbly and almost with a shrug. Brunnock is not out to please anyone with his offering – it is clearly a labour of love.


For more information, see:
http://www.myspace.com/michaelbrunnock
http://ww.cdbaby.com/michaelbrunnock
Little Palace - Whole
Little Palace - Beekeeper
http://www.myspace.com/jennanicholls