Morning Claws / Land Lovers / F***ing Road Trip at The Menagerie
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Tonight鈥檚 gig features a pleasing return for (ahem), Flipping Road Trip. The last time we saw this little lot they were melting our faces off on the floor of the Bunatee, and we were mightily impressed. Tonight is a little more restrained, as it鈥檚 10 o鈥檆lock on a school-night and they鈥檙e up on a stage this time, but it鈥檚 still a fearsome performance.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just some aul fellas playing music we couldn鈥檛 play in the 90鈥檚,鈥 quips Ricki O鈥橰awe. This may be true, but they carry it off with a style and aplomb that many so-called 鈥榖uzz鈥 bands would sell their drummer for. This is American style art-rock by the people who grew up with it, people with nothing to prove and who are willing to have fun with it. And that鈥檚 what counts.
Following that we have Dublin鈥檚 Land Lovers with their pleasant indie-pop stylings. Coming across like the mid-point between Pavement and C86, their music meanders between saccharine sweet love songs, to off the wall psychedelic musings. In many ways their music is suggestive of the Coral鈥檚 lysergic sea shanties, possessing that very special brand of looseness that can only come about after endless hours in the rehearsal studios.
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Delivered with a knockabout charm and underpinned with a fantastic drummer and more jingle-jangle than the late, great Sir Jimmy Saville, it鈥檚 a bit of a jar, following (ahem) Flipping Road Trip but the band finish strongly and seem to have made a few more fans.
Paul McIver鈥檚 vocals recall Death Cab for Cutie鈥檚 Ben Gibbard, delicate and soulful. With the precise percussion of Daniel Larkin, comparisons with the Postal Service are inevitable, but it鈥檚 far from a slavish Xerox. 鈥楽lack Magic鈥 makes a welcome appearance, its muscular beat still sounding as good as it ever did, and helping build a little bit of momentum. There鈥檚 a temptation to meander with this sort of music, but there鈥檚 a discipline underlying the good-natured noodling, and there鈥檚 barely a note out of place.
Morning Claws are a confection, much like the shortbread handed out to the punters on arrival 鈥 sweet, sugar coated and not to everyone鈥檚 taste. But if you allow them to carry you away, then you鈥檙e in for a wee treat for the ears.
After an extended interval as Morning Claws set up their formidable array of synths, the band kick off with 鈥楩ight for your Friends鈥, the lead track from their brand new EP Pet Storms, Ancient Clouds. It鈥檚 a considerable departure from last spring鈥檚 taster, 鈥楽lack Magic鈥, recalling Slowdive, Beach House and even Explosions in the Sky鈥檚 earlier efforts. Layered synths curl somewhere near the Menagerie鈥檚 ceiling, and eyes shut as we鈥檙e drawn in.
Shane Horan听
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