Reviews Written by cathal

Beauty in Mouth

Pros: Beautiful melodies, clever lyrics, soulful music

Cons: Frustraingly close to perfection

Some albums are released into the public and are picked up by an adventurous DJ or receive acclaim from the 'in' band at the moment, and all of a sudden the album and band are rocketed to success. And we, who bought the album before all of the fame, can sit with a smirk knowing we spotted the talent before the crowds!
But then there are the hidden pleasures. The pleasure of having a recording that fewer have heard about - or of stumbling onto a band at a small venue that blows you away -and it is your own little secret.
While the world is hailing The Thrills as the saviours of Irish music, the real gem of '04 for Irish music lies untouched yet there for everyone to enjoy in the form of BellX1's 'Music in Mouth'.
From the opening riff to the explosive chorus, Snakes and snakes sets the tone for what is to follow. Which, by the way, is the 'can't-help-but-grin-like-a-fool-and-tap-your-foot' song 'Alphabet Soup'. Following the calm ensued by the meditative 'Daybreak', your heart strings are pulled from the opening piano chords of 'Eve, the apple of my eye'. And here is the most frustrating part of the album - you can see the line at which the band have stopped short of, the line between critical and commercial success. Although perfect in its album recording, you can imagine a slight change to the tempo of the song which would make it an instant chart hit, which could propel the song, and the band to new heights of success.
But the strength of the album prevents you from dwelling on the 'what could have been' for two long as next is one of the albums (unlimited) highlights, the sublime 'Next to you'. It is in this song that all of the elements which appear individually at different stages on the album blend together to perfection. Quirky, break-up sex inducing lyrics (I'm not over you, can I get back under' - I have got to try this out after my next break up!!)
and a melody which creeps up on you in a way that echoes Neil Finn/Crowded House at his/their best.
The album flows effortlessly through the sublime 'West of her spine' and 'Bound for Boston' to the all out rockers of White water song and Tongue. At which point the album settles at a pace at which it remains for the remainder of the album, with the aching tale of lost love and loved ones, 'In Every Sunflower'. This is the kind of song that you wish you could right for a friend or lover who has passed away and at the same time is so beautiful in its simplicity that you can actually imagine yourself being able to write and sing it. It is this switch from the complexity of songs like water water song to raw emotion of '...sunflower' that echoes of song craftmanship of the Paul Simon calibre.
The album concludes with 'I'll see your heart, and raise you mine. A nursery rhyme like melody that builds into a final group vocal that you know was born onto man for the soul purpose of enmass sing alongs in a sweaty stadium near you. And, if Music in Mouth reaches a fraction of the success it deserves, this is where we will be seeing the BellX1 boys next. Watch this space. ...