Blue Whale - Shortbread Fingers

Blue Whale - Shortbread Fingers

Music collective Blue Whale has gained quite a name for themselves on the local and national scene. The experimental five-piece from Belfast is known for pushing the boundaries with their music, bringing questions such as “what is a song?” and “what instrument is that?” to the mouths of fans. A promising and fresh group that unfortunately seems to have suffered from an acute case of ‘can we' instead of 'should we.’ Their absolute dedication to structured chaos in their composition is worthy of applause but their latest release Shortbread Fingers is a haphazard construction that leaves me with only one question: “Why?”

It is essential to note that Shortbread is not necessarily a bad song. However experimental music is, by its very nature, hit or miss. The positive notes are solid, with modern, technical riffs adding to a palpable sense of unease, and the songcraft that has made Blue Whale so popular still present. It was this sense of unease though that I found impossible to ignore, as it is the predominant theme throughout as opposed to a complementary piece. This was too much for me without lyrics to justify itself. Excessive to the point where it became difficult for me to concentrate, Shortbread is an unfortunate case of “Too much, too young, too fast”


It must again be reiterated that this is not a bad song, merely poorly executed. Gratifying, imaginative and riffy when at its best, there is enough for the discerning ear to enjoy if the time is taken to peel back layers, but this writer is unable to think this is not a step back for this promising group.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stayne - Parachute

Image
Stayne - Parachute Derry singer/songwriter Stayne makes a highly anticipated return to the ‘new releases’ column with ‘ Parachute ’. A self-described pop artist who brings “something a little different,” his newest single pulls no punches. On his latest, the ‘I slay ’ performer tackles everything from alcoholism, spirituality and needing someone to hold on to a 'human parachute.’ Know to fuse his lyricism with introspection and self-worth before sending them out into the world, Stayne’s newest is his best so far. The warm gruff vocals of the walled city resident flow into range, telling a tale of victory and failure. A stripped back arrangement of keys and ghostly strings help elevate the vocal message, ultimately committing addition by subtraction. Wallowing in a more subtle sound than would be expected from pop allows Stayne to bring his voice to the forefront, giving lines such as “I’m a whole different man when I’m holding a beer” a new gravity. With this being
Read more

Stone Broken, Those Damn Crows + Baleful Creed - 10th February 2019

Image
Stone Broken, Those Damn Crows + Baleful Creed - 10th February 2019 As I make my way down fountain street, my breath materialises in front of me. As it dissipates into the night, a low rumbling grows. It’s emanating from the top floor of local music hostelry Voodoo, which plays host tonight to a contingent of hard rock fanatic and headbang enthusiasts. The scuzz is palpable as I make my way through the door. First onstage is Belfast’s own Baleful Creed . The heavy rock quartet, known for their weighty riffs and ruthless demeanour, are having some fun tonight onstage. While sticking to the meat and bones of their gruff sound, we are treated to some wavey psychedelic blues in between licks. These deviations don’t last however, and it’s not long before pounding drum fills are shaking my back wall table and gruff, leathery textured vocals are searing the paint of the wall. Ripping up the stage with a prehistoric sound steeped in the blues (a wild harmonica appears for a moment),
Read more

The Hunna - Dare

Image
The Hunna - Dare  Hertfordshire four-piece The Hunna have returned with their newest endeavour Dare, an album that screams “all filler no killer.” Most bands struggle with their second release and The Hunna are no exception. Just as Arctic Monkeys were the first ‘youtube’ band to make it big, The Hunna shunned the circuit for Facebook presence, which worked very well for them as regards to their fanbase. Unfortunately for the rest of us, this did not translate into good music. While I appreciate there are very few Alex Turner/Paul Weller types in the world, Dare is sonically and nigh unforgivably boring even in this era of repetition and dishonesty. There is a formulaic, synthetic feel to the album that sounds not only tiresome but outright disingenuous. Music is amazing because it's organic and primal, it comes from a place of sweat that travels ‘from heart to limb, to pen’ (Bryan Fallon, Handwritten, 2013). This is where the magic comes from, but Dare sounds more akin to
Read more