Sheepskin – Red Eye
By now, everyone in the world knows that if they have the good fortune of hearing the right kind of sound, their day will magically transform into a good one. A truly terrible song, which you’re much more likely to receive, will ruin a day just the same. Those are the rules of the game, and, after all, everyone has heard pop music, and nearly every person has at least one record, CD, or cassette of their favourite songs that they play to cheer up.
Call it shallow, but the vast majority of beloved songs get by on being pretty. Sure, we like to talk about Lennons, Dylans, and Cohen and about the power of their words. Yes, we like to wax lyrically about how one guitar solo by Eddie van Halen helped sell about a million electric guitars. But, at the end of the day, most successful songs will just need to sound pretty. That’s not a simple thing, though.
Sheepskin’s “Red Eye” manages that simple to-understand but easy-to-accomplish task – it sounds friendly, pretty, and charming. At the heart of is a love for old-fashioned folk-influenced music and a restraint that is worthy of praise. This folk-pop project approaches music like a respectful pupil who never raises their voice when asking a question in class. That works perfectly, with folk music treated in the same way that a jazz combo might treat a piece. It’s darn pretty and sounds just a bit like Faces’ “Glad and Sorry.”
KEYSIDE – RUNAWAY
The microphone in a recording studio picks up a lot more than just the words written for the singer on the page. And even though there are plenty of effect pedals, amplifiers and cables modifying the guitarist’s sound, an ardent fan of a band will know precisely if their guitar hero was sad or happy on the day that he/she stepped into the studio.
The fact is that some emotions are hard to fake. And, if big Hollywood productions of the past have taught us anything, musicians are rarely the greatest actors. Sure, everyone wants records that have the good vibes and warmth sunshine of the first albums by The Beatles or The Beach Boys. But try to create something when the proverbial vibes are not there, and you’ll get caught out right away.
KEYSIDE’s greatest trait is that the band manages to sound positively blissful, whether singing about falling in love or wanting to escape, whether talking about falling in or out of love. “Runaway” is a demo of the emotions that the band is able to bring onto a record. Jangly guitar sounds like these wouldn’t work unless there was purity at the very core. KEYSIDE sound like British kids who’ve just come back from a yoga retreat held in an exotic and warm place.
