Eugene McGuinness — Chroma
•Δ• Mnohem méně nápadné leštění těchto 11 nových skladeb, což má za následek volnější zvuk. Jsou tady kytarové těžké profily, hnané více přes psychedelický objektiv, natažené refrény a retro tóny. Je to infekční do té míry, že občas mám dojem, že budu muset být v karanténě. Vždyť tady to padá až do surrealistických karikatur, jemných a prostorných, čímž Eugene McGuinness z miniminutáže alba dosahuje více místa v mém brain-balónu.
•Δ• Armed with a truly outstanding debut single, "Monsters Under the Bed," that recalls artists ranging from Odelay-era Beck to '80s U.K. cult heroes the Television Personalities, Eugene McGuinness appeared rather out of nowhere in 2007, seeming like he might be the Damon Albarn of the current set of neo-Brit-popsters following in the wake of the Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand.
Birth name: Eugene Michael McGuinness
Born: 11 August 1985, Leytonstone, London, England
Location: London, England, UK
Notable instruments:
•Δ• Gibson J-160E
•Δ• Epiphone Casino
•Δ• Fender Mustang
Album release: July 7th, 2014
Record Label: Domino
Duration: 33:00
Tracks:
01 Godiva 2:37
02 Amazing Grace 2:46
03 Milkshake 2:24
04 She Paints Houses 3:01
05 Immortals 2:47
06 The Crueler Kind 2:44
07 Deception Of The Crush 3:03
08 All In All 5:01
09 Black Stang 2:31
10 Heart Of Chrome 3:07
11 Fairlight 2:59
Highlights: Fairlight, I Drink Your Milkshake
REVIEW
By AMANDA FARAH; July 1st, 2014; Score: 7
•Δ• There’s a boyishness to Eugene McGuinness that is part of his charm. Even on his fourth solo full length, Chroma, there is an endearing youthfulness in his lyrics and delivery, whether he’s quoting movies or singing about a one night stand.
•Δ• With less of the high production gloss than 2012’s The Invitation to the Voyage, Chroma has has a different kind of density and more of an indie vibe.
•Δ• As a result, the whole album is much more understated, never going for high impact vocals and burying guitar solos in the mix. McGuinness’s voice sometimes seems mashed together in overdubs rather than allowed to stand alone. He’s become a stronger singer as his career has progressed, and this tactic also smooths out any traces of the warbles and breaks that surfaced on his earlier works. It’s more consistent, but without those quirks it takes a little longer for songs to grab you.
•Δ• This lack of immediacy makes Chroma an album for established fans, or for anyone with the patience to go in knowing repeat listens are required. The subtlety of keyboards seeping through different tracks, the spacey indistinctness of album closer ‘Fairlight’, and the way ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Heart of Chrome’ almost sound like continuations of one another, thus walling off the album, is difficult to appreciate after only one listen.
•Δ• These production choices revolve around the fact that McGuinness is very much a songwriter first and foremost, leaving his personality to come through and adapt with each song. This sometimes means affecting a cockiness, as on ‘I Drink Your Milkshake’, which imparts the same humor as the weirdly funny (or at least quotable) scene of There Will Be Blood it references. It means allowing some reserved sentimentality on the grudgingly gentle ‘All in All’, which is destined to end up on many mix tapes made for friends that are really more than just friends. And really, what makes a person charming — songwriter or not — is that adaptability to a situation. It’s the sort of malleability we lose as age hardens us or we simply get stuck in our ways. But Eugene McGuinness hasn’t lost it yet. Fortaken: http://drownedinsound.com/
© •Δ• CAMDEN CRAWL 2012 / PHOTO CREDIT: JUSTINE TRICKETT •Δ•
Also:
BY SARAH JOY, 01 JULY 2014, 09:30 BST; SCORE: 6.5/10
•Δ• http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/eugene-mcguiness-chroma
Artist Biography by Stewart Mason
•Δ• Armed with a truly outstanding debut single, "Monsters Under the Bed," that recalls artists ranging from Odelay-era Beck to '80s U.K. cult heroes the Television Personalities, Eugene McGuinness appeared rather out of nowhere in 2007, seeming like he might be the Damon Albarn of the current set of neo-Brit-popsters following in the wake of the Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. Like Albarn, McGuinness is a singer and songwriter of varied tastes whose talents extend beyond what's currently fashionable, with an eye for mixing and matching unexpected influences (in an early interview, he claimed to be equally enamored of Broadway master Stephen Sondheim and U.K. grime star Dizzee Rascal, and elements of both appear in his music) into a unique personal style. Born in 1985 in London to Northern Irish parents and raised in Liverpool, McGuinness started writing songs in his mid-teens. By the age of 20, McGuinness was signed to the publishing arm of the hottest British indie label of the time, Domino Records. In early 2007, Domino formed a special subsidiary label, Double Six Records, to release McGuinness' debut single, a nervy, synth-driven ode to information overload and insomnia. A BBC Radio 1 session followed in the spring after the single's immediate success, and an eight-track mini-album, The Early Learnings of Eugene McGuinness, was released by Double Six in the summer. McGuinness' eponymous sophomore effort arrived the following year. Glue, a collaboration with Eugene's brother Dominic McGuinness, was released under the moniker Eugene and the Lizards in 2009. It was followed in 2012 by McGuinness' third studio outing, The Invitation to the Voyage, and in 2014 by Chroma.
Label: http://www.dominorecordco.com/
Website: http://www.eugenemcguinness.net/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eugenemcg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eugenemcguinnessmusic
Press: / Online —
Agent: Russell Warby (William Morris) —
Gen. dir.: Mat Schneck / James Endeacott, Oh Mercy Management —
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB1599C73C5414BA4&feature=plcp
WN.COM: http://wn.com/eugene_mcguinness
Albums:
•Δ• The Early Learnings of Eugene McGuinness EP (2007, Double Six)
•Δ• Eugene McGuinness (2008, Domino Records)
•Δ• Glue (as Eugene + the Lizards) (2009, Domino Records)
•Δ• The Invitation to the Voyage (2012, Domino Records)
•Δ• Chroma (2014, Domino Records)
Singles:
•Δ• "Monsters Under the Bed" (2007)
•Δ• "Bold Street" (2007)
•Δ• "Moscow State Circus" (2008)
•Δ• "Fonz" (2009)
•Δ• "Bugjuice" (2010)
•Δ• "Lion" (2011)
•Δ• "Thunderbolt" (2011)
•Δ• "Shotgun" (2012)
•Δ• "Harlequinade" (2012)
•Δ• "Sugarplum" (2012)
•Δ• "Fairlight" (2013)
_______________________________________________________________
•Δ• Mnohem méně nápadné leštění těchto 11 nových skladeb, což má za následek volnější zvuk. Jsou tady kytarové těžké profily, hnané více přes psychedelický objektiv, natažené refrény a retro tóny. Je to infekční do té míry, že občas mám dojem, že budu muset být v karanténě. Vždyť tady to padá až do surrealistických karikatur, jemných a prostorných, čímž Eugene McGuinness z miniminutáže alba dosahuje více místa v mém brain-balónu.
•Δ• Armed with a truly outstanding debut single, "Monsters Under the Bed," that recalls artists ranging from Odelay-era Beck to '80s U.K. cult heroes the Television Personalities, Eugene McGuinness appeared rather out of nowhere in 2007, seeming like he might be the Damon Albarn of the current set of neo-Brit-popsters following in the wake of the Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand.
Birth name: Eugene Michael McGuinness
Born: 11 August 1985, Leytonstone, London, England
Location: London, England, UK
Notable instruments:
•Δ• Gibson J-160E
•Δ• Epiphone Casino
•Δ• Fender Mustang
Album release: July 7th, 2014
Record Label: Domino
Duration: 33:00
Tracks:
01 Godiva 2:37
02 Amazing Grace 2:46
03 Milkshake 2:24
04 She Paints Houses 3:01
05 Immortals 2:47
06 The Crueler Kind 2:44
07 Deception Of The Crush 3:03
08 All In All 5:01
09 Black Stang 2:31
10 Heart Of Chrome 3:07
11 Fairlight 2:59
Highlights: Fairlight, I Drink Your Milkshake
REVIEW
By AMANDA FARAH; July 1st, 2014; Score: 7
•Δ• There’s a boyishness to Eugene McGuinness that is part of his charm. Even on his fourth solo full length, Chroma, there is an endearing youthfulness in his lyrics and delivery, whether he’s quoting movies or singing about a one night stand.
•Δ• With less of the high production gloss than 2012’s The Invitation to the Voyage, Chroma has has a different kind of density and more of an indie vibe.
•Δ• As a result, the whole album is much more understated, never going for high impact vocals and burying guitar solos in the mix. McGuinness’s voice sometimes seems mashed together in overdubs rather than allowed to stand alone. He’s become a stronger singer as his career has progressed, and this tactic also smooths out any traces of the warbles and breaks that surfaced on his earlier works. It’s more consistent, but without those quirks it takes a little longer for songs to grab you.
•Δ• This lack of immediacy makes Chroma an album for established fans, or for anyone with the patience to go in knowing repeat listens are required. The subtlety of keyboards seeping through different tracks, the spacey indistinctness of album closer ‘Fairlight’, and the way ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Heart of Chrome’ almost sound like continuations of one another, thus walling off the album, is difficult to appreciate after only one listen.
•Δ• These production choices revolve around the fact that McGuinness is very much a songwriter first and foremost, leaving his personality to come through and adapt with each song. This sometimes means affecting a cockiness, as on ‘I Drink Your Milkshake’, which imparts the same humor as the weirdly funny (or at least quotable) scene of There Will Be Blood it references. It means allowing some reserved sentimentality on the grudgingly gentle ‘All in All’, which is destined to end up on many mix tapes made for friends that are really more than just friends. And really, what makes a person charming — songwriter or not — is that adaptability to a situation. It’s the sort of malleability we lose as age hardens us or we simply get stuck in our ways. But Eugene McGuinness hasn’t lost it yet. Fortaken: http://drownedinsound.com/
Also:
BY SARAH JOY, 01 JULY 2014, 09:30 BST; SCORE: 6.5/10
•Δ• http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/eugene-mcguiness-chroma
Artist Biography by Stewart Mason
•Δ• Armed with a truly outstanding debut single, "Monsters Under the Bed," that recalls artists ranging from Odelay-era Beck to '80s U.K. cult heroes the Television Personalities, Eugene McGuinness appeared rather out of nowhere in 2007, seeming like he might be the Damon Albarn of the current set of neo-Brit-popsters following in the wake of the Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. Like Albarn, McGuinness is a singer and songwriter of varied tastes whose talents extend beyond what's currently fashionable, with an eye for mixing and matching unexpected influences (in an early interview, he claimed to be equally enamored of Broadway master Stephen Sondheim and U.K. grime star Dizzee Rascal, and elements of both appear in his music) into a unique personal style. Born in 1985 in London to Northern Irish parents and raised in Liverpool, McGuinness started writing songs in his mid-teens. By the age of 20, McGuinness was signed to the publishing arm of the hottest British indie label of the time, Domino Records. In early 2007, Domino formed a special subsidiary label, Double Six Records, to release McGuinness' debut single, a nervy, synth-driven ode to information overload and insomnia. A BBC Radio 1 session followed in the spring after the single's immediate success, and an eight-track mini-album, The Early Learnings of Eugene McGuinness, was released by Double Six in the summer. McGuinness' eponymous sophomore effort arrived the following year. Glue, a collaboration with Eugene's brother Dominic McGuinness, was released under the moniker Eugene and the Lizards in 2009. It was followed in 2012 by McGuinness' third studio outing, The Invitation to the Voyage, and in 2014 by Chroma.
Label: http://www.dominorecordco.com/
Website: http://www.eugenemcguinness.net/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eugenemcg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eugenemcguinnessmusic
Press: / Online —
Agent: Russell Warby (William Morris) —
Gen. dir.: Mat Schneck / James Endeacott, Oh Mercy Management —
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB1599C73C5414BA4&feature=plcp
WN.COM: http://wn.com/eugene_mcguinness
Albums:
•Δ• The Early Learnings of Eugene McGuinness EP (2007, Double Six)
•Δ• Eugene McGuinness (2008, Domino Records)
•Δ• Glue (as Eugene + the Lizards) (2009, Domino Records)
•Δ• The Invitation to the Voyage (2012, Domino Records)
•Δ• Chroma (2014, Domino Records)
Singles:
•Δ• "Monsters Under the Bed" (2007)
•Δ• "Bold Street" (2007)
•Δ• "Moscow State Circus" (2008)
•Δ• "Fonz" (2009)
•Δ• "Bugjuice" (2010)
•Δ• "Lion" (2011)
•Δ• "Thunderbolt" (2011)
•Δ• "Shotgun" (2012)
•Δ• "Harlequinade" (2012)
•Δ• "Sugarplum" (2012)
•Δ• "Fairlight" (2013)
_______________________________________________________________