| The Mirror Trap |
| Stay Young |
The Mirror Trap — Stay Young (February 24, 2014)
≡ The album was received warmly with reviewers noting the band's passion, charm and resistance to the status quo.
≡ “Expect five young men playing rock n roll music”. — Scottishfiction, Scottishfiction
≡ “The Mirror Trap talk philosophy, fur coats and freedom: "Dundee’s The Mirror Trap supported angst–ridden alt–rockers Placebo on their last homecoming tour and took the T Break stage at T in the Park by storm"” — Nick Mitchell, WOW247
Location: Dundee, Scotland, UK
Album release: February 24, 2014
Record Label: A Happy Death Recordings
Duration: 39:08
Tracks:
01. American Dreams 2:21
02. Toys 3:16
03. Killing Time 3:07
04. Waves 3:29
05. Pigeon Chest 3:42
06. Dreamers 4:14
07. Westminster Ghost Story 2:53
08. Bell Street 3:55
09. Future Lionheart 4:09
10. Goodnight Stallion 3:47
11. Fades 4:19
≡ Artwork for the album was designed by Max Gabbot and Charlie Parsons, graduates of Dundee's Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.
© Keith Ainsworth
REVIEW
≡ Listening to ‘Stay Young’, the second album from Dundee’s The Mirror Trap, it’s hard not to be impressed by their passion. It runs like a live wire through the record’s eleven songs and speaks of their desire to live fully, freely and honestly. Built on the foundations of their enthusiastic but unfocussed debut ‘The Last Great Melodrama’ and follow–up EP ‘The Invisible Hand’, the band has looked long and hard at the world around them and, not particularly liking what they see, have poured it all out in the studio.
≡ Kicking off with the furious ‘American Dreams’ and its fantastic opening couplet “Tell me do you mean a single word you say / Or are you just leaking words”, singer Gary Moore makes his position crystal clear: “I would rather die as a failure but a trier”. ‘Toys’ pours scorn on a generation wasting away playing computer games before ‘Killing Time’ sums up the mood with the lines “The tragedy of our lives / Is that we don’t get to spend enough time / Doing those things that remind us all that we’re human”. This unsatisfactory state of affairs is poignantly illustrated through the lovers unable to orgasm, forced instead to kill time as they have nothing else to do.
≡ While it could be expected that such anger and frustration would give rise to aggressive, difficult music, The Mirror Trap have done precisely the opposite. Guitarists Mikey J McFarane and Paul Markie alongside Ben Doherty on bass and drummer Paul Reilly make a glorious, uplifting racket. Arrangements are interesting and well considered with melodies that worm their way into the brain and refuse to leave. From the twitchy rhythms of ‘Westminster Ghost Story’ to the swirling, melancholic synths of ‘Bell Street’, the band effortlessly add weight and beauty to Moore’s vocals. ‘Stay Young’ culminates with a reworked version of ‘Future Lionheart’, a call to arms that first appeared on ‘The Visible Hand’ EP. That the album struggles to maintain its momentum after this faultless three and a half minutes is understandable and in no way detracts from The Mirror Trap’s achievement.
≡ By standing up and refusing to accept the status quo, these five lads from Dundee are giving voice to a generation dealing with an uncertain future and the knowledge that they are certain to be worse off than their parents.
≡ They deserve to be heard.
© Keith Ainsworth
History:
≡ The band formed while studying music at Dundee College in 2009 and quickly made a name for themselves in support slots with The View. They recorded their first album The Last Great Melodrama in 2011 and the EP The Visible Hand followed in 2012. During this period they recorded a live session for the BBC with Vic Galloway. ≡ They also played the T Break Stage at T in the Park 2012. Former Dundee FC footballer and promoter Lee Wilkie spotted the band's talent and introduced them to Dave Mclean of Riverman Management. The two began to co–manage the band through Riverman Management who also represent Placebo. Wilkie and Mclean brought the Mirror Trap to the attention of Placebo and the band supported them at the HMV Picture House, Edinburgh on 25 April 2012. In 2013 Brian Molko attended one of their small gigs in Dundee. Placebo were impressed with the band's performance and invited them to join them as support at a charity performance in Leeds on 8 November 2013. By the time the band recorded and released their second album, Stay Young they were offered the chance to support Placebo on a tour of Russia in the summer of 2014. The tour covered 8 venues in 13 days. It included a performance for 3000 fans at Krasnodar's Ice Palace. The band became an overnight success in Russia, provoking an outpouring of excitement and fan art on social media. ≡ In September 2014 Placebo announced that The Mirror Trap would be joining them at the 2014 iTunes Festival, performing at London's Roundhouse in Camden Town.
Bandcamp: http://themirrortrap.bandcamp.com/
David P. Scott: ≡ http://davidpscott.blogspot.com/2014/02/StayYoung.html
INTERVIEW By Joe Birchenall on Thursday 13 March 2014
≡ http://dundee.stv.tv/articles/268328-the-mirror-trap-discuss-their-new-album-stay-young-and-their-plans/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/themirrortrap
Reverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/themirrortrap
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themirrortrap
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| The Mirror Trap |
| Stay Young |
≡ The album was received warmly with reviewers noting the band's passion, charm and resistance to the status quo.
≡ “Expect five young men playing rock n roll music”. — Scottishfiction, Scottishfiction
≡ “The Mirror Trap talk philosophy, fur coats and freedom: "Dundee’s The Mirror Trap supported angst–ridden alt–rockers Placebo on their last homecoming tour and took the T Break stage at T in the Park by storm"” — Nick Mitchell, WOW247
Album release: February 24, 2014
Record Label: A Happy Death Recordings
Duration: 39:08
Tracks:
01. American Dreams 2:21
02. Toys 3:16
03. Killing Time 3:07
04. Waves 3:29
05. Pigeon Chest 3:42
06. Dreamers 4:14
07. Westminster Ghost Story 2:53
08. Bell Street 3:55
09. Future Lionheart 4:09
10. Goodnight Stallion 3:47
11. Fades 4:19
≡ Artwork for the album was designed by Max Gabbot and Charlie Parsons, graduates of Dundee's Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.
REVIEW
≡ Listening to ‘Stay Young’, the second album from Dundee’s The Mirror Trap, it’s hard not to be impressed by their passion. It runs like a live wire through the record’s eleven songs and speaks of their desire to live fully, freely and honestly. Built on the foundations of their enthusiastic but unfocussed debut ‘The Last Great Melodrama’ and follow–up EP ‘The Invisible Hand’, the band has looked long and hard at the world around them and, not particularly liking what they see, have poured it all out in the studio.
≡ Kicking off with the furious ‘American Dreams’ and its fantastic opening couplet “Tell me do you mean a single word you say / Or are you just leaking words”, singer Gary Moore makes his position crystal clear: “I would rather die as a failure but a trier”. ‘Toys’ pours scorn on a generation wasting away playing computer games before ‘Killing Time’ sums up the mood with the lines “The tragedy of our lives / Is that we don’t get to spend enough time / Doing those things that remind us all that we’re human”. This unsatisfactory state of affairs is poignantly illustrated through the lovers unable to orgasm, forced instead to kill time as they have nothing else to do.
≡ While it could be expected that such anger and frustration would give rise to aggressive, difficult music, The Mirror Trap have done precisely the opposite. Guitarists Mikey J McFarane and Paul Markie alongside Ben Doherty on bass and drummer Paul Reilly make a glorious, uplifting racket. Arrangements are interesting and well considered with melodies that worm their way into the brain and refuse to leave. From the twitchy rhythms of ‘Westminster Ghost Story’ to the swirling, melancholic synths of ‘Bell Street’, the band effortlessly add weight and beauty to Moore’s vocals. ‘Stay Young’ culminates with a reworked version of ‘Future Lionheart’, a call to arms that first appeared on ‘The Visible Hand’ EP. That the album struggles to maintain its momentum after this faultless three and a half minutes is understandable and in no way detracts from The Mirror Trap’s achievement.
≡ By standing up and refusing to accept the status quo, these five lads from Dundee are giving voice to a generation dealing with an uncertain future and the knowledge that they are certain to be worse off than their parents.
≡ They deserve to be heard.
History:
≡ The band formed while studying music at Dundee College in 2009 and quickly made a name for themselves in support slots with The View. They recorded their first album The Last Great Melodrama in 2011 and the EP The Visible Hand followed in 2012. During this period they recorded a live session for the BBC with Vic Galloway. ≡ They also played the T Break Stage at T in the Park 2012. Former Dundee FC footballer and promoter Lee Wilkie spotted the band's talent and introduced them to Dave Mclean of Riverman Management. The two began to co–manage the band through Riverman Management who also represent Placebo. Wilkie and Mclean brought the Mirror Trap to the attention of Placebo and the band supported them at the HMV Picture House, Edinburgh on 25 April 2012. In 2013 Brian Molko attended one of their small gigs in Dundee. Placebo were impressed with the band's performance and invited them to join them as support at a charity performance in Leeds on 8 November 2013. By the time the band recorded and released their second album, Stay Young they were offered the chance to support Placebo on a tour of Russia in the summer of 2014. The tour covered 8 venues in 13 days. It included a performance for 3000 fans at Krasnodar's Ice Palace. The band became an overnight success in Russia, provoking an outpouring of excitement and fan art on social media. ≡ In September 2014 Placebo announced that The Mirror Trap would be joining them at the 2014 iTunes Festival, performing at London's Roundhouse in Camden Town.
Bandcamp: http://themirrortrap.bandcamp.com/
David P. Scott: ≡ http://davidpscott.blogspot.com/2014/02/StayYoung.html
INTERVIEW By Joe Birchenall on Thursday 13 March 2014
≡ http://dundee.stv.tv/articles/268328-the-mirror-trap-discuss-their-new-album-stay-young-and-their-plans/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/themirrortrap
Reverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/themirrortrap
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themirrortrap