Lisa Hannigan’s Sea Sew: A Review

It is a challenge for me to be objective on my thoughts of Lisa Hannigan’s debut CD – Sea Sew. How can I not let emotions cloud my fair judgment when her sparring partner, her nine crimes duo, her yin and yang is none other than the legendary, spectral Damien Rice?

Before I go on further, let me just get an obvious fact out of the way. Lisa’s voice is magic. Purity at it’s finest. If magic truly does exist, she’d be holding the wand. In the brief moments where Lisa appeared on 9 and O, we all knew that she’s the soul of his music. But, playing second fiddle to him, she never really could shine. In Sea Sew, shine she does – like a perfectly cut diamond fit for the king of kings.

Her voice control is immense. Jumping from octave to octave, sliding from high notes to low register, the transitioning of her vocal cords emit a certain kind of beauty. Damien sure knows how to choose his women. If Vyvienne Long is the queen of his heart, then Lisa is the emperor of his soul.

The album opens up with Ocean and a Rock – a neo-folk song that immediately grabs your attention with it’s cleverly arranged instrumentation. As a solid uproot bass begins the album, Lisa’s vocals gently settles in and realization settles in you that this is the beginning of something timeless. The thought-provokingly titled Venn Diagram follows next establishing a fact that Lisa stays true to her folk influenced roots. Memories of old school Simon Garfunkel floods my left brain.

Then, all of a sudden, unable to disguise itself further, Sea Sew’s problems begin to show. Track 3 – Sea Song begins the tumble down the molehill before Splishy Splashy, with it’s static melody progression continues it’s fall. But all is not lost. Halfway through the tumble, an anonymous bird snapped Lisa back with I Don’t Know – a crush confession anthem of a lonely girl longing for love. Easily the best song in the album, Lisa’s intimate confessional lyrics and strong infectious melody would certainly make Damien proud – that’s if they’re still on talking terms.

Keep It All comes next and it is an odd song. I don’t quite know what to make of it. It feels like a Ravi Shankar arranged piece and Lisa’s the snake charmer trying to coax the beast to do a rhythmic jig with her pulsating husky voice. Courting Blues, a Nick Drake cover follows next and does nothing to whisk the oddity away before Pistachio takes over to redeem my attention span.

Teeth follows next and what an engaging song it is. I can’t help but feel that it is influenced by I Remember, the same track number off O. Starting gently and softly, it ends with a crescendo of power, anger and a whole lot of other emotions mixed in the platter. Sea Sew finally closes with Lille – the first single off the album. A quiet reflective song that pleads with the listener to stand up and take notice.

Is there life for Lisa after Damien? Sea Sew proves that light does indeed exist at the end of the tunnel. Lisa is nowhere close to being half as strong a songwriter as Damien but she’s alright. For a debut effort, it does hold itself quite firmly. It won’t be playing on my car stereo beyond a week but it’s still good enough to last 6 days.

I look forward to her next effort where her songwriting skills will no doubt be more polished and perhaps might be enough to even give Sarah Maclachlan a run for her money. Or Damien could be selfless for a change and write a couple of songs for her without stealing the limelight away.

Until then, Sea Sew remains to be the rock under the ocean.

Download Teeth, HERE.

Yoshimi Battles These Depressing Times!

Aren’t these trying times? Everywhere you look, you see somber news hitting us from all corners. In the Western Hemisphere, finance house goes into bankruptcy and big time insurers are begging for help from federal reserves that magically conjure up numbers with the whip of their pen. The pen is indeed mightier than the sword.

Closer to home, our neighbours aren’t faring too well themselves. Our cultural brothers, the evergreen Muay Thai championeers are just fresh from a civilian coup to see themselves under the rule of a new premier. The Sinawatra dynasty is indeed a powerful one.

In our own backyard, things are not as peaceful as they should be. I don’t know whats the deal with these fuckers. Since you have the gun and the bullets, open fire already. Faith and hope only lasts that long without anything concrete to back it up.

So what does one do to feel better in these trying times? Why you snuggle up in bed, marshmallow hot choc in hand, with the love of your life of course. Oh wait. I don’t have a love in my life.

Next best thing. I listen to the Flaming Lip’s epic comical tribute to Japanese manga/anime pop culture.

Download Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robot Pt 1 HERE.

Malaysia is not the World

I went to to bed yesterday night feeling angry, sad, dejected and most of all – powerless. I have never meant to write about anything else on this blog but the current situation in the only country I will ever call home has forced a mind shift upon me.

Yesterday, 3 innocent people were detained under the ISA. Injustice has slapped its ugly head on 27 million people that are mostly decent, kind and tolerant human beings.

RPK – Although you’re rash, brash, silly and at times talk too much, you’re still the bravest man in Malaysia and you champion a cause that people like me and a lot of others believe in. Thank You.

Theresa Kok – I don’t really know what truly transpired, but the Azan issue is actually a very sensitive one. I believe you’re not as silly as to ask for the lowering of the Azan. Detention without trial is completely, humanely unacceptable. My heart is with you.

Tan Hoon Cheng – Yours is perhaps the case that I feel most strongly about. Getting thrown into jail just for doing your job? Come on. The other 2 might be able to stomach detention. Pete and Theresa are veteran politicians (ok, Pete’s not a politician but well, he’s royalty heh) but Hoon Cheng looks like one of those innocent girls that just got out of college.

The most despicable thing is that the fucker who made the infamous comments himself was awarded a 3 year holiday and the hooligan who tore portrait’s of our leaders gets away scot-free.

Fuck you government. For banning The Sun. For being complete retards. For practicing double standards. For being power crazy. For being the enemies of the land I call home.

There will be a candlelight vigil tonight at Bukit Aman – 8:30 PM onwards. Please come and show your support peacefully. There is no need for violent behavior. Just peaceful silence. If you’re unable to make it, light candles on the balconies of your home around your neighborhood.

Malaysia is dying. It is up to us – her children, to save her.

For today’s sombre post, the feature will be Morrisey’s America is Not the World.

In America, The land of the free, they said, And of opportunity, In a just and a truthful way.

But where the president, is never black, female or gay, and until that day,
you’ve got nothing to say to me, to help me believe

But even America has grown up. Hilary Clinton showed that America is the world and Barack Obama is living proof that America is no longer the boy it used to be.

Malaysia, I await your turn with bated breath.

Download the song HERE.

The Athlete and the Baby Girl

It must really suck to be Joel Pott. Just as it sucks to be the sun that fuels all life on Earth only to be bitched about constantly in the equator. Just as it blows to be the long scrawny scarecrow in the middle of green meadows, working hard to scare off unwanted birds but never recognized nor remembered.

Joel Pott, songwriter extraordinare fronts the British act – Athlete who has never truly gotten the recognition they deserve. It is actually unsurprising considering how saturated England is with it’s music industry. Glastonbury fest or not, too many punch-cracking, guitar jarring, mainstream bands seem to emerge effortlessly from the streets of London or from the back alley of Manchester. Oasis, The Darkness, Blur, Spiritualized, Radiohead - you name it. How can Joel Pott and his humbly named act, Athlete ever hope to gain recognition when he’s lost in an ocean of superstar musicians?

Why, by writing the most honest, most heartfelt song about his dying baby girl of course.

Wires, a song written by Pott for his premature born baby girl at a point of time where he didn’t know if she would live or die is so god-damned emotional that one cannot help but stop and care.

His heart wrenching, soft painful vocals sings, “You got wires, coming out of your skin
There’s dry blood, on your wrist, I see hope is here, in a plastic box, I’ve seen christmas lights, reflect in your eyes“

As I listened to Pott forming each word ever so delicately, I  quietly rooted for him and sent a silent prayer hoping that his baby girl will be perfect. God didn’t disappoint. She turned out okay and life is beautiful once again.

Athlete marshaled on and released their follow up album, Beyond the Neighbourhood and as god did not disappoint, neither did Joel. Their 3rd studio album is fucking bloody amazing and it ranks high up on my charts as one of my top 10 albums of all time. Features syncopated drumming, dreamy guitars, ambient synths and of course, Pott’s signature sounding vocals, Beyond the Neighbourhood is classic brit-pop at it’s finest. So fine that even Coldplay’s Viva la Vida might have learnt a thing or two by emulating it’s instrumental intro, something you would never have expected Coldplay to do.

I introduce to you, Second Hand Stores – track 8 from the very excellent record, Beyond the Neighbourhood.

Download the song HERE.