First-Listen Feedback – 26th May 2017
National – James Vincent McMorrow
One of Ireland's leading singer – songwriters has returned with a beautiful, serene piano-led single that sees McMorrow plead with a lover to take the next step in their relationship and to take a leap of faith, with him by her side, into the unknown wilderness that is the future. The sparse nature of the instrumentals allows for McMorrow to show off his powerful, yet tender vocals, with his falsetto pouring every ounce of emotion it can muster into the three and a half minute running time. The song, the title of which references the couples shared love for the band The National, is the perfect return for McMorrow, with its sudden ending encapsulating the rhythm of a faltering relationship. Everything seems perfect and angelic until it suddenly dissolves and all you are left with is silence. 4/5There For You – Martin Garrix Feat. Troye Sivan
This song from the teenage Swedish producing sensation Martin Garrix has a definite R&B circa 2011 feel about it. While it’s entirely electronic (bar vocals from Troye Sivan), it sweeps along at such a pace that’s conceivable that it could both be a slow love song and a club hit all at once. The song pictures the singer asking a lover to stay with them despite the fact that he is constantly away touring. The songs chorus is led by synth and what sounds like a slightly electronicized whistle motif and it soars enough to lead it to the top of the charts. This is a song that will invariably be played in every club across the country and could well be an early contender for song of the summer, on radio plays alone. 3.5/5Adeline – Alt-J
It’s often troublesome, when layered vocals are concerned, to comprehend lyrics, but it’s often in these types of songs that lyrics are most important. The only words I was confident of being able to fully understand was the sampled chorus from the Irish traditional song “The Auld Triangle”, which appears twice in the songs chorus. Sounds similar to that of helicopter engines ease the song into life, before a simple acoustic guitar motif takes over. The wistful vocals then ease themselves slowly into proceedings, and continue throughout and are joined by a soft drum beat about a third of the way through. The song sets a tone from the off, guiding listeners through a snowy forest through instrumentation alone. As the song builds, you get the sense that it would be the perfect song for movie scores, with the main character riding off into the sunset, or as part of a slow, harrowing death. At five minutes the song doesn’t feel like it outstays its welcome ends at precisely the right time. Eerie vocals are repeated as the song reaches its natural conclusion until, like a broken record, it suddenly breaks down. The trip to the forest is over, and leaves the listener wanting to start the journey all over again. 4/5