Thursday, April 21, 2011

EP Review: Jerome's Law - Knives Of Concrete


With the massive glut of bands vying for your attention these days you really gotta have something different to stand out from the crowd. Interesting artists are consistently emerging from every pore of the island, never mind the mountain of international invention that now lies only a click away from us all. Unfortunately, such originality is simply not evident in enough quantity on this Dublin outfit's debut EP. 

Opener 'Adding And Subtracting' lays its marker from the off and doesn't stray one iota. A painting by numbers alternative track, it sets a precedent for an album of solid but unspectacular arrangements, which is crying out for a burst of vitality. There are some bright spots however; the psychedelic flurry in the middle of 'Throwing Knives' is a gust of unexpected warmth, while 'Safe' and its hazy folk melody is the obvious stand out track. Such moments of originality surface all too briefly however and retreat quickly beneath the hood of the conventional. The five-piece shouldn't be disheartened though - they're clearly a solid group of musicians with good vocals throughout and there's plenty of scope for improvement. A short, sharp push beyond the traditional is the order of the day so just put down the guide book, pick up a mandolin/vocoder and write about viewing the world through a kaleidoscopic - you never know where it might take you.

The EP is available now via Bandcamp and you can also find Jerome's Law on Facebook.

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