Friday, March 18, 2011

Review: Padraig McCauley and The P Affection free album download



It’s hard not to get swept along by the infectious up tempo genre splitting groves of Padraig McCauley and The P Affection. They out thrill The Thrills, with banjo’s and summer harmonies on opening track “Worries of the World” A happy/sad lyric and stop start chords make this track an alt-country gem.  “Almost in Greece” on the other hand is built on Pavement style distorted guitars riffs, while the brass section mimics the bass-line 

Echoes of 2-Tone continue on“Trouble in Paradise” as infectious melodies are interwoven between brass, bass and guitar with seaside harmonies thrown in for good measure.  The Phantom friendly “Lingo” is a top notch Cribs meets Weezer indie offering. “Freedom or boredom whats the difference, I see none” rages the chorus

The quality dips slightly with “Daisy” a Jack Johnson style acoustic led shuffle.  Things are back on track however, for pure pleasure sing along “I’m Fuck-in Amazing” A tongue in cheek party song, for egoists the world over.  Its one line chorus of “I’m fuck-in Amazing” burrows its way into your brain and refuses to leave. Expect to hear this song in a frat house movie near you soon.

“The Flood” is a downtrodden mid tempo alt country song with a somber fiddle line. It is one of the least impressive songs on the album. The verses glide by without grabbing your attention. The Chorus however is worth the wait offering a vision of a coming apocalypse ” The flood will take us all”

Things return to their uptempo best on “Rose Marie” where the band have given a witty re-imagining of cult classic movie Rosemary’s Baby. “Rose Marie” See’s a return to the albums earlier Weezer stylings. Only this time the influence of The Zutons is apparent, especially on the stop start verses. The pre-choruses “oh oh” vocals are top notch while the chorus of “Rose Marie it’s a baby it’s a baby” pays homage to the movie and Rivers Cuomo with its delivery.

“Beggars and Cannibals” closes the album with a trip to Acapulco . What starts out as an acapella song becomes a beach holiday, as vibes quickly join the vocals in a bizarre but wonderful move. The song slowly builds to a crescendo before returning to an acapella section on the outro.

Padraig McCauley and The P Affection is surely one of the best Irish music giveaways of all time. Download the album for free from http://www.thepaffection.com/music.php

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