Do you know that our soul is composed of harmony? - Leonardo DaVinci
It's harmony that your soul and mind embraces again when listening to music. As sound surrounds you, only some melodies firmly resonate with you, get an immediate emotional response - whilst their approach is a smooth and soft one, whilst they slowly, carefully but steadily cling to you, these melodies eventually grab you with an intensity and force that overwhelms, that fully absorbs and stirs. It's these very melodies that are in chime with your mind and soul, it's music that leaves an imprint on your being and mesmerizes ... music that charms.
XII. Taped Off The Radio
The Ragamuffins aka the multi-instrumental perky pop phenomena [David John Jaggs (vocalist/
guitarist), Sam Parry (keyboardist/saxophonist/backing vocalist), Florin Ciurariu (trumpet player/backing vocalist),
Xavier Winton (drummer/percussionist), Thomas Fripp (trumpet player/guitarist) & Alex Pearson (bass guitarist)]
Perky and glowing indie pop sextetthe Ragamuffins kindlethe listeners appreciation and enthusiamforaudaciously jaunty and ludic, excitingly virulent and keen compostionsof bothmelodic and lyrical briskness with aplomb. The cunning songsmiths - with David John Jaggs (vocalist/guitarist) as first ambassador of the band's bright narrative magnitude and wit - know how to createmusic with the right degree of compositional depth and melodic ease. And people, generally passionate about thrilling tonal artistry as well as involved in the music business, did and still do acknowledge that by opening the doors welcoming to the energetic and serenely sparkling pop outfit - takethe Ragamuffins' music spin and airplay on Salford City Radio and BBC Radio Merseyside (kudos to the legendary music supporter and the show's host Dave Monks) or their european entrances, such as appearing as opening act for the 'Made In Europe' festival in Italy or playling live at the 'Snowbombing' festival in Austria, as vivid proof.
The official music video for 'Taped Off The Radio' (produced by Steve Pycroft of Riot Jazz)
Once Declan was cheerfully asked to put his dancing shoes on, and with their latest release, obviously serving as a promising teaser for the band's forthcoming multi-track record 'Get Cynical', the Ragamuffins apparently aim at making their listeners do the very same: its with infectious groove, with ardently glaring spirit and sweeping sound that the rhythmically and mentally bracing composition settles down on your mind, invites you to sing along gleefully and tap your feet to the beat with brimming verve. 'Taped Off The Radio' draws on blissful and exuberant trumpet serenades, buoyant and melodious keys sprinkles, a vigorous, orotund bass line as well as on catchy and vibrantly gripping guitar glory, excels though due to Jaggs' effortelessly souvereign, spirited and shiny vox.
Profound in choosing of and approach to the vocabulary, the song's eloquent and museful lyrics form a stimulant contrast to its lucid message, one that has a reasoned cynical and accusing undertone - note statements such as "your words don't count for nothing" and "I heard you put the genius into disingenuous/even though you've since gone ex-directory/you're still not spelling correctly" - presumably questioning the political status and agenda in the UK, and thereby adding striking lyrical revelance to the bouncy and blithe sound of the Ragamuffins' most mature composition to date. If this understanding and subtle musicianship doesn't deserve one's applause, what does?!
Reach out & listen to the Ragamuffins on ...
... twitter ..... facebook ..... soundcloud ..... bandcamp ..
XIII.Angel's Truth
Fairly new to the land of music-making, the Newcastle based acoustic duo Grasscutter makes an apparent swath through nowadays rampant musical scenery by unleashing sharply tingling, suspenseful songs of raw intensity and piercing audacity, with a winning artistical authority and flair that surprises given their just recent get-together as a band. Claiming to be a work progress, Tom Ismay (guitarist & music production) and David McMillan (vocalist) have met for several jam sessions over the last few months and can look back on a solid, rough-sounding but imbuing and auspicious repertoire of songs by now, which charms with edgy artfulness and dense, dim atmosphere already. The future will show who's gonna join the two to create inspiring, powerful music, to eventually gig and to make a vehemently roaring, lasting musical mark. What's quite certain to say though is that Grasscutter are here to stir up the indie music scene with ravishing creativity and broad sonority. And this shows in the atmospheric, experimental and trenchant nature of 'Angel's Truth': bluesy and murkily haunting vocals of an incisive, slightly husky timbric coulour engross, whisper insistently, enticingly into the listeners ears whilst rhythmic and sonorous still stiffling percussions and melodious, eagerly fervent and tense riffage melt to grow stronger, to reverberate with blurry strain and thrilling grit. Gloomy and eccentric melodic gimmicks and elusive, opaque echo effects accentuate the yet punchy and grave composition with a staggering, cloudy temper. It is hard to believe 'Angel's Truth' is not much more than a demo ...
Reach out & listen to Grasscutter on ...
... twitter ..
... soundcloud ..... reverbnation ..
