Ronan Conroy is slowly gravitating towards the musical heroes of his adolescence. His third solo album Not a Part of Anything takes a bow to The Cure and Hüsker Dü, with wall–to–wall bass, guitar and drums, but there is still room for a heartfelt ballad like Memory Afterbirth in which he is wearing his Irishness proudly upon his sleeve.
Conroy can play up a storm on both acoustic and electric guitar and he brushed up on his breathing techniques allowing him to hang on the note without losing volume. Whether he is doing a bold call-to-arms rock songs like Terms and You Little So-and-So or goes for a South-of-the-border tinged putdown song (Driving South<), passion is always reigning supreme.
Conroy has managed to bottle the energy from his days with hard-hitting folk rock band The Listeners and mixed it up with his love for alternative Eighties rock. Not a Part of Anything might be an album about disappointment, but Conroy's bravado and musicianship turn it into a clear winner.
Ronan Conroy: vocala, guitar, backing vocals
Charle Nieland: bass, synths, piano, backing vocals
Justin Wierbonksi
Chealsea Conroy: drums
Not a Part of Anything is a self-released album. Buy it from his website. Release date: March 10th.
Tracks:- Apart
- Terms
- Fire Escape
- Driving South
- Thursday's Song
- You Little So-and-So
- The Promise
- Capitulation Advance
- Song #1
- Step by Step
- Stop Talking
- Memory Afterbirth
- Not a Part of Anything
HCTF review of The Game.