You Barbarians - EP Review: Helioshiva
I'm guessing Wellington alt rock band
You Barbarians are a newish band on the Wellington scene though there
is quite a mature sense to the song writing featured on their 5 track
EP, Helioshiva.
The packaging of the EP is very cool
and unique with almost a type of greeting card style to it, it looks
good and made me want to check out the music and seeing where it was
mixed (at STL studios, Wellington) definitely made for some strong
appeal.
The EP opens with some strong dynamic guitar riffing
and some rather cool musical ideas, those ideas stay strong
throughout.
The vocalist David Curry reminds me a little
of Morrissey in his approach and the use of other stringed
instruments such as violin in the tracks do make for a unique
sound.
One downside to the positive is on the song Northern Suburbs there are some serious tuning issues going on
between the vocals and backing vocals while the drums and guitars
seems to slip in and out of time a fair bit with each other which is
a shame because it detracts from what could be pretty flawless if
more attention was paid to those areas.
This EP is a raw,
gritty and phat sounding release other than what I mentioned above... a
lot of bands like to stay away from click tracks and pitch correcting programs on recordings but
if used properly these tools enhance the product rather than fool
people into sounding like a band you are not.
That said, if the
vocals were worked on and the drums were edited a little, I would have
it on personal rotation. Good tuning and editing are important to
my ears, though I can only speak for myself but I strongly encourage
all musicians to pay attention to the finer points of these things because it can make all the difference to the listener.
About You Barbarians
When Autozamm relocated to Auckland, Jones came to an end.
Dave turned to writing a novella then completing a novel a few years later. The themes he felt deeply about in his mid twenties suited this longer form - life, death, the world, politics and personal philosophy seemed too unwieldy to make for good 4-minute rock songs.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for You Barbarians
Releases
Other Reviews By mciver29
Gig Review: Devilskin & Halestorm @ Great Lakes, Taupo - 8/01/17
10 Jan 2017 // by mciver29
Taupo is a funny wee place, being smack dab in the centre of the North Island you might think a few bands would come through but the reality is that it's the polar opposite. The only real exception is UB40, Icehouse, Bonnie Tyler and The Alan Parsons Project.....
Read More...
03 Oct 2016 // by mciver29
As a 32 year old former Catholic the idea of going to a Church to see 4 artists that found recognition in the early 80's was a strange one, I had a few conflicting feelings but also knew that Churches quite often have fantastic acoustics and have often wondered about playing in grand cathedrals myself. I suppose my first feeling was a little disappointment when we arrived to the venue and it wasn't a cathedral, rather a large Church but still had the big pipe organs etc...
Read More...
Andy Richards - Album Review: Shine On
05 Sep 2016 // by mciver29
Shine On is the second album release for Warkworth based singer/song writer Andy Richards and is testament to the NZ DIY ethic. Shine On was recorded over a year at a friend's home studio, free of stress and the pressures of working to a budget and time frame.
Read More...
Rebel Sound Radio - Single Review: Liberation
09 Jun 2016 // by mciver29
Reviewing singles is often trickier than reviewing an EP or album as a body of work can help an overall sense of a band as opposed to just one song, in this case, it's the single Liberation by Hamilton based three-piece Rebel Sound Radio. This is all I have heard of the band, and as a first single it's on the right track, it has a hint of The Offspring in the frontman, Jessie Hanright's voice and a strong melodic hooky chorus.....
Read More...
Mice on Stilts - Album Review: Hope For A Mourning
18 Apr 2016 // by mciver29
At first glance the name Mice On Stilts doesn't really give any indication of what the band might sound like - I hadn't heard the music before, but had seen the name a lot. To be completely honest, it wasn't until perhaps the third listen to their new album Hope For A Mourning that I started to connect with it, and started hearing the influences more clearly and somewhat understanding the intention.
Read More...
Jason Kerrison - EP Review: JKEP2
02 Mar 2016 // by mciver29
The second part to Jason's E.P set is definitely a stronger musical offering than JKEP1 which I found to be a over produced somewhat shallow offering from an otherwise gifted singer/songwriter.
Read More...
Seasons - Album Review: Patriarch
13 May 2015 // by mciver29
The first thing I noticed when I graced my eyes upon Patriarch, by Auckland progressive metal band Seasons, is the cover... and as much as they say “don't judge a book by its cover” I judged it right, I love the artwork and the music meets the mark.
Read More...
Jason Kerrison - EP Review: #JKEP1
27 Mar 2015 // by mciver29
For those new to Jason Kerrison's music, he was also the frontman for platinum selling Kiwi pop/rock band OpShop. To be honest I didn't even know OpShop had disbanded, I wasn't a follower but they had some good catchy songs such as No Ordinary Thing and One Day, so naturally I had some preconceived ideas of what to expect when I came to do this review.
Read More...
Most Viewed Artists
Latest Galleries
NZ Top 10 Singles
- APT.
ROSÉ And Bruno Mars - DIE WITH A SMILE
Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars - BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Billie Eilish - TASTE
Sabrina Carpenter - I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
Gracie Abrams - ESPRESSO
Sabrina Carpenter - SAILOR SONG
Gigi Perez - LOSE CONTROL
Teddy Swims - A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
Shaboozey - GOOD LUCK, BABE!
Chappell Roan
More Content on muzic.net.nz
Google Site Search
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report A Problem
