Latest CD releases reviewed
From Which We Were Raised
Slow Loris
****
Home to the recent debut by St Catherine's Home for Lazy Infants, Dublin label Slow Loris is fast becoming the creek where homegrown gold is mined. At Last an Atlas, another lengthy moniker for a solo project, is the work of Hollows member Greg O'Brien. Taking samples and organs as a starting point, O'Brien splices tracks with nylon strings and chimes. There is both consistency (the pensive drone of
All Else Fails) and songs (such as
Passing Days) that begin as simple one-guitar stories but spin off into slow-build gems. The kitsch Bontempi-style beats of
Take Me Homehint at the guile that runs through everything. O'Brien's sweet monotone, possessed of a Lou Barlow fleck on songs such as
Wayside Days, is frequently backed by Francis Downey's vocals. This is an inspired debut of open-hearted stories, fey angles and musical left-turns.
www.myspace.com/atlastanatlas
Download Tracks: Passing Days, Take Me Home
