A few months back you might recall we caught up with Dublin based performer Darren Giles and his band to discuss their music, their plans for the future and of course the forthcoming album, ‘Reasons To Be Quiet’. Well the @rcade has gotten itself a copy of the album and we’ve been listening to it now for almost three days straight and it’s about time we shared it with the rest of you.
The four piece band is made up with Darren on vocals and guitar, Graeme Clinton on drums and percussion, Emma Flynn on bass and Des Bridgette on guitar. Together they have played various gigs on the Dublin scene and are steadily earning themselves credibility, bringing raw energy and talent to every show whether it be in the surroundings of the sultry Sugar Club or the upstairs of one of Dublin’s most well known bars Whelans.
This not just a simple college band nor is it the meeting of four musical geniuses (although there is genius to their music) these are four people, four friends with an unbridled passion for music that is more than obvious when listening to the ten tracks on their first album.
Written and arranged by Darren, the album sounds like something that any seasoned performer or band would have released after years on the music circuit and industry. There is an air of experience about the album and that’s before we even delve into the lyrics and the music. The band currently remain unsigned but have managed to bring out something that is better than most of the music peddled to us today by huge Record Labels.
Letting our petty squabbles with mainstream ‘music’ aside, this is an album that any real fan of music has to invest in.
The music is an intoxicating experience, something that draws you in and keeps you there and whether you are hooked on the vocals, the subtle bass or the rhythmic beats, you will find yourself lost in this album and not wanting to find your way out.
For us however the guitar, bass and drums are secondary, background to the lead voice, used to highlight and compliment the tones of Darren’s vocals. A voice of a young man that sounds almost ancient, smoky and raw but polished enough that it doesn’t coarse or grind on us. There is something melancholic about every word he sings, every lyric is almost a page crammed with his own life experience.
Coupling the intelligent and powerful lyrics with the emotion felt in Darren’s voice and you’re guaranteed to be making great music.
While we enjoy the album as a whole there are two tracks that stand out for us, ‘Call It A Lovesong’ and ‘Calliope’. While they feature the fantastic abilities of Darren again, they are when juxtaposed a demonstration of the ability of this band. ‘Call It A Lovesong’ is a slow well thought out piece of music that will have you swamped in nostalgia as it washes over you. ‘Calliope’ is a more up tempo piece and is a perfect display of the energy that Darren Giles can muster up almost out of nowhere.
Ok, they aren’t perfect but that’s what we enjoy most about the band, as an unsigned group they sound amazing and through sheer effort and determination they have pulled together an album that deserves to be on record shelves in shops and homes. There is no bullshit auto-tune only a raw and pure voice that feels like a poem smoked out to the perfect beats of drums, electrifying guitars and trance like bass.
Take our word for it and get a copy of the album for yourself!
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Track listing for ‘Reasons To Be Quiet’: 1. Slowdance/Knifefight |
You can follow the band and receive updates on the official website here or alternatively on the Facebook page where you can also listen to some of the tracks featured on the album.
Photos used are by Cashel O’Toole
