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Having been out of the loop when SL EP1 hit the streets a couple of months back, totally my fault for not being more on the case; I’m glad I’m here for its follow-up, the logically and similarly concisely titled SL EP2.
Shaun Lewis might describe himself as a singer-songwriter, but the deliveryof the music here is such that it would give any band plying their trade at the indie-rock interface a run for their money. Which is something I approve of – a lot. Just because you write songs (presumably) on an acoustic guitar doesn’t mean they have to stay that way, and doesn’t the world have enough wide-brimmed-hat-wearing fey strummers and delicate indie-folk wannabees? Why not crank the volume, kick up a sonic squall, and see what happens instead?
Well, I can tell you what happens because I have just listened to SL EP2. What you get is songs like “Holding Up the World,” which push Brit-pop swagger into the realms of hard rock. What you get is “Dillinger” and its relentless and apocalyptic blues-metal groove. What you get is the shimmering staccato blasts of “She Was On The Stairs,” a song forged midway between pop and a hard place.
As a bonus, you also get “Girl” in its acoustic demo form, a gentle reminder of the deftness and delicacy that underpin Lewis’ songs if he chooses to take this route. Proof, if it were needed, that he is anything but a one-sonic-trick pony. Far from it.
Singer-songwriters take note. You might have a great idea for a song, but there is nothing wrong with burying it under piles of searing sonics, driving energies, attitude-laden salvos, and walls of noise. There is nothing wrong with making music that is both big AND clever!
