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In the heady days of late 90s Girl Power (!), All Saints were like the cooler, naughtier younger sister of the all-conquering Spice Girls. With their smooth harmonies and sexually liberated lyrics, All Saints represented a new, combat trouser wearing and shoulder shrugging, brand of Girl Power. They were the cool girls of the playground - the ones you wanted to hang out with behind the bike sheds. Their first, self titled album was hugely successful, spawning hits including I Know Where It's At and Never Ever, and winning big at both the Brits and MTV European Music Awards. Despite this success however, All Saints are as remembered for their turbulent relationships within the band as they are for their hits. Rumours of rifts within the group were rife for most of their lifespan, and the band split shortly after the release of their second album, Saints and Sinners, citing personal differences. Not before unleashing three more number one singles however, including the Ivor Novello winning and frankly brilliant Pure Shores. Although the band have made more than one attempt at a comeback, they were unable to put their differences fully behind them and replicate the heady success of their early days. Saints and Sinners indeed!
When is good too good? That's the accusation levelled at Kodaline, who released their second album, "Coming Up For Air" last month. The Irish Independent suggests that it's the Irish way, a tendency to self-loathing, that sees local heroes doing well for themselves come in for public reviling. "Bono bashing, after all, has been a national pastime since circa 1982. Snow Patrol are so widely looked down upon it comes as a minor surprise that they are able to attract tens of thousands to their shows. The Script are, if we are be kind, not taken seriously as a musical force. Even arguably more credible acts such as The Cranberries – loathed in Ireland within five minute of having a hit in Britain – and Sinead O'Connor are the subject of snide disdain. Irish self-hate aside, this is probably a consequence of the distorting effect of the spotlight. When someone becomes famous, their flaws and foibles are blown up to super-sized proportions."
Originally starting in 2005 as 21 Demands, the band from Dublin first came to the public's attention in 2006 as runners up in RTÉ's "You're A Star" competition. In 2007 21 Demands released their first single, "Give Me a Minute", becoming the first independent artists to top the Irish singles charts. They changed their name to Kodaline, and were joined by bassist 2012, and the rest, as they say, is history. Their eponymous EP, released in 2012, was met with critical acclaim, which saw the band nominated for the BBCs Sound of 2013 poll. The following year they released first full length album, "In a Perfect World", with several songs seemingly ready-made for TV soundtracks. Critical acclaim, coming to the notice of TV shows such as "Gray's Anatomy" and a very memorable 2-part video for "All I Want": all this combined meant the critics were soon baying for their blood. Kodaline could have been totally scuppered by such reviews (most famous was the 2 liner from UK mag, Q: "Entirely Meritless"). But they soldiered on, choosing instead to laugh at themselves and not take things too seriously. “Starting out, I would read every single review and check out all the comments on YouTube,” says the drummer Vinny May. “And it would get to me — it would affect me personally. However, you talk to other musicians and realise negativity is everywhere. Every musician is on the receiving end. It comes with the job.” "Coming Up for Air" contains the same sorts of anthems as "A Perfect World" but with added edge. It's a departure from that album's soft folkpop/rock (is there such a genre?), and was recorded with Dublin-born producer Garrett "Jacknife" Lee at his studios near LA. Lead track "Honest" is the one which resonates most with us, it’s an earworm and demands to be listened to over and over. Other stand-out tracks include “Love Will Set You Free”, which is a soulful counterbalance to the in-your-face “Honest”. “Coming Alive” harks back to the songs from “In a Perfect World” but overall the new direction of this album is one we've really enjoyed.
Comparisons have been made between Kodaline and Coldplay - but is that such a bad thing? The band is an overnight sensation that's taken 10 years to get there, so naturally they've had time to hone their craft. Again, back to The Irish Independent: "Among critics, Kodaline's downfall is that they are simply too good at what they do. Ultimately, of course, that's not their problem – it is ours." "Coming Up for Air" is available to buy from all good music retailers. Kodaline are currently on tour across Europe. Details are available from their website.
Our first Retro Review of the Week is the eponymous debut album of Irish boyband, Westlife. Formed in 1998, they disbanded in 2012 with a massive 41 date farewell tour, culminating in a concert in Dublin’s Croke Park, which was aired live via satellite in cinemas across Europe. The band consisted of Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan and Brian McFadden. Brian left in 2004. Listening to their debut album, released in 1999, it’s easy to see how in 14 short years they were able to pull off such a farewell tour. The album is very slick, with unchallenging songs, but it’s nonetheless *listenable*. It’s easy-going, middle-of-the-road music, with the boys being themselves unchallenging, and easy enough on the eye to set the hearts a-flutter of teenage girls and their mothers alike.
Standout songs would have to be the fan favourite, “Flying Without Wings” and “No No”, with the latter being a peppy little number, which I envisage would have had some catchy dance moves (I can see sweeping arms for “no no” – am I right?). Middle-of-the-road worked well for Westlife. They sold over 50 million records worldwide, which included studio albums, singles, video releases, and compilation albums. They hit the number one spot 14 times in the UK, and reached the top 10 in that country a total of 26 times over their 14-year career. In 2012 they were recognised by the Official Charts Company as the 34th biggest-selling singles artists in the history of British music. They didn’t however get their big break in the US, achieving only one hit single, “Swear It Again”, the lead track from their debut album. “Westlife” isn’t a bad album. It’s got some real hits and no real misses. It’s not an album I’d go back to over and over again, but I can see why fans love it.
Our second trip down memory lane and we’re visiting another Irish band, Boyzone, with the stirring, “No Matter What”. The song comes from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, “Whistle Down the Wind”, and features the beautiful voices of Stephen Gately and Ronan Keating. I was listening to the “No Matter What” (CD 1) version (1998), which also includes the songs, “All That I Need” (Phil Da Costas Oxygen Edit), and “Where Have You Been”. “No Matter What” is Boyzone’s biggest selling single, having sold over 4 million copies worldwide. It’s also the best performing single of any boyband. Boyzone’s most famous lineup comprised Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating, and Shane Lynch. The group were initially formed in 1993 in response to an advertisement for a new boy band – with the aim to find an “Irish Take That”. Keating put all his Olympics dreams aside (he was due to go to New York on an athletics college scholarship) to join. Likewise Duffy signed up, much to his family’s dismay, as he was in a good job. But sign up they did, and with the rest of the band, went on to be ranked in 2012 by The Official Charts Company, as the 29th best selling singles artists in UK music chart history – and the second highest placed boyband, after Take That. “No Matter What” is haunting. Keating’s vocals are rich and resonating, and perfectly complemented by Gately’s rising harmonies. If I had to
choose between Westlife and Boyzone, it’d be Boyzone for me every time. Written by Jim Steinman for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical take on Mary Bell’s classic, “Whistle Down the Wind” (the film of which starred her daughter Hayley Mills), Boyzone’s version was as part of a concept album of songs from the show, and also featured Bonnie Tyler, Boy George, and Tom Jones, among others. The single also appears on Boyzone’s album, “Where We Belong”, released in 1998. It’s certainly been no bed of roses for Boyzone. At the end of 1999 they decided to take time out to pursue solo careers, with varying degrees of success. In 2007 they reunited for a special appearance on BBC’s Children in Need, and announced a UK/Ireland tour for 2008. Keating had officially left the band, but returned for several concerts of the tour. In 2009 however they were rocked by the death of Gately, which especially affected Keating, as the pair were close friends. They toured in 2011, dedicating it to their “brother Steo”, but again took a hiatus at the conclusion of the tour. In 2013 they reunited once more for their 20 year anniversary, having apparently been inspired by Take That’s return. That year they released 5th studio album, “BZ20″ and in 2014 released “From Dublin to Detroit”, a celebration of Motown classics, which debuted at number 6 on the UK albums chart. It certainly seems that Boyzone are back and have no intentions of going away again anytime soon. No matter what.
The eponymous debut album of Irish band Hal was met with critical acclaim when released by Rough Trade Records in 2005. The band, formed in 2003, comprised brothers Dave and Paul Allen, Simon Freedman, and Stephen O’Brien. Hal was feted by some as “the” band of 2004 upon the release of their first single, “Worry About the Wind”, and their album went on to be one of the best reviewed of 2005. Embarking on a world tour in 2004-2005, tracks What a Lovely Dance” and “Play the Hits” were featured on Match of the Day and 2004’s World Cup. There’s a strong Beach Boys influence evident in “Hal”, with close harmonies and a West Coast fresh and summery feel. There are no “B”
sides in this album – every track could easily have been released as an “A” side. Brilliant in concert, the band next released the EP “Down in the Valley” in 2012, followed by second album, “The Time The Hour”. The massive hiatus between musical releases was due in no small part to main songwriter Dave Allen moving to the US. A pity, for a band with such promise. Hal might no longer be with us (we don’t know for sure, but as nothing’s been updated for over 2 years, it seems likely) but their legacy remains on the interwebs. Hal’s internet presence can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and their website.