A mesmerising journey to the depths of humanity
THERE ARE many bands and singer-songwriters on the contemporary Irish music scene who are deserving of international acclaim and among the very finest this country has to offer Wexford’s own Basciville.
Long celebrated on the local music scene brothers, Cillian and Lorcan Byrne, will be releasing their debut album,’ hymns to the air’, on February 26, and it will hopefully give them the exposure that their undoubted talent warrants.
The multi-instrumental duo wrote and produced the 10-track album during lockdown and if that wasn’t enough they also filmed thee cinematic videos to accompany three singles, ‘Memory and Other Drugs’, ‘Calvary’ and ‘Bloom’.
Citing influences ranging from Pearl Jam to Jeff Buckley, the brothers say their local landscape and coastal imagery influenced the sound on the CD.
The opening track, ‘ Hymn to the Air/Novena’, begins with a gentle, dreamlike keyboard and synth-strings pattern that eases the listener in before things take a rousing turn at the 1’30” mark when an upbeat percussive backbeat provides the ideal accompaniment for the vocal introduction.
Fans of early Genesis and Peter Gabriel will love this track. There is a wonderful feeling of desperation to the vocals that hints at the sincerity and passion with which the Byrne brothers approach their songwriting.
On second song, ‘ Bloom’, there are subtle similarities to Eddie Vedder, from Pearl Jam, when performing more downbeat tracks. However, any similarities with other artists are merely subtle because Basciville have a sound that is very much their own.
The sparse arrangement of tracks like ‘ Bloom’ go a long way to maximising their overall appeal.
There is a loneliness permeating the song that is created in part by the minimalist accompaniment.
A simple guitar riff set to a lovely rhythmic beat underpins the vocals and as the song progresses the introduction of additional accompaniment is, again, minimalist.
The overall arrangement of the song is brilliant with excellent use of backing vocals.
‘Calvary’ takes things on a slightly more upbeat direction, rhythmically, and the percussive pattern providing the platform for everything else is fabulous.
There is a repetitive guitar riff that is excellent and just after the halfway mark there is an interlude of sorts where everything fades almost to standstill before kicking back in again to take things home.
‘Blues in Red’ is one of the standout tracks on the album.
In essence a blues song, it possesses hints of jazz and straight blues but performed in wonderfully melancholic singer-songwriter fashion.
The vocals, in particular, on this track are absolutely fantastic.
In addition to their songwriting talent credit must go to the duo for their production skills too as the there is wonderful warmth to the overall sound throughout the album.
‘Wanting More’ invokes an image of words floating on the gentle sway of the ocean on a clear day.
It’s a fabulous track that could best be described as musical poetry.
‘Ruling Word’ boasts a wonderful, almost off-beat rhythm but there are some wonderful rhythmic changes throughout and the transitions are brilliantly subtle.
The introduction of a handclap to the backbeat beat is also extremely effective.
‘Memory and Other Drugs’ is a very interesting song; it’s a mere step away from being a spoken word piece set to a staccato beat. The haunting backing vocals are extremely effective.
There is a lonely, melancholic feel to the album that draws the listener in and nowhere it that more evident than on the excellent gentle ballad, ‘Under the Blood’.
The penultimate song on the album, ‘Your Violent Arms’ is a sombre, singer-songwriter track offering up a poignant and thought-provoking tale lyrically.
There is also a lovely twist in the rhythm with the introduction of a hypnotising keyboard-piano pattern intermittently throughout the song.
The arrangement is excellent and the song reaches a fantastic angst-filled crescendo.
Sometimes, as the saying goes it’s a case of the best is left to last and personally speaking ‘Lost Dogs’ is an exemplary way for the album to close.
A fantastic sounding acoustic guitar sets the tone on a song that is a personal foray into the world of lost love and perhaps the frailties of human emotion itself.
The song has a similar feel to ‘ The Island’, by Paul Brady and in truth would surely have to rank among the most powerful and impressive songs to ever come out of Wexford. It’s an incredible track from a duo of supremely talented brothers whose star is surely on the rise.