Andrew Keoghan: Arctic Tales Divide (Brave Beluga/Border)

 |   |  <1 min read

Andrew Keoghan: Wheels Keep Turning
Andrew Keoghan: Arctic Tales Divide (Brave Beluga/Border)

With Dudley Benson's recent Forest existing between a cappella choral singing and waiata, and classical composer John Psathas using loops, sequencing and having pieces played by jazz musicians, interesting niches are being prized open in local music. Classically trained violinist and singer-songwriter Keoghan's debut finds another, somewhere between brightly memorable pop and cleverly arranged, folk-influenced art music.

Ca Va Bien Merci (in English) rides a soft electro-pulse; the title track lives somewhere in the early experimental Eightiess (a less menacing Cure-meets-Roxy Music); the beautiful I Only Have Eyes for You opens with a faux-choral part and tinkling piano; elsewhere he plucks his violin or strums it like a ukulele (the delightful Clean Sheets and a Fishbowl); Dr Seuss Sounds woos with French horn . . .

However it's Keoghan's clear, strong voice and elliptical lyrics which command attention, being delivered up-close and central, with gorgeously melodic swoops and soars (often multi-tracked as backing vocals).

In a sense Keoghan's path has been prepared by Rufus Wainwright, the Tokey Tones, Fleet Foxes, Benson and others.

But he's his own man and – with subtle assistance from Flip Grater, Victoria Girling-Butcher, Ben King, drummer/producer Wayne Bell and others – delivers an impressive debut about gentle, often confusing love.

Like the sound of this? Then check out this.

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   Music at Elsewhere articles index

How to Kill: Like Angels (Failsafe)

How to Kill: Like Angels (Failsafe)

If the band name, the album cover, titles like And Death Shall Have Dominion and the black on black postcards within don't give you the clue, then I shall flip all the cards and tell you: this... > Read more

THE BEATLES: GET BACK, THE ROOFTOP PERFORMANCE (2022): Reeling in the years

THE BEATLES: GET BACK, THE ROOFTOP PERFORMANCE (2022): Reeling in the years

Most serious Beatle-people will already have a bootleg copy of the Beatles' final live performance on the top of their Apple building in London on January 30, 1969. But its... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

Bob Dylan: Pretty Saro (1970)

Bob Dylan: Pretty Saro (1970)

Perhaps this is cheating because this song/clip (below) doesn't come from Elsewhere's voluminous Vaults, but from Dylan's own. In about 10 days Dylan will release another installment in his... > Read more

Fela Anikulapo Kuti: The Black President; The Best Best of Fela

Fela Anikulapo Kuti: The Black President; The Best Best of Fela

The great Fela -- who died of Aids-related illnesses in 97 -- was a superstar in Nigeria. He single-handedly created incendiary and righteously angry Afrobeat by welding together James Brown funk... > Read more