Search - Corrigan :: How to Hang from a Rope

The Time Is Now...

kendall lopere | H-Town, Tx, USA | 01/29/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Very little has ever been written about the Belfast music scene. Admittedly it lacks the glamour of the bigger U.K. cities such as London, Glasgow, Manchester and Hull - no-one really moves to Belfast to become a rock star, and too often the scene is dominated by 6th formers and College kids who tend to be somewhat transitory. However, this lack of attention from the national press has allowed a vibrant and diverse collection of acts to emerge and evolve without having to sell out to the man and compromise their integrity for the whims of the industry honchos. Instead they can get on with the business of making the music they want to make without bothering with such mundane issues as recording and releasing, never mind selling records. However, when these bands do come onto the national radar the emerge fully formed, and often quite, quite unique. Corrigan are such a band. Based around the theatrics of main member Martin Corrigan, this, their debut album is a fantastic blend of singing, screaming, loud guitars, quiet guitars, spoken word stories and ebullient drumming all based around disjointed rhythms, brilliant melodies and truly memorable hooks. The album drips with an eclecticism and a small town weirdness that many listeners will find unsettling, but fans of the Belfast music scene will quickly realize the influence of other local greats such as Cecil's Flea Circus, Feline Dream and Multified Sides Tack, taken to another level and made more palatable for mainstream consumption. The standout tracks for me are the opening blast of "We're the Wire", "Macarthur" and the magnificently strange "Waterballad". If you don't like these 3 songs you won't like this album. The other band members are showcased in other numbers - most notably fans of Stickboy and False Dawn will instantly recognize Gavin Mckay's metronomic drumming on the wonderful "My Head Does Dances".
Released on the superb Carryduff record label "Bright Star recordings" I'll be amazed if this album sells outside the Belfast city limits, but the album, the band and the scene that spawned it are very much deserving of and long overdue a wider audience."