2011 Reviews
An archive of all the Irish album, EP, and single reviews featured on Swear I’m Not Paul in 2011.
| Cover Art | Release | Rating |
|---|---|---|
 | Airwave Atlantic - Game Play "This EP hints that Airwave Atlantic could be someone worth following, and has a lot of potential, but it needs more focus. There’s glimpses of greatness, but as a whole, it’s two good songs and three average ones." Read Full Review |  |
 | Arrow in the Sky - Winter's Requiem "With these gorgeous folk melodies on their second EP, Arrow in the Sky mark themselves out as a force to be reckoned with, and are definitely one to watch for the future." Read Full Review |  |
 | Astral Gardens - Brian Boru "Fans of Therapy should really like this album, and it’s filled with wonderful metal grooves and plenty of trashing, but it may not be for everyone." Read Full Review |  |
 | Awake Young Soldiers - When Leo Met Cherry "It’s a very worthy release from one of Ireland’s finest newcomers. Expect to hear more from these guys." Read Full Review |  |
 | The Battle For 2nd Place - First "Sometimes you just want to rock out for a solid 40 minutes. Even if it’s at your desk with your headphones on. Bring back all those bedroom rocker moments of your teens. Because when the Battle for 2nd Place are at their best, it all comes flooding back." Read Full Review |  |
 | Big Monster Love - Game Over "This is what pop music is all about. Not cheesy radio filler, but charming and entertaining lines over a catchy, memorable tune. Big Monster Love has a knack for rhyme and wordplay that puts him above almost every other songwriter out there." Read Full Review |  |
 | Black Robots - Farewell Black Robots "Black Robots or Bl_ck R_b_ts for you non vowel types are a Waterford duo who make a lot of noise. Speaking of Noise, according to the excellent Cork blog of that name, the band may be forced to change their name thanks to some US band called Black Robot. Whatever they’re called, Black Robots rock!" Read Full Review | |
 | The Boondalk Saints - EP "They save the best until last with ‘Get So Old’, a Strokesian rocker which easily could be Ireland’s very own ‘Last Nite’ for 2011. This EP is a very accomplished debut from an extremely promising rock band. It’s not out to reinvent the wheel, but for what it does, it’s tremendously enjoyable." Read Full Review | |
 | Mary Byrne - Mine & Yours "From the cover of the album to the music inside, as well as the lyrics booklet, Mine & Yours is a very polished, but very safe production. Just like Mary on the show, who sang the same song two or three times at various stages, there are no risks taken here. Anyone who has seen her on television will know exactly what to expect. Standards accompanied by a big voice. But not one as good as Susan Boyle’s." Read Full Review |  |
 | Carosel - Star "This is a wonderful EP, and a lovely tease for the band’s upcoming second album, which sounds like something you’ve been listening to for years. At once familiar and enchantingly fresh." Read Full Review | |
 | Catscars - Construction "Overall, an impressive debut from Catscars, with some fantastic tunes, particularly the gorgeous ‘B-Song’. Definitely worth the wait." Read Full Review | |
 | Cellardoor - Set Fire to the Snow "Counter mixes a large swash of styles and influences on Set Fire to the Snow, and in doing so, has created an instrumental rock album that stands out above most others. Inventive and clever, while still remaining accessible, this is a fantastic album, and one that will provide new treasures each and every listen." Read Full Review | |
 | Cignol - v0id "Opener ‘Departures’ provides an embracing introduction, with its sweeping sounds and fuzzy soundscape. ‘Nebulae’ is an airy, atmospheric tune, while the standout, ‘Heretic’ is a brooding collection of dense beats. It’s a warm collection of tunes, with some darker undertones, held together by a meticulously constructed flow. Highly impressive." Read Full Review | |
 | Created by Comets - Leave It At The Door "If you want a smooth, danceable record, this is for you. A tremendous start to the year from a very impressive bunch of newcomers." Read Full Review | |
 | Daithi - Embrace "t’s all very well crafted, with gorgeously textured songs such as last year’s single ‘Ci’ or the speed-picked ‘Waves’, but there’s not enough variety here to demand new listeners to stand up and pay attention." Read Full Review | |
 | Ed Devane - Room Full of Empty People "It’s a mishmash of unconnected sounds and beats, with ‘Squib’ being a live recording of a gritty bass and drum melody. It’s fuzzy at best, and never brings the listener in. It’s a relentless series of clashing sounds, and is, like most of the EP, forgettable. ’2c-me’ is the best of what’s on offer, but even that I have no desire to return to." Read Full Review |  |
 | Doctor Lilt - Gun Shaped Eggs "The entire album sounds like it could be used to soundtrack one thing or another, particularly the oriental ‘Perky Flower’ and the irresistible disco funk of ‘Strange Love’." Read Full Review | |
 | Hugh Doolan - OutTakeIn "OutTakeIn is no Slopey, that’s for sure. That said, the record is far from a write-off. There are some decent songs here, ones which easily could have fit on proper records, but with the two instrumental tunes, Hugh Doolan may have found a brand new direction." Read Full Review | |
 | Matthew Doyle - I am a Vulture, I am the Scavenger of the Desert "There are plenty of songs on here that could be wondrous in a live and drunken atmosphere, like ‘Folk on the Road’, but overall it’s a poor album. If it had followed the direction of opener ‘Peel Sound’ much more closely, it could have been a very interesting record. For now, it’s back to the drawing board." Read Full Review | |
 | The Former Soviet Republic - Is Made of This "Is Made of This finally proves that music critics aren’t just failed musicians, they can be real musicians too. There’s no arguing with the quality of Wright’s writing, and that’s reflected brilliantly in his songwriting. The album took three years to make, but was well worth the wait." Read Full Review | |
 | Ginnels - Ginnels "With his latest project, Ginnels, Chester has shown himself as an endlessly creative songwriter, who oozes charm from every pore. A splendid debut, and one that hints at further greatness to come." Read Full Review | |
 | Washington Green - Daedalus "There are glimpses of what could be the foundation of good songs, and perhaps Green needs to go off and revise Synth 101 before returning to make something a little more consistent, and more melodic." Read Full Review | |
 | Gregan - Spirals "Described as electronic folk but better labelled as a singer-songwriter EP, the record showcases Gregan’s simple knack for a melody along with his gruff, earthy vocals." Read Full Review | |
 | The Indecent Cigar Emporium - Straight to Video "The album tries to be too clever, and instead of creating mellifluous tunes, the Indecent Cigar Emporium produce disjointed, uneasy listening funk. For an album that’s so well produced, it’s an enormous shame the songs just don’t stand up." Read Full Review | |
 | LotusEater - Guides "The one thing I do know about this record is that it’s amazing. It truly is one of the best new sounds you will hear all year. I just can’t praise Guides enough" Read Full Review |  |
 | Padraig McCauley and the P Affection - Padraig McCauley and the P Affection "The melodic indie inside will get stuck in your head, and stay around in your consciousness for ages after the ten songs have finished." Read Full Review | |
 | MGB - For the Ones We Knew "The whole EP, all five songs are just okay. Nothing amazing, nothing special, and perhaps most importantly: nothing new. It feels as if we’ve been here before with countless other Irish rock bands, and we’ll tread these waters again. A very, very average debut." Read Full Review | |
 | mynameisjOhn - There is a Policeman Inside All Our Heads "Opening with ‘Dia Duit’ and ending with ‘Slan Leat’, you’d expect this album to have a very Hiberno-hip-hop feel, but it transcends location, and is worth your time if you’ve even a passing interest in hip-hop beats. There’s definite export value in this one." Read Full Review | |
 | No Monster Club - Young Guts Champion "The songs chime in at around two minutes each, and the whole experience clocks in at less than fifteen minutes, but it’s such a wonderful burst of garage-pop, you’re more likely to pop it on for a second run-through straight after." Read Full Review | |
 | Overhead, the Albatross - Lads with Sticks "All the tracks have a full, fat sound; they’re all so well arranged, so beautifully textured, and flow so well. The musicianship is first rate, and there’s riffs galore to be found throughout." Read Full Review | |
 | Owensie - Aliens "This is an album that was initially charming, but lost its warmth after further investigation, and will probably go unlistened to for months at a time before I decide to give it another chance, and warm to it for a day or two, only to return to the shelf for another lengthy cooling period." Read Full Review | |
 | P.A.L.A.S. - Fischer Endgame "If you’re into cinematic orchestral electronica, then this could be the album for you. Filled with lush synths and glorious soundscapes, it’s a well-polished debut from one of Ireland’s finest upcoming acts." Read Full Review | |
 | Refraction - Refraction "The six songs on the record are nicely textured, and shows that the band were right to work out all the kinks and nuances for the past four years before finally getting around to releasing this polished debut." Read Full Review | |
 | Sexy Audible Chocolate - Interprime "Murphy called the record “a synth odyssey”, and like that of Homer, it takes forever to get anywhere, and even longer to get back. It could have made a great EP, but fleshed out to a full-length, there’s far too many filler tracks." Read Full Review | |
 | Ciaran Smyth - Like a Machine "Taking some of his queues from the Mars Volta with a little bit of Killing Heidi thrown in, Smyth makes accomplished melodic rock with strong choruses and stronger riffs." Read Full Review | |
 | Sunken Foal - Mother of God "A decent, if not amazing effort from Sunken Foal, this is sure to appeal to his long-time fans, and maybe even win over a few newcomers." Read Full Review | |
 | Various Artists - Quompilation #1 "Compilations are always mixed affairs, they never really quite blow you away. With such a diverse selection of bands, genres, and covers, you’d expect this to suffer the same fate, but amazingly it’s better than most other mixes. The songs chosen have been given the respect they deserve, and as a result, stand up to repeated listens." Read Full Review | |
 | The Walls - Bird in a Cage "All-in-all, this teaser EP provides a glimpse of what could be a wonderful pop-rock long player. They definitely are keeping the best songs around for the album, and with pretty good tunes like ‘Chrome Heart’ missing the cut, it only makes me think that the full-length is going to be a real gem." Read Full Review | |
 | We Are Losers - Live at Popicalia #5 "Overall, the Live EP suffers from the quality of the recording. If it was a soundboard bootleg, it’d be only amazing, but as it is, it’s just decent. Still worth a listen/download though." Read Full Review | |
