The Lost Soldiers debut EP is full of life and spark
CD REVIEW: The Lost Soldiers – Spaghetti Western REVIEWER: John Gregory
It was just a couple of weeks ago when The Lost Soldiers launched their debut five-track EP at G and Ds in Douglas.
The band have a growing following and plans to eventually move to the UK to progress their music career.
And if their drive matches the energy on this EP then they stand a good chance of making an impact.
Spaghetti Western - named after Marc Priestnal's (guitar/vocals) love of the film genre - features pounding drums, guitar and bass.
It sounds just like a debut release should – full of life and spark.
The band, which also features Simon Gilman on bass/vocals and Tony Cain on drums, are all Oasis fans, but surprisingly I don't think this sounds like their inspiration.
Instead it has more of an Arctic Monkeys feel about it, but also reminded me of the work of John Power.
The opening guitar figure of second track Fear For The Time also made me think of The Kinks' All Day and All of the Night.
However they are not copying any of these bands, it is more of a feel the record gives off.
All five numbers are lively affairs and as a three-piece all the instruments are prominent.
Simon's bass features nicely in the mix, propelling the music along while Tony's drums pound away and Marc's guitar riffs and chords soar.
The problem with any EP is that by its very nature it can only give a taster and a snapshot of a band. There is no doubt Spaghetti Western does its job in that it left me wanting to hear more.
As young musicians it will be interesting to see how they develop, whether different influences will creep into their music and how they will shape their songwriting.
Marc wrote all the songs on this release, though Simon now writes songs too.
The former has certainly proved to be a highly competent tunesmith, with a lot of effort going into both the music and the lyrics.
You get the impression that the band mean what they sing. This is the music they feel.
The EP was recorded by Mark Cleator, a well known music figure in the Island and so it is unsurprising the sound is excellent. Sometimes the difference between hearing music live and studio recordings can be vast but – unlike some bands - the studio has not zapped the energy from The Lost Soldiers. This EP is as exciting as their ambitions.
For more information about the band see www.myspace.com/thelostsoldiersinet or find them on Facebook
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Weather for Isle of Man
Tuesday 07 February 2012
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