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Review: 'McLINDEN, PAUL'
'Head Happy'   

-  Label: 'OnceInchPunch Records'
-  Genre: 'Indie' -  Release Date: '25th August 2014'

Our Rating:
Classically trained yet now distinctly pop orientated, Paul McLinden has put away his violin, picked up an electric guitar and come up with an album's worth of snappy tunes recorded in a small Glaswegian loft.

Despite working alone in this confined space his perspective is expansive and, for the most part, resolutely upbeat.

So determined is he to show off his mastery of musical styles that it all feels a bit too self conscious at times and comes over like an audio curriculim vitae.

At just 27 minutes, he's eager to make an immediate impression and, though never boring, the sharp mood changes between breezy pop and brash rock make for a confused overall effect.

Mr Boogie shows off his blues credentials,Phonecalls From An Unknown Number borrows heavily from The Strokes while the droning beat of Whether The Weather rocks out to menacing effect on the theme of stalking.

However, McLinden hits his stride most convincingly on the melodic jangly beats of the title track and Cheer Up, a tongue in cheek view on "holes in the atmosphere caused by global warming

In other words, this is a instance where corny happy-go-lucky songs win out over rawer, streetwise cynicism.
  author: Martin Raybould

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McLINDEN, PAUL - Head Happy