Most of you who've come into contact with Limerick's Stephen Ryan over the past couple of years will probably know him as the legs-splayed, riff-dispensing, lung-scouring half of venomous hardcore duo giveamanakick: a band who've already opened their account with the notable "Is It OK To Be Loud, Jesus?" album.
WINDINGS, though, is Stephen's equally fascinating alter-ego, and with this self-titled debut, he's returned with a record that will surprise many expecting his usual ferocious hardcore self. Indeed, "Windings" presents an intimate, wholly personal set of songs, mostly with the wattage turned down and Stephen's voice and guitar centre stage under a single spotlight.
And the downbeat setting suits him surprisingly well in the main. Songs like "Surrounded" and "To Follow" feature mellifluous finger-picking and vulnerable, close-miked vocals, while the winsome, weatherbeaten pastorality of "Cathedrals" reminds me of Grant McLennan and the excellent "Swerved" is forlorn romanticism at its' best, enriched by a delightful final coda brimming with lazy slide guitar and tinges of glockenspiel.
Not that "Windings" is content with being a confessional, acoustic singer/ songwriter affair in its' entirety, and on occasions it's deviations present us with a further clutch of notable tracks. In fact the album opens and closes with two such beauties in "Fireworks For Ling" and "Androids' Dreams": the former harbouring twinkling, soundtrack-style aspirations before finally sunbursting into a DIY home symphony reminiscent of Adem, while "Androids' Dreams" is based upon what sounds like an omnichord or some such small keyboard and brings the record to a close in likeably elegiac fashion.
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Ironically, it's when Stephen reverts to type and unleashes something heavier that he tends to lose this reviewer a little. "God Knows" is the first such wake-up call and sounds like opening the kitchen door to find My Bloody Valentine skulking in there. It's ultimately as mystifying, too, though it's preferable to the the incongrous, lead-footed riffing that clogs up "Postal", and possibly also the space-invading crunch of "Succeed." "Princess", however, is much better, inviting in live drums and a strident indie-pop feel. The lyrical sting in the tail is well worth checking out too.
But then you get the feeling that "Windings" was never intended as anything other than a warts'n'all affair and that overall cutting to the emotional chase was utmost in Stephen Ryan's mind, rather than purely volume and unnecessary sonic trickery. As a result, "Windings" is a (mostly) quiet, left-field gem with enough diversity to ensure you're with him all the way.
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