NIALL CONNOLLY'S debut album "Songs From A Corner" was one of the first thngs we reviewed on W&H and he's been busy touring it and writing an impressive mound of new songs in the interim.
I'm reliably informed there's a new album due this Spring, but as a taster, here are four brand new songs with Niall again accompanied by a (slightly expanded) Token Mellow Band.
The Ep leads off with the title song. Wistful and full of (soon to be) reminiscence, it's got a memorable, stately sweep about it that soon gets under your skin. You're immediately struck by the fact Niall's songwriting has become more confident and that's borne out by the other tracks on the EP.
Track two, "Six For A Fiver" is (for this humble reviewer) probably the best thing Niall and co have recorded to date. Urgent and resonant with the pop sensibility this writer encountered at a recent Cork show, this finds the band at full tilt and Connolly presenting some nicely caustic lyrics, i.e: "Let's talk of music, let's talk of girls and what we'll do when we rule the world."
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Meanwhile, "Home" and "Miles To Go" revert to Niall's more intimate, acoustic side. I wasn't initially so keen on "Home", although when the band make their presence felt half way through, things perk up considerably, while the gentle, fleeting "Miles To Go" is an attractive kiss off.
In truth, Niall Connolly has better songs still in reserve for that highly-anticipated second album, but "The Long Weekend" shows real sonic progression and confidence flooding through. He's definitely moving in the right direction.
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