I have to have a degree of respect for Edinburgh musician Ryan J. Gallagher. For starters, he cites The Jesus and Mary Chain as one of his main influences, and I'd pretty much always rate them as one of my top ten bands of all time. Second, he's recorded every single note of this EP himself, and is now promoting it - by all means available to him, by the power of the Internet - himself, too. Yes, the Punk / DIY ethic is definitely central to his ethos, yet in a very 21st century sort of way. Finally, he's taken the name for this musical venture from a quote by Tristan Tzara, one of the leading exponents of Dada / Surrealism. All of these things mean I'm compelled to award a large number of cool points before I even hear the music.
There's certainly a hint of 'Just Like Honey' about opener 'Recurring Dream,' but there's some dreamy, almost shoegaze guitar in the mix too. There are some slightly off vocals that jar rather around the mid-point, but in many ways, they simply add to the charm and serve as a reminder that this isn't some prettied-up, overdubbed infinite track digital studio recording, but real, raw music.
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'Journey East' begins auspiciously, with some grand buzzing power chords and bubbling four/four bass. It's pure J&MC, but there are some nice harmonies that tint the song with a melancholy hue that's actually quite affecting in a 90s indie sort of a way (probably on account of the swirling reverb-coated synth).
Not all of the tracks are as attention-grabbing, but do have their positive points, with some decent hooks and harmonies and, above all, a sense of heartfelt humanity, bookended neatly by the succinct and simple closer 'Tempus Edax Redum,' on which Gallagher's accent is particularly prominent.
Maybe not the Twilight Sad, but definitely better than Glasvegas.
'Past Mirrors Future Pictures' is available to download for free from www. Pinkpills.co.uk.
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