VERTIGO SMYTH’S previous single ‘The Armada Song’ (half of a split 7” with Limerick’s ace Windings) came seemingly out of nowhere. A song about failed invasions and rusting galleons lying on the sea bed off Ireland’s remote Cape Clear, it was an under-stated treat aided and abetted by elegant strings and lush instrumentation. It also marked out its’ creator (a friendly and enigmatic County Clare native) as something of a dark horse in the eclectic Indie-Folk stakes.
Having seen him play a fine set on tour with Windings last summer (with only a ukelele and one acoustic guitar for company), W&H know full well that there are plenty more where ‘The Armada Song’ came from. Consequently, it’s a bit of a surprise to find that he’s since teamed up with Donegal-born, Dublin-residing CAROL ANNE McGOWAN to work on a new album.
Not that the first fruits of their labour suggests such a pooling of resources was a bad move. A taste of their forthcoming Out on a Limb Records album, the esoterically-titled ‘Fox Eyes on Georgia’ is romantic, breathy, wistful and just a little forlorn. It’s a love song built upon the essentials – acoustic guitar, stately electric guitar, tambourine and close-miked harmonies - and perhaps just a hint of prime-period Richard & Linda Thompson for good measure.
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Short, sweet and swoonsome, ‘Fox Eyes on Georgia’ is a little gem. Play it again and again and again.
Out on a Limb Records online
Vertigo Smyth online
Carol Anne McGowan on MySpace"
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