Warsaw Radio are one of those local bands who seem to have been on the periphery of success for a long time. I've been aware of them and I think I saw one of their first ever shows in Brighton, but I've not seen them live since and haven't really kept track of them. As a result we missed their Give It All To Fear EP when it was released last September. Normally we wouldn't go back and retrospectively review a release but these guys are from Brighton (via Limerick) and the EP certainly sounds lush. The first thing that strikes me listening to this collection of songs is how rich and pretty the instrumentation sounds; acoustic guitar, piano, violin, trumpet, jazzy electric lead guitar and a hammond sounding organ create a beautiful picture – all those well curated timbres singing together in a familiar, Americana folk-tinged mix. It's no surprise to hear Tim Bidwell (Fink, Jennifer Left), a producer who works out of his own Brighton based Clockwork Owl Studios, was involved. The man certainly knows how to make instruments like this sing and you can tell without having to read the press release that at the core of this record is the sound of a great band playing well in a room together.
The title track is probably the most memorable composition of the four, 'Give It All To Fear' has some lovely touches – moody atmospheric tremolo guitar, pizzicato strings adding tension in the first verse, an organ rising up at the perfect point after the first chorus and those mournful trumpet flourishes aiding the steady, careful build. It's great arrangement and a strong chorus, sprinkled with a sense of mystery that works beautifully with the black and white video the band released on YouTube. I'm sure this EP isn't for everyone though, there's no denying this sound palette, no matter how carefully constructed, is going to simply be Easy Listening to many but I'm sure this is aimed at a slightly older crowd. The songs are well written but there's nothing particularly ground-breaking, it all passes by sounding lovely but doesn't leave me with much of a lasting impression. I have to admit that there's something a little bit David Gray about Brian McNamara's lead vocal that deters me from being a true fan. Personally I find his singing preferable to the cutesy folk tones of someone like Passenger, whose song-writing hits similar notes, but it's still not 100% my cup of tea. Still, I don't need to love it to see that this is a high quality collection of songs and, from the looks of things Warsaw Radio are another local act who are on a strong path toward success. Their recent shows in London, Dublin and Brighton have been sell-outs and with material this strong I could imagine them getting placed in a film or advert and being propelled to mainstream success. I hope they're working on an album to follow, but really with such a great sounding band we're going to have to check them out live at the earliest opportunity.
Adam Kidd