New Artist: Robert Holmes
A lot of people read this site and send us tip-offs of uncovered acts that they like. This is a good thing... but many get it badly wrong, sending us links to their mates who happen to be in a band that sound like Ocean Colour Scene or The Stone Roses. Worse still, PR companies pretend to read the site and send all kindsa rubbish, like Emo bands and Hairspray Metal outfits... we usually give 'em a load a hassle and tell 'em to go away and re-read the site, and then ask themselves why on Earth we'd cover 'em. Tellya, these fools don't do their job properly.
HOWEVER... when someone getzit right, boy, they get it really right... which brings me to Robert Holmes, a Belfast boy with a road-movie soundtrack in his heart...
So, ER reader Dom gets in touch with the greatest email ever sent to us. With a link, the entire email read this...
"you make up your mind, i'm a long time reader of the Blog and thought that you guys would appreciate this guy's music. enjoy, Dom"
Get that! No fawning! No arse-kiss! Just a simple 'you're gonna dig this'. Guess what? Digging is afoot! Man, this Robert Holmes guy (who I wish called himself Bob Holmes, so he'd sound like a Brooklyn producer, keen on Rhodes and breaks sat under strings) makes some serious tunes.
Imagine a midnight drive and all you can see are the headlamps shining ahead. You're in some bleached bone town and things are weird and drunk on cheap scotch and dry throated from too-many-cigarettes. What you need to soundtrack this road-movie, panning out in your head, is Robert Holmes. This guy has the eerie twang of a David Lynch flick and the voice of Nick Cave. Everyone's saying he sounds like Nick Cave it seems... but it's true. He's got that baritone breakdown thing goin' on!
'Amazing Grace' needs to be on some B&W arthouse film... or mebbe the soundtrack to some gritty Britflick made by Shane Meadows or sumpin'. It's a 3minute panoramic doom-pop track that'll knock you fer six! 'Hazard Hill' is another creeped out noirish track that is swamped in reverbs and effects with a great clunking beat, all sat 'neath the twang and righteous ire of Holmes. Man! This guy is good... real good... go check him out right now! I think he's even got an LP coming out! There's evil in his bones...
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