Sister Lovers' EP is one deserving of affection
What does the future hold for a brilliant Cavan band?
Chad Brady, Ciaran Grogan and Michael Slowey of the brilliant Sister Lovers.
What's in store? That's what the Sister Lovers ask in the closing track of their debut EP, writes Damian McCarney.
The three-piece are amongst the most talented bands on the Cavan circuit, but as anyone who saw the feeble crowd Fionn Regan drew to the Gonzo earlier this summer will know, talent alone doesn't guarantee anything. The Sister Lovers are in an even more precarious position than most, as at least there's always been some sort of market for the typical singer-songwriter in Ireland; there's much less demand for the Sisters' particular brand of left-field indie.
If anything is in store for the brilliant Sister Lovers - aka Cathal 'chad' Brady, Ciaran Grogan and Michael Slowey, it's hard to imagine that it lies anywhere but abroad. There's only so many Irish venues that would welcome them, and they're mostly in Belfast, Dublin, and Cork. After all, how many times have you heard a band in Cavan sing about aspirational writers of comedies? That's precisely how the Sister Lovers open their EP
Combine their offbeat topics with frontman Michael Slowey's languid Stephen Malkmus (of Pavement) style delivery, and you've got a mix that will deter as many as it will attract.
Your reviewer should come clean and admit to being a fan of both Pavement and Sister Lovers, so personally the warbly vocals and loose arrangements aren't an obstacle to get over - rather a cause for celebration. Having said that, Slowey's vocals are most at home during a warble-free rant in the prolonged punk coda in Place Like This. It's the high point of the EP and could stand alone. Okay the beautifully-warped guitars of the first half are wonderfully unsettling, but the raucous, high-octane second half with its pounding drum introduction is comparable to anything Stiff Little Fingers knocked out in the '70s - avoid playing in the car if you want to keep to the speed limits. It has been on repeat for a solid week on my iPod.
However, this punk snippet isn't a true reflexion of what they are about. After a slow start, on the ill-advised title track Everybody's tryin' (to Write a Comedy), the EP takes off with the superb Magazine Life as drums and staccato rhythm guitar trade off each other to great effect. Imaginative key changes and intriguing lyrics - 'Now all that I've left to see/Is Rosie and her grazed knees' - and it really is a brilliant song.
Another high point is the slow Stone Roses-esque Through the Red Door in which they timidly contemplate the future, admitting, "I don't know what the future holds." Three minutes in however and uncertainty gives way to a combination of angst and frustration as the distortion pedal is kicked into action, backed by seismic drums. The epic conclusion is fantastic.
The Sister Lovers' future remains uncertain. The songs on this EP have already amassed a few miles, and their impressive support slots for the likes of Kate Nash and Cathy Davey seem a long time ago. However there's rumours that they went down a storm at the new fringe festival in Ballinamore, and have even won plaudits from the great Whipping Boy. In the longer term the Sister Lovers may need to go wherever necessary to get more gigs and write new songs. Armed with this EP - which still has plenty of scope for tightening, without undermining its easy going charm - they should find a warm indie-welcome elsewhere.
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