'Company' finds Kiernan McMullan in the form of his life with it's intricate simplicity suggesting that Kiernan's songwriting is better than ever.
Regular readers of the blog will be tired of reading positive reviews of albums and eps but the truth is I'm at the point where I can pick the very best music to listen to and review. With 'Company', the new Ep from Kiernan McMullan I was asked by the artist to review the EP before his headline show in Whelans on Wednesday May 1st and it's been a real pleasure listening to 'Company' non stop since the weekend.
Kiernan's biography is fascinating with links to Ireland and America where his hometown location on his facebook page is 'A Van' in Nashville. With two albums, an Ep and a full schedule of gigging up and down the east coast of America over the last five years, Kiernan is living that nomad life I crave. To me Kiernan is almost an 'enigmatic character' where I'm really interested in what he has to say, his journeys on the road, his relationships while touring and his outlook on life in general. While Kiernan is one of them incredibly talented guitarists and vocalists, I've always felt he struggled a bit with the songwriting aspect of his career but this opinion is blown out of the water by the five tracks on 'Company'.
'Company' begins with 'Kickin' Rocks' which is co sung with Rico Sisney. It's a mellow track about loneliness and isolation with some fine lyrics conjuring up many wonderful images. The title track is an 'Anti-love' song with harsh lyrics about finding and losing love on the road. That theme continues with 'Intermission' but with the hope that the relationship could come together after their 'Intermission'.
For me the best track is 'You Had To Leave Me' for it's piano melody and it's wonderful lyrics: "I tell myself that everything will come around, but before it goes full circle, it always seems to hit the ground." ..... is the first line of 'You Had To Leave Me', another heartfelt love song which fails due to being on the road. The best lyric on the EP is in that song; "I tell you I hope that it's you gripping my fingers at the end but for now you had to leave me ...." It's a wonderful track that deserves your attention. 'All The Same' describes the trials and tribulations of touring constantly, being away from home and getting Love from those you can barely remember or passer bys.
I cannot recommend Kiernan McMullan enough with 'Company' being an excellent start point to explore a back catalogue of great music.
Kiernan McMullan - Company [12 out of 12]
Buy the EP: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/company-ep/id624733317
http://www.kiernanmcmullan.com/fr_home.cfm
See Kiernan in Whelans on May 1st supported by TKO and Senakah: http://www.whelanslive.com/index.php/kiernan-mcmullan/
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