Laurel St. Demo,
Tim BarryFirst thing's first. Avail is a legendary band. For over a decade they've been pioneering the punk movement, and their sound has been copied by many but matched by none. The most recognisable aspect of their music was Tim Barry's distinctive vocal tones, so it's great to hear him go it on his own and display his talents in a completely different way. 'Laurel St. Demo' does exactly just that, as Tim has escaped the punk genre and recorded something, well, a little bit country.
Opening track 'Idle Idylist' in an introduction to Barry's new Texas sound. In it he tells a story of the Southern American life through the use of gritty lyrics layered over a brilliant acoustic backing. This song is a definite singalong and already it's clear that Barry is a talent on his own, just as he was in Avail. In 'Sorrow Floats' you can just picture Tim sitting on his front porch overlooking fields of wheat with a guitar in his hand and time to kill. While it's composed of just one lyrical line, he portrays beautifully his feelings of lost love and what it's really like to miss someone. 'Gumshoe Andy' is by far the most country-sounding track on here, and the use of banjos and steel-slider guitar licks makes this song a lot of fun to listen to.
There's still a definite punk feel to some of the songs on this demo, and it's easy to imagine songs like 'No news from the north' and 'Sagacity Gone' being played with a full punk band backing. While these are probably the two weakest songs here, they still measure up to the others musically and lyrically. This really is a great piece of work and displays perfectly what it's like to take a musician out of his comfort zone and produce something completely different. In Tim's own words, these songs are 'raw, moody, and painfully intimate at times', and he's not wrong in saying this. There are definite Bob Dylan-isms present in his writing and I really hope his debut solo album 'Rivana Junction' follows in the footsteps of this demo.
This isn't just a record for Avail fans waiting on the release of their next album (due out at the end of the year). This is a record for anyone who appreciates songs full of raw emotion, gritty lyrics and a sound different to the mainstream.
Andrew
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