Sometimes, first impressions really can count. The first time this writer encountered Ciaran Smyth aka CRAYONSMITH, the young Dubliner was supporting future Out On A Limb colleagues Windings at an intimate soiree in Cork. He was fighting a losing battle with the PA from the off and repeated technical glitches developed into full-blown equipment failure. Many would have thrown in the towel, but - armed with only an acoustic guitar, a multi-colour glockenspiel and decent reserves of faith - Ciaran Smyth prevailed, leading us in a spontaneous acoustic sing-along and leaving us feeling we'd witnessed something special as a result.
Ciaran's 2006 debut 'Stay Loose' (the title says it all, doesn't it?) was pretty much the epitome of this lo-fi, bedroom-based approach: intimate, liable to fall on its' face and rarely less than extremely vulnerable, yet in possession of bags of charm and more than enough joie de vivre to see itself through. It was a record that, despite its' humble beginnings, ended up catching the ear of no less than Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous and ultimately led to prestigious support slots with Quasi, Charlotte Hatherley and Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins), not to mention Stateside trips with the likes of Grandaddy's Jason Lyttle.
Big oaks from small acorns and all that, for sure, but its' with second album - the typically self-deprecatingly-titled 'White Wonder- that Crayonsmith really score. Yes, the canvas is broader and more collaborative as George Brennan (from dark hip-hop act Deep Burial) comes in to help with beat production and Smyth has also enlisted further sonic sherpas in the shape of friends Ronan Jackson and Ruadhan O'Meara, but even though things have been tightened up, Crayonsmith remain seriously endearing, even if you can mostly lose the 'shambolic' which might previously have accompanied that last phrase.
Scene-setting opener 'White Wonder Theme' doesn't outstay its' welcome, but its' laptop trickery, tricksy beats and reed organ fuzz serves notice that the low-key Crayonsmith of yore has been assimilated gently and effectively into the new, pop-embracing 'Smith. This is borne out by a slew of songs like the punchily defiant 'Bad Days Move On' and the determined, synth-laced single 'Lost In The Forest' where energised drum'n'bass-influenced rhythms and an energised pop tune show they can be anything but strange bedfellows.
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Elsewhere, songs like 'Anxious' - with its' splatchy keyboards, Peter Hook-style bassline and cold blasts of loud guitar - and the excellent 'Anything' (which mixes and matches glitchy beats and dreamy, Chameleons-y guitar) demonstrate that Crayonsmith can make sounding 'eclectic' both easy and truly natural. Smyth's easy-going, tongue-in-cheek charm remains gloriously intact, too: if you don't believe me, look no further than the wonderful '16 Going On 63', where - over an absolute honey of a tune - Ciaran gently recalls "it's just the age we were/ still the older me I much prefer" with the wisdom that only climbing the hill of 21 plus can provide. Wait until he's looking back at 40 like this writer and then let's see what he can do.
Because, while many may have previously seen Ciaran Smyth as an endearing (that word again) but probably temporary presence on the ever-shifting pop landscape, this sophomore release suggests he's shuffling towards tangible longevity. It's a bit of an obvious analogy bearing in mind the sleeve design, but 'White Wonder' really does see the previously awkward cygnet morph into a handsome swan. And one who'll surely hold his own come feeding time, too.
(www.myspace.com/outonalimbrecords)
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