Belfast-born Robert Holmes' debut release, the 'Hazard Hill EP' received a fair degree of critical acclaim, it would seem. It's not entirely clear if his follow-up is entitled the 'Infant Rising' EP or the 'Little Star' EP, but ultimately it matters not. It's the contents that count. The three-track sampler that came my way is certainly impressive.
'Not as They Wilt' begins with some pitch-shifted vocals and spaced-out weirdness before a ragged, swaggering acoustic guitar and simple rhythm enter the mix, and Holmes comes on like a Northern Irish Nick Cave. I can't quite decipher the lyrical content enough to ascertain the entire meaning or context, but he sounds both humbled and anguished.
A bleak wind blows through the sombre 'Drinking Tree,' in which sonorous, slightly distorted vocals combine with an almost monastic backing vocal that waves in and out, low in the mix. It's moving, and ever so slightly creepy, too.
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The punningly-titled 'Amazing Graze,' which is the lead track on 'Hazard Hill' may be short, but compensates in shadow-filled intensity. Holmes' baritone vocal is the central focus as he sings of the salvation to be found on love and pleads, 'will you come graze me?'
There's an earthy yet spiritual quality to Holmes' work, resulting in a rare potency from such simple instrumentation and arrangements. Certainly not your average singer-songwriter, that's for certain.
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