The Savage Beauty of Stoney

Mark Stoney, aka Stoney, is a multi-instrumentalist songwriter whose escalating career has made waves, both in Britain and America. His first full length album, The Scene & The Unseen, gained column inches in major British newspapers and airplay on BBC Radio. Stoney has played at such iconic festivals as Glastonbury, Leeds/Reading and Austin’s SXSW and toured with big names such as the Arctic Monkeys, Athlete and Laura Marling. Some of his previous songs have even appeared in UK and US films and TV programmes. So does his latest release, More Than Animals (January 14th, 2014) live up to expectations? Thankfully, yes.

Stoney plays almost all instruments on More Than Animals and produces too. He has been likened to many artists and genres, but his style is not easily distilled. What shines through is an ear for a rollicking good rhythm, crisp vocals and some of the most expressive, inventive lyrics I’ve ever come across.

He certainly straddles the Atlantic, having originally come from a London suburb, moved to Sheffield, that hotbed of original talent, and finally relocated to Austin, Texas. Whatever he’s soaked up on the way, More Than Animals emerges as his original take.

Some songs have an epic, theatrical quality, with soaring choruses that, for me, rekindled 1980s sounds, as on Sweet Release and The Score, the latter a worthy nod to online casino Gary Numan.  There’s even a hint of musical theatre in terms of melody, albeit with a rock sensibility. But Stoney can be softly delicate too, on the slower, sparser acoustic tracks such as We Belonged, Albatross and Wanderlust. Bittersweet melancholy is part of his DNA.

Devil On My Back is a prime example of his talent for a driving rhythm, this one enhanced by dark lyrics narrating a spiral into despair. Also destined to bring out the beast in you is Round Here, a quiet bit of bluesy slide guitar kicking into hillbilly aggression. Cock of the Walk’s rhythm carries a rant against conforming to mediocrity. Stoney has been compared to David Bowie and The Kinks and that isn’t wide of the mark. However, House of Mirrors reminded me of Steve Marriott channelling his Artful Dodger persona.

Stoney delivers crisp, precise vocals, which is fortunate because his lyrics are so damned good. Often expressing the dark corners of his soul and love’s cruel twists, his arresting imagery is equally adept when loving or when aggressive. And he does express love so beautifully. Listen to Albatross and weep, but We Belonged, if you’ve ever lost someone, will bring you to your knees. A radio-friendly ballad with catchy melody and acoustic guitar, its accompanying video has childhood sweethearts, a wedding, a funeral and a tree motif. Just for my personal taste, I would have preferred the video to be less literal.

The title, More Than Animals refers to a line in Bedpost, about an encounter that shouldn’t have happened, wherein the question is posed, “will you even mark the notch into your bedpost?”, the conclusion being “we’re no more than animals”.

Despite its dark take on life, this is a surprisingly healing set of songs, with a melancholic truth that’s sometimes astonishing.

https://soundcloud.com/stoneystuff

Monks of Mellonwah Bring Rock From Down Under

rsz_monks_of_mellonwah_press_shot Monks of Mellonwah is an indie rock quartet hailing from Sydney, Australia. Citing their influences as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse, Incubus and Black Keys amongst others, this review concerns itself with Afraid to Die (4-track EP released on 4th October, 2013). This release is, in fact, Volume 2 of the band’s debut album, Turn the People, with Volume 3 to follow. The cover artwork shows a young couple holding guns to each other’s heads; clearly, these two are not getting on.

A buzz is building around Vikram, Joe, John and Josh, following tours in their own country and the U.S. and the fact that they have won several awards. Having signed to A&R Worldwide, which handles Muse and Coldplay, their future looks rosy.

We start with the single from the EP, also called Afraid to Die. A driving riff leads us in to a song with an expressive vocal delivery. However, I found the lyrics unduly complicated and difficult to fathom. Track two is Downfall, with a catchy introduction, driving guitars and satisfying key changes throughout. Again, I found the lyrics difficult to connect to. Alive for a Minute has a slower tempo than the first two songs and is more soulful. Once again, I found the lyrics hard to understand. By far my favourite track is the final one, I Belong to You, a rather plaintive and beautiful ballad with a sparse arrangement. Lyric-wise, these are simpler and all the better for it. I’m wondering what we can infer from the words, “needles aside”.

This is thoughtful rock for grown-ups. I would appreciate some more discipline and clearer communication with lyrics but look forward with interest to their future projects.

https://soundcloud.com/monksofmellonwah/sets/afraid-to-die