myspace cadets: maguire & i0
Posted In Music
The second band featured in MySpace Cadets is the lovely Maguire & I. The story behind the name is rather adorable, which you can find on their MySpace (linked below). Folk and country isn’t for everyone but if it is your cup of tea Maguire & I will be right up your street. It’s nice to see faux American accents fall out of favour as the Northern Irish accent is more widely accepted in the music world these days, for a start. The tender vocals of Andy Good are backed up by Emma Hopley, creating some gorgeous vocal moments in the featured tracks. Orla McKeever’s violin parts are reminiscent of The Waterboys at times (and at others Los Campesinos! surprisingly enough) while Brian Grogan’s percussion parts are appropriate: he never steals the spotlight but he’s more than comfortable plodding away in the background. However, when needs be (such as in “Hold On Pet” at the intense finale) he can really go for it.
“Hold On Pet” is probably the strongest track on show and it’s an exclusive download from Secret Fireworks. The song has more peaks than a mountain range, increasing and decreasing in intensity time and time again. It sounds like a happy go lucky folk track at first, but peer behind the sweet vocals and you’ll pick up on the ominous piano part and the Panda Kopandaesque violins. Maguire & I shine in two ways: their songcraft and their attention to detail mean that each track is layered with imagination and sentiment instead of bland emotions and meaningless lyrics as is too often the case in folk and country music. The numerous moments where the music breaks down to vocals and a solitary guitar remind me of early Ryan Adams, a sound that just makes your soul feel warm. “On Time” is a catchy, summery upbeat number that features glockenspiels and a pizzicato violin part. A few unusual chord changes and a decent chorus make this track into a lovely little number. Comparisons with The Lowly Knights would be far too easy to draw, but if you’re looking for a talented folk act with substance instead of just happy go lucky tunes, Maguire & I are hard to beat.
The band are planning on recording a live EP in September and recently featured on our friends Bandwidth Films’ “In Stores Now” series, the episode of which you can see below.
Check out: “Hold On Pet” and “On Time”
Download Hold On Pet (right click, save as)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download