Hope Irish

October 17th, 2007
To check out the Hope Irish interview and performance on Fox7 News Edge, go to:

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/myfox/pages/Entertainment/Detail?contentId=4661871&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=7.3.1 - Fox7 News in the Morning

Hope Irish - The Best of the Least (Superpop!)
Sound Reviews

If one were compiling a framework of traits that destine an artist for pure success in the music scene, one would surely find it sensible, if not unavoidable, to include the following: 1) Draw your influences from Texas country and British punk; 2) Get yourself born with a name like “Hope Irish� (or something comparably awesome); 3) Commission album art consisting of psychedelic bugs and semi-naked women. Or, as in the case of The Best of The Least, you can satisfy all 3 of the above and include a bunch of great tunes on your album as well.

Hope Irish (yes, that’s her real name) is the product of a formal education here in Austin and the informal education of time abroad in England, and undoubtedly the respective music scenes of each. Although she is a co-frontperson of local label-mate Brother Machine, this is Irish’s own first full length album. Since its release, she has been garnering more and more local attention, including gracing the cover of the 2008 She Rocks Calendar.

As for The Best of The Least, the interplay of her Texas roots and English influences shines through not only in the interestingly original sound of many of the songs, but in the cynically carefree themes as well. “Shelly Baby� is a quick rock-you-to- your-knees romp of raunchy, rugged, Do-It-Yourself guitars and a cacophony of dirty punk drum sounds. Yes, dear listeners, this is London indeed! On the other end of the spectrum, “Distant Train� sees Irish stripped down to an acoustic guitar and vocals to create a soft but forceful ballad that Murray Hammond probably wishes he wrote. The way her lyrics handle the themes of the albums differs between styles as well. Faced with conflict and hard times, “Distant Train� evokes the traditional country imagery of taking to the road in flight, whereas the broken cars, hearts and pockets of “Shelly Baby� lead only to blissful friendship (and guitar riffs). With the sometimes stale air of new music, this versatility is much welcomed.

Then there are the songs that really stand out by combining these two styles quite well: “Clickclick Bangbang,� sticks to its dark guitar and brassy horns while the drums keep the song driving. The vocals sit perfectly in the mix so as to accent the provocative and passionate voice of Ms. Irish, and function to take the song from a cryptic and tense sounding verse to the oh-so catchy melodies of the chorus. It’s the play of the two styles that really makes certain songs on the album great.

The trouble with trying to find one’s original sound, however, is that sometimes songs end up underdeveloped. Much of the album’s momentum and consistency is lost amongst some of the underdeveloped songs (namely in the middle of the album), and one has to wonder why quality wasn’t chosen over quantity. Irish’s established sound on songs like “Pounds Sterling� with its classic two-beat and the cynicism of “Pop Culture� weakens and falters just after the album really picks up. “Free,� despite its twangy and slide guitars, comes off sounding more like a Robyn track than the instrumentation would suggest and “Ice Cream Shop Hots� feels lyrically and musically forced, especially in its crucial build-up moments, which never quite build. The quality and originality of most of the songs warrant an album that could stand quite stably by itself and the inclusion of weaker songs seems unnecessary. Ultimately, “The Best of The Least� establishes Irish and her country-pub rock sound (per her myspace: "It's like Dolly and Otis doin' it to The Strokes..� Sounds messy) while still allowing room for growth and refinement (and, hopefully, a sophomore attempt).

- John Michael Cassetta - Austin Sound

In the meantime, though, the boisterous crowd was treated to a solo set from the very blond Seth Gibbs (with Hope herself lending harmonies) that led into the Hope Irish set -- punkrock, country, and even a little folk and rock and roll -- and a lot of long-legged blonde Hope in her bustier and high heels bouncing all over the stage like a roller girl minus her skates. The band included Seth on drums along with fellow Brother Machinists Joey Thompson on guitar and Peter Stafford on bass and Echoset's Beth Puorro also on guitar. This is pure entertainment and a great show -- songs were mostly from Hope's new CD, "The Best of the Least."

Hope, BTW, hails from Salado, but took time off from her advanced education to spend a year or so in London ostensibly doing art school but more realistically absorbing the culture. Hope is -- well, an original -- who else would put out a CD with herself on the cover wearing a dress (?) made out of cockroaches (real or not, they're nasty!).

- FlanFire by Duggan Flanakin