Outsider

One Day at a Time

Outsider is back at last! Three years after their fantastic previous album ‘Some Kind of Beautiful’, the time is nigh, no more waiting. ‘One Day at a Time’ is ready to kiss the light of day.

This album is clear evidence of the band’s preference to avoid easy classification; Outsider is a band like no other & as the first song of this collection announces, “Someday love will come & find them.” It must!

The CD kicks off to a sunshiny start with the devastating line, “Aw baby I’m happy” (like it hurts). A hand-clapping, toe-tapping hymn, “Someday” is layered with hooky jangly guitars & pedal steel lines that invite us to a celebration of love which ends with everyone dancing around to the infectious beat of the middle eight.

The second track “Always” dives into a more sophisticated approach a la Stax Records, reminiscent of Al Green & Marvin Gaye. Its beautiful space echo driven guitar arpeggio chords lay the ideal canvas for the singer’s lament (“there’s an aching in my heart all day”) as the ambitious violin arrangements soar to the heavens in search of redemption.

“Right this Minute” is a Cole Porter type of song played to a frantic beat, the beat of a Transit van in which the band is travelling. It’s about finding and savouring balance, even if only for a minute. The violins come & go like the wind that blows the road, taking us to a gypsy encampment.

“One Day at Time” country meets Sinatra, pedal steel, brushed drums and Smiths-like bass lines. A song of acceptance, the main theme of the album’s lyrics.

“Closer” has a souly feel with a tinge of the Scot inside this band (both founding members lived & played in Scotland for eight years). Mike Scott meets Ray la Montangue meets Sam Cooke in this intimate love song about troubled times.

Seventh is the brilliant and fireworky “No Photos This Time,” a cross between a fiddle tune & sunshiny pop. It’s a get up & go kind of song, “No more heavy heart!” the singer croons. The only way is forward!

“In Another Life” is the perfect closing for this album, a Van Morrisonesque piece in which the heart felt vocals take us to open landscapes at sunset, human loneliness & the eternal question of how things could’ve been, as the guitars & violins echo in the distance, unanswered. Honest, timeless and universal, if there was any justice in this world it would be on every bittersweet romantic film soundtrack.

It’s as if Outsider disappeared for a while to the caravan on their album sleeve to create these beautifully crafted songs where pop meets country laying the perfect tapestry on which to reflect on the passing of time, love lost & regained & the everyday marathon in which we’re all immersed.

The band features Daniel Dodds on vocals and guitar, Larry Magrinyà on guitars, Naomi Wedman on violin and Manu Ibarrechevea on drums, plus the usual live collaborators Andy Gemell on pedal steel and banjo, Juliane Heinemann on keyboards, vocals and guitar and Carles Magrinyà on bass. The line up delivers an inspirational and powerful show which leaves you yearning for more and lingers in your brain for days afterwards.

BIOGRAPHY

Outsider forms in Barcelona in 1996. “Groove Along Quietly Vol. 1” is released in 1997 to critical acclaim. “Strange World” is published June 2004. Two of the songs on the album appeared in the feature film “Ficció” by Cesc Gay & the promotional tour ended in Madrid supporting Van Morrison. May 2009 saw the release of their CD “Some Kind Of Beautiful“, to a great reception by the music media & radio stations, including Tel Aviv’s 88FM. Two new EP’s “Outsider Plays Sinatra” (a heartfelt tribute from the band to some of Sinatra’s music choices) & “There’s No Finish Line” were published in 2010, the latter being voted in the top five CDs of the year by leading catalan radio station Rac1.

The founding members of the band have lived & worked in Edinburgh, Scotland, under a publishing deal by Warner Chappel & the management of Kenny McDonald (The Proclaimers) playing in bands such as “Better Ways” & “A Perfect Day For Bananafish.” Touring the UK & playing the legendary Marquee in London for the Rock Against Racism campaign. Some of that work has been released in the U.K. (“Standing In The Middle”, Luna) & in Germany (“In Bed With Marina”, Marina Records).

REVIEWS

‘Let us be enveloped by these smooth and bright songs. This is quintessential pop. The melodies shine with optimism, despite the abundance of failed love stories. At the risk of sounding corny, these are songs more of dawn than sunset; seasoned with a touch of British elegance, yet cooked in Barcelona.’

La Vanguardia – Ignasi Moya