The Eclectic

There was already a pretty decent crowd gathering in the classy little venue that is Radio City by the time The Eclectic took to the stage. They boasted a whole bunch of flashy-looking gear, with three guitars, as many keyboards, and even a xylophone manned expertly by this Dublin 5-piece. We were treated to some beautifully crafted alt-rock songs, with nifty interlocking melodies on synths and geetar. They’ve a really nice style about them. The thing that most impressed me about them was the overall soundscape they created, with texture playing every bit as important a part as melody in each song. It’s rare to see that kind of care taken in crafting rock songs these days –it’s generally just, “here are the chords mate, and you play the root on bass” – and that attention to detail will hopefully take them far. Best bit by a mile – the two intertwining guitar lines on “potholes.” Just gorgeous.

- Dave Scanlon

"The band have a very big sound, and in places it works really well, with all 5 members gelling beautifully. The song 'Potholes' towards the end of the set was a perfect example of this, full of great almost ambient moments and wonderfully complementing dual lead guitars."
- Daragh Murray

Vocalists who apparently spend hours trying to perfect those Yorke or Buckley inflections, or bands who cite Radiohead as an influence are to be approached with suitable caution and trepidation. Especially if you know they’ve been compared to Yes due to the length of their songs and that their heralded demo was recorded in a bedroom rather than a studio...

The thing is, the sheer ability of Dublin's The Eclectic makes them awfully hard to ignore. Although Shatter Proof wears its The Bends t-shirt proudly, it’s no lazy tribute; the song has a relentless, pounding energy to it, not to mention an addictive chord sequence and a melody that you just don’t want to end – and it nearly doesn’t. Blank Canvas, meanwhile, is the pick of the bunch. Again, it’s hardly original, sounding like a refugee from Doves’ Lost Souls - yet, with its fluttering guitars and bittersweet harmonies, it’s a beautiful entity all of its own. It’s difficult to credit, from the sound and production quality, that these two tracks were actually bedroom recordings.

You can download all three songs on their rather attractive website - www.theeclecticsound.com
- Johnnie C

The Eclectic from Dublin have a lot of quality going on, from the state-of-the-art website (I know its only detail, but kudos for some great web design it has to be said) to the five gear laden musicians who have released a superbly recorded and produced EP called ’Breathe’.

Listing heavily towards the ’prog’ edge of indie/heavy rock, The Eclectics have painstakingly crafted some fantastically well made songs. With layers, themes and carefully executed, expensive sounding production (loving the sampling on ’The Lobotomist’). Kevin O’Brien’s vocals are self assured and in places silky smooth (’Scream’) adding the gloss to the layers sounding every inch like Matt Bellamy (Muse). Each song sounds as if it has spent many months of rehearsal and studio time, and its paid off because the whole EP is lush. Rarely do I get unsigned bands presenting material as well finished and of as high quality as this.

Would I buy their EP? Damn right I would (and will) but on a tiny, cautionary note, while this is as good a slice of original, unsigned work as it gets the some stylings of similar bands such as Muse (Kevin is uncomfortably Bellamy-esque in parts) and Mogwai, that are very obvious but ultimately not debilitating. Forge their own path and the door is wide open for The Eclectics. Excellent stuff.

- musicreview.com

Dublin five-piece The Eclectic may not like State’s comparisons to Muse and Editors after listening to this EP but it’s absolutely appropriate. Opener ’The Man Who Thought He Looked Like Himself (But Didn’t)’ has definite Muse connotations with an underlying bubbling synth and a Matt Bellamy-esque reaching chorus. ’Scream’ sounds like an out-take from the Showbiz era. Once those histrionics are put to bed a little bit, the band fare better. ’The Lobotimist’ has an impressive scuzzy electro pump and last track ’Lucky Landing’ has a nice laid-back Doves feel to it with arching guitar lines and twinkly melodies. Props must go to the engineer of this record who added an impressively lush and full sound.
- State Magazine

There is such an epic feel to ’Lucky Landing’ it’s hard to believe that the Eclectic haven’t been subjected to great tracts of media hyperbole. The Dublin 5 piece may not be exactly prolific (2 EP’s in 3 years) but they should surely have been snapped up by a label looking to bolster its catalogue with ready-made anthems by now. ’Lucky Landing’ is ravishing, chock full of spiralling chords, tinkling glockenspiel and Kevin O’Brien’s colossal vocals. It might get a little overwrought towards the end but by then you may well be wondering whether you have just wandered into an ’Ok Computer’ parallel universe. The Eclectic’s ’Breathe’ EP is out now. - Kevin D - mp3hugger.com
- Kevin D - mp3hugger.com