The McMenamins

Capital News April 2011 (Vol 36 No. 4)

LONG TIME GONE

Review by Ray Montana

Long Time Gone is the third studio album for THE MCMENAMINS, FLEUR and SIMON, a brother-sister duo who hail from far north Queensland, and the follow up to highly acclaimed In This Light.
Primarily produced by Fleur, and showcasing their talented song writing skills with all the tracks written by Fleur and Simon, Long Time Gone is a blend of many different genres, including folk, country and roots.
From the delightful opening track If It Weren’t For You it is clear that the pair are fine multi instrumentalists and it is Simon’s string playing that makes the acoustic instrumentals stand out, particularly the infectious fiddle on toe tapper Umbrella Town.
Fleur’s warm tender vocals are at times haunting and reminiscent of both KIM RICHEY and KD LANG, especially on the ballad Ache Little Heart. Complemented by Simon’s harmonies, together they create an appealing sound.
Long Time Gone is a charming album from two brilliant siblings.

Independent (MGM Distribution) MCMEN003
www.themacswebsite.com
- Capital News

"Long Time Gone is a charming album from two brilliant siblings" - Capital News. - Capital News

"Fleur possesses a pristine voice... stretching from sotto voce lullaby lilt to animated cowgirl... Long Time Gone merits a place in the record store racks alongside albums by acts such as The Greencards and Nickel Creek..."

The Australian - The Australian Newspaper.

“They delved through a range of different styles within the folk framework; fragments of blues, rock & jazz filtered through to create an unusual sort of unity…. At times… it seemed as if they were conversing. You somehow forgot people were playing pieces of wood, the music had taken on a life of its own” - Brag

Hailing from Sydney, the brother and sister duo (Fleur and Simon) who perform under their unusual surname 'McMenamin' have released their self-titled debut album which is a must-have for summer. Perhaps best described as country folk rock, the album ranges from simple delicate ballads to foot stomping romps.
With all tracks written and played by the talented duo, their lyrics are conveyed in an intimate, almost storytelling style. Accompanied by violin, banjo and mandolin, it is astonishing how accomplished and developed this album is for a debut. Each song more than holds its own, with stand out tracks only being able to be chosen through personal preference.
Being a great lover of country music (yes, I'm aware that might make me uncool!) I personally love the rollicking 'Go It Alone' with its fast fiddle and straight up lyrics. However the lovely 'Nowhere' with its accoustic guitar and gentle sounds shows off the siblings dulcet harmonies.
'Cherokee' inspires some kind of unique Australian feel that only further enhances how great our music scene is at the moment with so many artists producing top notch songs and albums. The McMenamins are no exception.
Grab this album as a precursor to summer and from the thudding bass line that opens the album with 'Wayside', you will already be able to picture yourslef drinking ale outside on a warm night with good friends, great music and perhaps some love interests. If it all turns bad you can sing along with Alabama and ask 'was it anything like that for you?'.
Catch The McMenamins opening at the sold out Missy Higgins, Ben Lee, and Ash Grunwald show at Adelaide Uni's BARR SMITH LAWNS on Sat Oct 15.
Megan Candy. - Rip It Up - Adelaide

Preview
Fresh from a tour supporting Missy Higgins and Ben Lee, the folk-rocking McMenamins (brother-sister duo Fleur and Simon) return to the Vanguard. As Simon thrashes his violin, Fleur sings gutsy foot-stomping ballads. Mesmerising. Tim Ireland and Epicure's Juan Alban (in solo acoustic mode) support.


- Sydney Morning Herald

* * *
The McMenamins
MGM

Rock-Solid folk debut from sibling pair.

Fans of the Waifs' Pretty Folk music could do worse than seek out this debut album from The McMenamins, a brother-sister combo with a toungue-twisting surname that they've used as their band title. Frontwoman Fleur has a faultless voice that's confident and sweet with a country ache - reminiscent of a more laid-back, antipodean Ani DiFranco - with enough intelligence and punch in her lyrics to lift the set above the wholewheat blandness the genre threatens. Fleur's production favours simplicity and clarity, letting the organic sounds of her guitar and voice - as well as her brother's violin mandolin and vocal harmonies - speak for themselves. The desert road of "Cherokee" is strong, a song and vocal performance that Kasey Chambers would be proud of: while "(if) the light was right" has great imagery, capturing the "cocaine girls in the bathroom".
- Kelsey Munro

“This album was recorded in a week… it offers some nice grooves and melodies, and occasional eye brow raising lyrics… highlights are the toe-tapping Cherokee, Go It Alone and Wayside. “


- Sunday Telegraph

* * *
The McMenamins
MGM

Rock-Solid folk debut from sibling pair.

Fans of the Waifs' Pretty Folk music could do worse than seek out this debut album from The McMenamins, a brother-sister combo with a toungue-twisting surname that they've used as their band title. Frontwoman Fleur has a faultless voice that's confident and sweet with a country ache - reminiscent of a more laid-back, antipodean Ani DiFranco - with enough intelligence and punch in her lyrics to lift the set above the wholewheat blandness the genre threatens. Fleur's production favours simplicity and clarity, letting the organic sounds of her guitar and voice - as well as her brother's violin mandolin and vocal harmonies - speak for themselves. The desert road of "Cherokee" is strong, a song and vocal performance that Kasey Chambers would be proud of: while "(if) the light was right" has great imagery, capturing the "cocaine girls in the bathroom".
- Kelsey Munro

"a must have for summer - it's hard to believe this is a debut.' - Megan Candy

"a delightful brand of country-folk" - Drum

"As is beginning to happen with heart-warming regularity, the influx of young blues and roots players coming through the ranks are beginning to take a serious hold on the musical climate in this country. The bulbous folds of the 'mainstream' are being pushed aside by these 'nu-rooters' (for desperate want of another term...anyone?) an one of the finest recent examples of a 'young' generation playing 'old'music, are brother and sister combo Simon and Fleur McMenamin.
The McMenamins is their aptly named debut release and from the dull thump of the double bass that begins opener Wayside to the valium-inspired, Celtic-driven intrumental as a closer, this is a record from two very talented players. Brother Simon takes care of most of the strings, his mandolin playing is exceptional, the high, sweet picking curls elegantly through the songs and the soloing, particularly on the opener, are magic. Fleur McMenamin is the voice behind the band, occasionally indulging in the dolphin-play like harmonies with her brother, but mainly taking the lead herself in a voice which whilst wonderfully Waif-like, also has a distinctness in itself, at times as full and rich as a good bottle of red, at other times as sparse and gentle as a winding country road.
Only a two piece, for this record the McMenamins have enlisted Jim Elliot (Cruel Sea) on percussion and Greg Royal (Tambalane) on both double bass and electric bass but both these names are only there for support. The McMenamins has obvious touches of the blues, folk and country, each placed in such a way that each song compliments the next, and this being Fleur's first attempt at producing, she'd be reasonably happy with her efforts. Wayside opens in rollicking fashion, classic bluegrass sounds and then leads into (If) The Light Was Right and Alabama, both showcasing her versatile vocal style early in the piece. Simon, again, opens Cherokee with one of the smoothest violin riffs (?) ever recorded.
It's hard to believe this is a debut, especially for a band who's mellow take on a reinvigorated genre is just what the discerning roots music enthusiast is pining for.
- Sam Fell.
- Sam Fell

"This Aussie group have big things ahead of them." - Woollpress

The McMenamins second release - IN THIS LIGHT.
Fundamentally music is so much more than clever lyrics or a catchy melody. Music allows artists to find a common ground with listeners so that they can share emotions, create a mood or tell a story.
The McMenamins have achieved all of these objectives with their latest release, In This Light. While the album addresses a range of subjects and approaches songs in a diversity of styles the underlying theme is life itself.
Every life is filled with drama, love, loss, longing and hope, and similarly this impressive album explores the range of human emotions experienced in response to everyday events. The McMenamins are the brother-sister duo of Simon and Fleur McMenamin who over the past few years have been steadily building a solid reputation on the live music circuit.
Following on from their self-titled debut, In This Light offers a range of musical styles from bluesy folk to harder edged alt-country rock numbers, and everything in between. It is an album which surprises, just when you think you have their style all worked out, they take an alternate path and explore something different. Similar to the elements of life which it addresses, the album switches between songs of longing and loss, to those of love and hope. Moving between tracks with ease The McMenamins have created an intricately woven pattern of real life which all can relate to.
‘How It Is’ is warm and rich, conjuring up the feeling of sun-filled days and fresh summer breezes shared with family and friends. With a happy melody and sweet lyrics, this is a song which smiles. In ‘Pretty Dollar’ the country dial is pushed up a few notches, and with its infectiously quick pace listeners are powerless to resist being swept up by the raw energy of this song. Like the majority of their songs the foot-tapping ‘Pretty Dollar’ tells a directly meaningful story from start to finish.
Changing up the pace, we arrive at ‘The Last Rain’, which has Fleur’s voice dropping down low as we enter deeper darker territory. Just like the time before a storm when energy in the air is building but not yet breaking, the song has a feeling of restraint, holding itself back to perfectly complement the song’s subject.
‘Meet in the Dark’ opens almost like a sea shanty and then melts into a beautiful intimate sounding song with vocals rich in country twang. This is a song which explores the beauty and romance in everyday life events with heartfelt emotion.
The album closes with ‘You Came Along’ an achingly beautiful song edged in sorrow which takes us on an emotional journey in itself, from warmth and love to coldness and loss. Balanced wonderfully with the pared back musical accompaniment the song creates romantic otherworldly dreamscapes helped along by the lyrics which are at their poetic best. This song showcases Fleur’s vocal abilities to full effect and to borrow a line from the song, they are ‘Just Like Magic’.
With this album The McMenamins take you by the hand and ask you to explore life with them for a while, looking at the world through their eyes. It is a journey for all to enjoy. - the dwarf website

"This Aussie group have big things ahead of them." - Woollpress