“They say good things come to those who wait…it’s only taken two years, €40,000, one Orchestra, four studios, a clatter of musicians and a deranged individual on a didgeridoo, but now, like a fine pint of ale, this double disc beast is ready to be enjoyed. “ In their own words, this how Dublin quartet The Riptide Movement introduce their second album ‘Keep On Keepin’ On’. A band known for their constant touring and busking on Dublin’s Grafton Street on their days off, they certainly know how to make their latest release sound exciting, but does this fine description only lead to disappointment on hearing the final product?
Kicking off all guns blazing with Warming Up The Band, with an almost country guitar vibe and some exceptional harmonica use, it becomes clear that one of the band’s strong points is vocalist Mal Tuohy’s gravelly voice, making him seem older than his twenties. Beginning slow, but building into an infectious stomp along, guitar riff that should be fantastic live, Hard To Explain is nothing like its Strokes namesake.
There are too many stand-out tracks, and well, too many tracks in general to pick out individually the highlights. One of the few albums of recent times that features very little, if any filler. Upbeat fan favourites Hot Tramp and Shake Shake lose none of their energy or appeal in the transformation from a live setting to studio recording. Bitter Hands features some stunning acoustic guitar plucking and tender vocals displaying a different side to the band. God Of War deserves a mention for being what I am sure is the only song in history to feature excerpts from a Hitler propaganda speech and didgeridoo, it should be a horrible mess but by some miracle, it seems to work quite well.
Thankfully they have delivered to us a fine album, from opening track Warming Up The Band, to the final track on the second disc Stoneville, it seems to have been €40,000 well spent. Every aspect is of an incredible high standard from the drumming, to the lyrics, to the productions itself. If the E Street Band released a compilation album ditching Bruce and drafting in Lemmy from Motorhead to do vocals the result would be ‘Keep On Keepin’ On’, a gem of an album. It would be a surprise if The Riptide Movement don’t see themselves nominated for a Meteor Choice Award next year.