a2753947712_2Concept is the heart and often key driver in what makes a piece of art worthwhile. There has to be a selection of ideas carefully laid out before any real progress can begin. The importance of concept is very relevant when it comes to a solo artist’s work in particular, as you are the only member to fall back on when it comes to a creative decision.

Patoftherick is the solo project of Patrick Mulholland, a guitarist from Belfast, who only has one other release under this moniker: ‘Space Time,’ which, having only been released a few months earlier in March and recorded in GarageBand, shows he is clearly eager to get his ideas out online using whatever methods available. There is evidence of concept in the entire theme of ‘Helios Effect,’ (from the spacey artwork to the planetary song titles, themselves) although with ‘Space Time’ having only been released two months prior to ‘Helios Effect’ the creative progress of concept and growth between these two albums isn’t truly all there.

The biggest concern with ‘Helios Effect’ is the distinct dichotomy between the guitar work and the rest of the instrumentation on the album. One of the standout tracks, Titan, has catchy guitar work with a fluid yet grimy garage feel to the riffs but the drums feel completely static in comparison. The following track, Saturn, also has dry percussion that lets Mulholland’s poppy guitar skills down again in the song’s build-up and climax, with the beats often feeling out of time and misplaced behind the guitar notes, leading to an outcome that just sounds messy.

Mulholland’s profile on Bandcamp states: “One day I hope to have a full band with vocals” and I can’t help but feel the same in that there is more than enough room on ‘Helios Effect’ for some soothing vocal melodies over these seven songs. Many of the tracks just sound unfinished as Mercury, the album’s opener, has the potential to sound akin to early material by The Strokes if given the chance with a vocalist.

On first listen, it’s clear to see what Mulholland has thought out with this album, but it often falls flat through lack of real expression due to the other pre-programmed instruments lagging behind. Unfortunately, Patoftherick’s ‘Helios Effect’ feels more like a set of ideas to throw his guitar strings over rather than an album itself. Underproduced in sound, ‘Helios Effect’ seems as though Mulholland is just waiting for the rest of the band to come along and create something a little bit more tight and secure.