It was January of last year that Dublin two-piece The Lives Of Millionaires released their eponymous debut EP. Consisting of Al Finnerty of Guilty Optics and Koalacord, and one-time Drunken Boat man Brian Walsh, the band have improved and expanded upon the stylings of that release with this more restrained effort. ‘Volume II’ is a record that doesn’t feel the need to get out of first gear, and nor does it ever feel like it should.
Guitars are to the fore; they complement each other with a deft touch, yet never overshadow anything else that’s going on. The playing is reminiscent of someone like Dave Pajo, where the slightest of changes is all that’s needed to bring a song to the next level – one note in a cycle, one subtle change in direction in a cyclical riff or repetitive phrase.
The strummed guitar of Act One, Scene One sets a rhythmic pace with a somewhat dramatic and sombre tone, where notes are picked out over the slight background drone of strings. This brief intro into the EP gives way to Don’t Tell The Stars. Dual vocals sing over gentle guitar notes that then peel off when the vocals subside, subtly bending and journeying within the confines of the chords and settling into a repetitive, extended post rock instrumental coda.
We Only Got Up displays an almost eastern tinge. The drums skip along in background, an irregular beat that gives unobtrusive yet unique propulsion to the song. Suddenly yet delicately the toms or a hi-hat shimmer come into play, and the structure changes. It’s all about the guitars, though, dispensing those same sparse yet melodic notes that typify the EP. Stepping Out feels like some of Animal Collective’s more oblique acoustic psychedelia, pervaded by an airiness that sees the vocal melody ebb on top of everything else. After the midway point the song fades away in the downsweep of a guitar – a false ending of sorts that then revives itself until the vocal mantra gradually comes to be the abiding sound over the instrumentation.
On this second outing the band have pulled back the reins somewhat, and in doing so may just have found a rich seam; hopefully this is only the beginning of its spoils. “We are light years away from achieving our aims” is one of the hazy sentiments from Don’t Tell The Stars – based on this offering, it isn’t one that need apply to The Lives Of Millionaires.