Yonder! Calliope?

Think of Dylan's epic and poetic turn of phrase; Shane McGowan's booze-drenched jaunty bitterness; the pitch-black murder ballads of Nick Cave; Conor Oberst's befringed emo; and, from now on, think of Aaron McMullan. Released on Newcastle-based label, Ex Libris Records, Yonder! Calliope?, McMullan's debut album proper, should, if there's any justice, see him catapulted into the limelight. Packed with wistful ballads, foot-tappingly infectious upbeat pop and at least one near-classic country-gospel fever-dream (the stunning album closer, Don t Think I ll Sleep Tonight), Yonder! Calliope? easily marks McMullan out as a different beast altogether from his earnest countrymen being both lyrically sharper and deeper. --Greg Smyth, NARC

In break from normal when it comes to reviewing, I'm going to start off this effort with the conclusion. Buy the damn thing and be done with it. There's no way that I or any critic/reviewer who claims to have any sensitivity to creative energy can in honestly "tell you what it's all about" because we didn't pen the goddamn thing, for which I can't decide whether to be jealous or grateful. If that made sense then you're halfway to understanding the problem faced by me, anyway. What he has produced on this wonderful debut are finely crafted, soulfully executed, songs that burst at the seams with humanity. Honest and clear-eyed, Aaron has looked at the world around him and found what he considers beautiful, what he considers tawdry, and brought both to life in music. Musically this album has the vitality of early punk, but instead of the musical mayhem associated with that genre, the energy has been given focus and intent. Its most obvious expression comes in the urgency and depth of emotion that can be heard in his voice on each song. Words pour out of his mouth like they are hot coals that have been born in the furnace of his soul. At times his passion makes the words nigh on incomprehensible as they pile drive their way into your heart, but sometimes the mere sound words make have more meaning then if they were comprehended intellectually. Like tone poetry, the sound of his voice mixed with guitar communicates far more coherently then any so-called love song rendered by some pop Diva yearning for her true love. Aaron is more than just master of the frenetic he also shows himself capable of wonderful tenderness. "She Is Waking" is one of the realest songs I've heard about waking up in bed next to someone. There's a vulnerability in his voice that lets you understand just how rare and precious a moment like that can and should be. That same quality also lets you hear what could be his insecurity about what might or could happen in the days to come Aaron McMullan.jpg The types of songs that Aaron has written for this album are some of the most difficult to pull off without coming across as being either self-pitying or a navel gazer. Far too many singers (and writers) think of introspection as a means for manipulating the audience instead of simply passing along ideas. When he sings of regrets for past relationships, it's in a way that articulates feelings that we've all had. In the song "Sinead In Savage Purple," he talks of saying her name and knowing that's all he'll ever have of her, but he'll take what he can get. While you may have never thought of somebody in just those terms, the sentiment is immediately comprehensible and strikes a chord of recognition within you that enables you to identify with the moment. If you've ever wished that you were involved in one of those momentous moments of popular music history, such as seeing Bob Dylan the first time he played The Newport Folk Festival, watching Ronnie Hawkins play with The Band in a club, or seeing Joni Mitchell in a folk club in Toronto Ontario with Neil Young in the audience back in the early 60's, owning Yonder! Calliope? is your opportunity. There is something about this disc that leaves me awestruck. I've not heard an album that has excited me in this manner since I heard my first Clash album years and years ago. Perhaps it's the energy and the honesty. Maybe it's the intelligence and the emotional integrity. Or maybe it's the burning desire that I hear in Aaron McMullan's voice to speak the truth no matter what the cost. --Richard Markus, Blogcritics