Demos

Lion OBrien - Raincloud Vs. Sunshine EP

Owain Paciuszko 22/07/2009

Rating: 4/5

Bursting out of the speakers with its bright, twinkly pop cacophony there's initially a vibe of Los Campesinos! to Lion O'Brien, London based three piece. This Life though quickly turns into a different beast, still juggling that uplifting/angsty sound but bouncing it off of vocalist/guitarist James O'Brien's grumpy vocals and warm-hearted lyrics, with some more indie-orientated instrumentation akin to The Strokes.

The title track has a laidback upbeat sound that would be comparable to Jack Johnson if it wasn't better than him. It's a sweet little tune with lyrics like 'It will all be allright in the end' and daintily, plinked piano. An absolutely sweet confection that may be as dense as candyfloss but is charmingly saccahrine.

If You Say You Love Me feels a bit like The Coral covering Kings of Leon, again lyrically its a tale of sweet, sappy romance. It's optimistic and bouncy without dispensing a sense of reality and a mild dose of the bittersweet. Final track This Is Our Time is sparky and pacy, driving off of a cute keyboard riff like Bloc Party Jr. Like the whole EP it's almost impossible to dislike, it's just so damn infectiously happy that you'd have to really be steeped in cynicism to not find something to make you tap your toe or nod your head or just think 'That's nice.' If anything the biggest fault of this record is that it's so slight and sugary, like a bag of penny sweets it's all gone too soon and there's nothing substantial in your tummy, but you'll get that sweet toothed craving again soon enough and come back for more.