Are you familiar with the music world of Shane Treacy ? He has just released two albums and if you start checking them out, you will probably hear different influences coming through…
In fact, first of all, the two albums cannot really match and for this reason among others, we would like to know more about the artist and where he has been over the years. Everywhere inside his head and Ireland and France concerning the places he has been living in.
Born the 29th of december 1959 in Cork in the south of Ireland, from a county Monaghan mother and a father from Belfast, he has embraced the dichotomy of separated Ireland and got the rebellious streak in him as for the hard working community country spirit with a breeding in catholic education. The « country and urban » approaches contributed in shaping his life and he has managed to transcend and express his own deep feelings by original words and also music compositions. His own voice covers notes and rhythms and he never hesitates in changing his voice tone and most of the time disguising it. He has grown up in the seventies and got everything that he had to get ranging from the Punk movement to the the Beatles’ great melodies and lyrics abilities all through their evolution process. He cherishes this original music period but his tastes go beyond as he is also able to appreciate non english speaking songs like french text songs. The proof is that he has got so much into the French way of thinking and feeling that he has made wonderful albums in the French language which he entirely masters. Despite the fact he has been influenced musically by many artists he has always remained an Irish man in soul, spirit and humor.
To his own admission, he is not a musical instrument « virtuose », his strength remains in songwriting and if he needs to take on the guitar upside down ( He is left handed !) , it is only because he needs a common thread to boost his imagination in building his songs.
He has got a good ear and he is able via a mixing music platform called Virtual Record Studio CUBASE SX to make the necessary arrangements in order to suit his songs. As he claims : « Not the other way around ! », we tend to listen to great music performances which overshadow the content, meaning the actual song. A bit like people when they ask : « have you watched the video ? » without mentioning the song.
Shane Treacy does not con the audience and if he puts music first it is because he chooses to.
Reverting towards nostalgia
Old Junkyard Blues is not a Blues song, the consecutive tracks describe his profound desire to let us know about who he really is. So many junkies, so little time is giving the tone in music composition by solid unstoppable anguished tempos, in constant research of addictions whatever they may be. The third song : Misfits revisits a theme dear to his heart : never to belong to remain free knowing that this freedom could become a prison because the boundaries are dictated within Society’s parameters.
The whole album has got this « alone against everyone » leitmotiv, observing from a distance a World tending towards more uniformity all the time. It is fake therefore we can only fake ourselves thinking our lives are worthwhile when the world is crumbling before our very eyes.
For me,instinctively, the way he conducts his lyrics and also his voice makes me think of Morrissey and also Kraftwerk in his own particular way in linking music and words together.
If Shane Treacy is looking into the looking glass, it is to engage our own responsibility in the Paradize loss. Fall Guy is translating : « you can blame me for not following this madness but you are the one who wants to follow it, not I ” Do not follow, you are contributing to the mess out there you useless consumer ! »
Never mind if this may sound « negative » because inevitably, listening to these tracks you won’t help but asking yourself « who am I behind this face that I present myself to the world out there ? Am I a real person ? Or am I just presenting a caricature of myself ? » You do not have to appear and sound positive, you just have to sound real meaning expressing all feelings as truly as you can whether Society and Communities accept them or not. Concerning this motivation the purpose is definitely fulfilled.
The repetitive violence
The use of synthesizers adding samples of downloads in the Album Scream Of Angels reveals a shocking manifestation in different beat sequences and repetitive sounds which leaves the listener ill at ease, distressed and dizzy with nauseating feelings especially because this expression is relating to the « gruesome case of the Black Rock Strangler » as he impersonates him…An imaginary fiction demonstrating the psychopathic ways of a killer. A reality that most people refuse to acknowledge.
According to Shane Treacy himself, this is an account in music to get towards the horrific crimes methods of the sadistic perpetrator whose misdemeanors lasted for decades and who were never caught to this day. Sixteen original pieces of music bring you towards different sceneries set in a very « quiet » seaside village where the hunter is looking for an eventual victim giving the audience’s hint about the the « monster’s » personality and the type of prey that he’s looking for.
Keeping a bitter taste in your mouth, you may be able to let these overall musical notes sequels grow into you as you get into the purpose laid by Shane TREACY : the expression of the unspeakable.
You are able to find any musical genre in Shane Treacy’s discography and will never get bored. Ranging from rock to soulful irish ballads always conserving an edge that makes them unique and multidimensional, all musical tastes are met. A MINDBLOWING EXPERIENCE !
You can keep following Shane Treacy on Youtube to consult the different type of songs and discover more of his prolific artistic versatility on the sharing site Soundclick under Shane Treacy and the Sunflower Men.
