Wild Irish Rose is Killer Ellipsis’ debut album and was recorded almost entirely at The Dude Productions Studio, which is actually just lead singer Matthew Ryan’s bedroom. Which, in a way, is impressive, because to listen to these extremely polished songs is to think they came from nowhere but fancy, fluorescent-lit studio sessions.
Static and a droning guitar begin the album, which slowly bleeds into a compressed lead line, sounding as if someone held a mic up to a stereo speaker and simply recorded whatever was coming out. Perhaps this is an attempt by the band at telling us that we should feel comfortable hearing these songs through such a medium, because they certainly are radio-friendly.
Some are more pop oriented (“Part II”), whereas others are darker in nature (“Magdalene”). Still with such slick and skillful arrangements, they all seem radio-ready. Ryan’s emotive and yearning lead vocal brings to mind a mid-90s style and by citing bands like TOOL and The Smashing Pumpkins as influences, the band isn’t denying their sensibilities.
While the TOOL influence is definitely the most prevalent, the band draws their inspiration from many sources. There is a definite country vibe in “Ryan Adams & Cigarettes,” which is greatly complimented by the accompanying female lead vocal.
Wild Irish Rose can be purchased at all local CD stores as well as through digital mediums like iTunes and CDBaby. The CD release party is at midnight Friday, May 11, in The Kentucky Theatre at the bargain price of $5.