Cry Monster Cry

My quest to bring you the best americana music from this fair isle continues. Often I come across artists that I feel as though I have written about when in fact they've just become embedded in my subconscious having seen them so frequently on social media, gig listings, magazine interviews and reviews. Every time I see them mentioned, I remember to look into the music but then I forget again, well not this time.

Cry Monster Cry are made up of brothers Richie and Jamie Martin. The Dublin brothers seem like they were always destined to be recording music. Richie was taught the violin by his mother, then moved onto the guitar and went on to study music in college. Meanwhile Jamie first started by playing piano and, according to their bio, tried out nearly every instrument under the sun before studing English in college. It all reads like a masterplan for forming an alt-folk group, the two members covering each discipline of the process. Despite how it reads, the brothers only formed Cry Monster Cry three years ago.

Having grown up listening to their parents records, especially on long car journeys, the brothers experienced the sounds of Bob Dylan, The Everly Brothers, Van Morrison, Ray Charles and Simon and Garfunkel. These early influences seem to have stuck with the them. Their sound clearly consists of folk melodies with both the lyrics and arrangements bringing the alternative to this alt-folk mix.
Despite having formed not that long ago, Cry Monster Cry have been busy with their output. The first EP "The Fallen EP" was released fairly soon after they formed and contains five tracks of warm, harmonious, lyrical beauty. The title track of the EP, "The Fallen" is a wonderful tune. Listening to it, I am somehow reminded of waves moving up and down moving against the keel of a boat. The song has a flowing melody that you experience for a few gentle minutes and then it's gone.



My favourite track off the EP is "On Tangled Shores", a true slice of alt-folk. The electric guitar notes add a sense of sparseness to the melody. It's a proper story song with no real chorus. The words about a former lover add real emotion to the song. When the song takes off halfway through, you are really hooked.



Since the release of the first EP, the lads have been gigging around Ireland and started recording their debut album last year. "Rhythm of Dawn" was released in February and the band are currently touring in support of it. The first single from the new album is "Postcards", a real pop-folk tune. The returning vocal refrain and those little mandolin licks really add to the warmth of the track that drags you in.



Cry Monster Cry have an official website and they are doing some gigs at the moment. Check out their Facebook page for more. You can preview and download the album on iTunes.