Lynam - Carnaged & Martyred

  by John Clarkson

published: 12 / 2 / 2003

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Review

First formed in 2000 while students at Sheffield University, Lynam are a now graduated alternative rock four piece who shifted down to try out their luck in London at the beginning of last summer. The group, which features Pennyblackmusic writer Jonjo McNeill on vocals and guitar ; Adrian Falconer on guitar and vocals ; Daniel Walton on bass, and James Mason on drums, have had a busy, but profitable six months since their arrival in the capital. They have started to consolidate for themselves a strong live reputation with a quickfire succession of gigs, and have also recorded in the basement of the South London house in which they all live their debut "demo" album, 'Carnaged and Martyred'. They are using it to tout around record companies, and are also selling it exclusively through websites such as Pennyblackmusic. 'Carnaged and Martyred' shows off a band that have already developed a far more than perfunctory grasp of studio technique, and is reminiscent with its raw, earthy energy of the Levellers, New Model Army and the early U2. McNeill, who is the band's lyricist, has admitted in a recent Pennyblackmusic interview that he tends to write about whatever is troubling or annoying him most at the time. 'Carnaged and Martyred' resultingly finds him taking broad swipes at a wide range of targets including pseudo political agitators on 'Hypocrite' ; the housing policy of the government on 'No Fixed Abode' ; a mean-spirited former friend on 'Brian' and even himself on the scabrous, self-loathing 'Worst I Can'. 'Carnaged and Martyred' for its main part depends upon a well-mastered dense buzzsaw grungy guitar sound. The band perhaps need to expand their sound still yet further, but the thrashy rock 'n' roll punk of 'Worst I Can' ; the snappy, tentatively optimistic acoustic folk of 'Still Believin' and the epic rock balladry of the self-tortured 'Music Box' all hint at possible new direction and promise much for the future. Falconer and Walton make solid, but innovative guitarists. Mason is a fiery and enthusiastic sticksman, and in the shape of the hoarse-vocalled McNeill Lyman have an acrobatic-voiced frontman with a dynamic sense of presence. "Listen to me/I have got something to say/Listen to me, man/Listen to Me/It ain't going to go away" McNeill thunders on the third track. On the strength of this debut offering it seems indeed that Lynam have plenty which is worth shouting about. For sheer passion alone, they deserve to go far.

Track Listing:-

1 INTRO
2 BOOKS
3 LISTEN TO ME
4 HYPOCRITE
5 WORST I CAN
6 NO FIXED ABODE
7 EASILY LED
8 CARNAGED & MARTYRED
9 STILL BELIEVIN'
10 BRIAN
11 DISAPPOINTED
12 MUSIC BOX