It's easy for albums like Patrick Kelleher's to be overlooked. Released on a small Dublin label (Osaka Records) with little backing behind it - save for a large dose of blind faith - records like his are all-too-often passed over in favour of The Killers' new offering, or the latest Jeff Buckley reissue. It doesn't have the most striking artwork, either; there are no audacious neon colours or bold lettering to make the 24-year-old musician's name stand out. Instead, the cover art, depicting a series of Edwardian children demonstrating their PE poses, is as peculiar as the music contained within.
But it's clear from the first listen of 'You Look Cold' that Kelleher is a little odd himself. Not only does his backing band regularly change their name (The Sick Fucks, The Wet Dreams and His Cold Dead Hands have all prevailed as monikers), but his debut album, self-played and self-recorded using a variety of conventional and not-so-conventional instruments, sounds like it was pieced together in a damp shed, with only the fixed, baleful stares of garden gnomes for company.
Which only makes 'You Look Cold' all the more charming. Initially, it sounds like there are almost too many ideas compressed into too small a space; but upon closer inspection, it's precisely that quality that makes this record an eclectic delight. Understated shockwaves of ambient bedroom electronica hover deftly underneath Kelleher's minimalist pagan chant vocals ('Coat to Wear'); primal beats, fingerclicks and handclaps envelop the tribal 'Finds You'; 'Blue Eyes' brings a lush, bleary-voiced dreaminess to proceedings, while the lo-fi crackle of 'Wonder' is a beautifully flawed, yet otherworldly standout.
Imperfect, but completely imaginative, this is an album that truly embodies the spirit of DIY indie music. Bravo.
