Sunday, July 24, 2011


Indie Artist Feature: Seeping into Cinemas- 100,000 Times (2011) Bandcamp Link & Videos


From Seeping into Cinemas Website:

"Seeping into Cinemas is the solo project of Dublin musician, Barry O'Brien. After playing in bands on the Dublin independent scene for a number of years, Barry decided the best way to find the sound he was looking for but had yet to find, was to go it alone. So began Seeping Into Cinemas. Initially starting with a few low key  but well-received gigs, Barry then focused his efforts on writing and recording. Holed up at home with a bunch of guitars, microphones and other music-making devices, he began work on what would eventually become his first album. In February 2010, he emerged briefly from recording hibernation with the self-released single 'Dour Hour,' then disappeared again for more writing, rewriting and recording.


The months that followed were full of late nights, obsessive attention to detail, and Ups, downs, and finally in December 2010, completion. In January 2011, Barry called on the mixing skills of Dublin producer Stephen Shannon. Mixing went smoothly and 100,000 Times, the debut Seeping Into Cinemas album was finished. Consisting of ten songs, inhabited with dreamy soundscapes and Barry's whisper quiet voice, 100,000 Times is a melodic and haunting homage to a world full of broken hearted misanthropes and sad souls who dream of escape."

(La) luna Review:

The music of Seeping into Cinemas, the solo project of Dublin-based musician Barry O'Brien, is an evocative mix of dreamy, moody, wonderfully melodic soundscapes that manage to achieve a lush feel despite their spare arrangements and O'Brien's deceptively gentle, almost whispered, vocals, which will instantly remind listeners of Elliott Smith, but subtle ears will also hear the ghost of Big Star's Chris Bell creeping about. It's not by accident that I speak of ghosts in reference to O'Brien's music because on Seeping into Cinemas' debut album, 100,000 Times, there is a gauzy, ghostly sense of isolation at the heart of each track. One of the album's standouts is the brilliantly titled, "Red Words, Full of Promises," a bittersweet mid-temp gem that is suggestive of what The Clientele might have sounded like if they had hailed from Austin, TX. Perhaps my favorite track is "Still Frame from a Sunny Monday," with its austere arrangement and emotionally resigned yet sweetly vulnerable vocals, it is here that the emotional darkness alluded to earlier really becomes evident, and this is what distinguishes Seeping into Cinemas from any number of other bands: it is clear that O'Brien has far more in mind for his listeners than simply crafting low-key confessionals. Highly recommended.



4 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for the review and recommendation. I will definitely check out Barry O'Brien's Seeping into Cinemas. I am intrigued. I really enjoy the concept of an Indie Artist Feature section. Kurt

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  2. Kurt, thank you for the feedback. I tried this briefly a while back, but it turned out much better this time

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  3. I'm glad I came back and scrolled down because I missed this post! Thanks for the video tease and the writeup.

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  4. scurfie, my pleasure. Besides being a gifted musician, Barry is a very nice guy as well. It was an honor to post the album.

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