Fronted by the seemingly habitually heartbroken Alan Kelly, the Last Post gained the note of this weary soul with the single Something Tells Me (You'd Be Good For Me). The flip side is everyone knows of bands who use killer singles as a prelude to albums of disappointment and misery (for the listener). Thankfully for all concerned, Kelly had enough left over in the songwriting tank to fill up an album of similar gems. Released last year in Ireland, it's gaining of significant approval from the press and a couple of "Album of The Year" nods certainly don't come as much of a surprise. Starting the album with Something Tells Me... sets the standard pretty high. It's still sounding like a classic, the line "Maybe in time you'll love me/You don't know me at all just yet" is worthy of Costello or Hal David at their finest. Subsequent songs like Only Thing That Eases The Pain and Waiting work on similar themes and also feature fellow Irish troubadour David Kitt on vocals. The latter features another killer lyric in "I just want to you know that you're not alone after all you've been through", the sound of late night Dublin bars in song. While an album of songs dealing with lost love and heartbreak could get tiring in the hands of others, Kelly shows that he knows his stuff by bringing in 12 songs in at just over half an hour. Proceedings are also helped by the minute long 'interludes' of The Gold Rush, The Midday Sun and The Long Distance which show that it's not all lyrical musings - there's musical talent to burn here, as well. The final track, It's All Over... rounds up Dry Land with a fitting flourish while the feeling throughout is that the lyrical tone and sense of arrangements brings to mind a latter-day Scott Walker. Not to everyone's tastes for sure, but for those who need that lyric and chord change to get them through another day, the Last Post just might help. 9/10 Reviewed By Peter Mattinson
Dry Land is the follow-up to the Last Post's debut album, Love Lost which appeared in 2000 to critical acclaim. Led by the exceptionally talented Dublin based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alan Kelly , the Last Post deserve much more than the cult following than they have at this moment. Surely their time has come with this album?
Even on first listen the lush orchestration, heart-stopping melodies and lyrics, which deal with love lost, longing and hope, make this collection of eleven songs a contender for one of the most played albums of this year. It's simply beautiful stuff. So beautiful, in fact, that whenever I listen to it I have to do just that; listen to it. Kelly's vocals come from the heart. They are so soulful that it is impossible to do anything else but be mesmerised by the beautiful sounds he makes once the record starts. I always listen to the record in question as I write down my thoughts on it, but I'm unable to do so with Dry Land. I have to keep stopping as I hear new sounds ; another lyric that recalls lost love, or a melody which is so captivating that I have to just sit and listen to it. Again.
I make, therefore, no apologies for this being possibly my shortest ever review as it has also taken me longer to get these words down than on any other record I've written about.
I keep drifting off as the music takes me away and everything around me takes a back seat as Kelly draws me into his world of lush, melodic pop music.
Of the eleven tracks here two are short instrumentals. The Gold Rush, which is 40 seconds of fragile, beautiful guitar and Hammond organ, segues into 'Waiting' (one of two tracks featuring fellow Dubliner David Kitt). This is then followed by The Midday Sun which conjures up visions of its title perfectly. Following on from The Midday Sun is possibly the best track on the album, Can't It Wait 'til Tomorrow. This song has Kelly pouring his heart out over some of the saddest music I've heard in years. The lyrics are simple, not naive as has been suggested elsewhere. Being away from a loved one and not being able to wait just one more day to see her is a feeling which doesn't need to wrapped up in smart lyrics or a song which is spread out over 5 minutes. Kelly sums up the longing in just 2 minutes 40 seconds and there is no arguing that the words he uses, uncomplicated as they are, are from the heart.
Apart from the previously mentioned David Kitt, Dry Land features outstanding playing from a number of Irish musicians but special mention too should be made of the harmonies provided by Aoife O'Leary who adds an angelic sound to many of the songs.
It was obvious after Love Lost that Kelly was capable of producing an album full of classic songs and with Dry Land he has accomplished just that. From the moment the guitars kick in on the opening track, Something Tells Me (You'd Be Good For Me), through Kelly's lyrics of hope, "maybe in time you'll love me, you don't know me at all', to the harmonies which wouldn't put Brian Wilson to shame, to the closing strains of Kelly's guitar which itself conveys a feeling of hope and optimism, it's obvious something special is going on here. And it makes you want to dance! That opening track is worth the price of the album. The fact that the other ten songs (yes, I include the 2 instrumentals as they feel so right in the running order of the album) are just as stunning is an added bonus.
We all hear different influences at work in an artist's songs. It's been said that Kelly's songs owe a debt to 60's heroes like Spector and Wilson, and that Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris are in there somewhere. Maybe on some levels they are but for me this is the album that I always wanted Spiritualized to make. It's contemporary not retro. It's a great melodic wash of sound which can have you crying one minute and happy the next. It provides hope for the future when you feel there is none. It's simply a great pop record. Perhaps the reason the 60's are mentioned is because the songs are so well structured. Each one goes somewhere, and says something that we can all relate to. Kelly's only problem now, as I see it, is what he can do next to top this collection of classic pop sounds.
The soundtrack to the summer has arrived early this year.
Malcom Carter
The beach boys are a constant reference point for the music of maverick dubliner Alan Kelly's Last Post outfit on their second album of melancholic, emotive ballads that could warm the coldest of hearts and reach the deepest chasms of the soul. From the beach ball imprint on the cd to the initiatal orchestral swell of album opener Something tells me they are an obvious influence on this artist's muse. Kelly manages to transcend these influences however, by melding the intricacies of the former's widescreen arrangements with the slo-mo multi-layered dream pop of pioneers My Bloody Valentine and some of the most heart-wrenching ballads this side of the alt-country genre. Cascading strings and sublime backing vocals embellish the next track, Only thing that eases the pain with david kitt gloriously harmonising with kelly in a modern country-ish ballad for all those 21st century cowboys.
Fifth song in, You've got it all, is a reverb drenched homily with a swelling chorus that is almost unbearably ethereal and hymnlike. The midday sun is short and sweet combining gentle melodies and subtle orchestration to form an instrumental interlude of quiet and unassuming beauty. Can't wait til tomorrow is a plaintive and unrelenting symphony in which Kelly mournfully croons in the most beguiling way, 'I know I've been away from you too long now. Closing track It's all over is a sparse downbeat effort offset by the beautiful intensity of the lyrics which includes the tender coda of ' it hurts when we're together, it hurts when we're alone.' Initially accompanied solely by piano, the song builds to an orchestral swell and finishes with a crescendo of trumpet and strings.
A sad ending perhaps but one that is full of optimism for what the future may hold. Kelly's lavish soundscapes, combined with lyrical tales of love found, lost and regretted, mine a rich seam of low-key songs from the broken hearted. At 32 minutes long, this multi-layered, mellow and sumptuously melodic album is a quiet triumph for songwriter Alan Kelly and doesn't outstay it's welcome. Although these poignant vignettes sometimes leave a bittersweet taste they should stand the test of time as an example of a major talent finding his voice and spreading his new catechism of love.
Ian Barrett.
Channel 4 Teletext
Alan Kelly's second album is buckling under a welter of album of the year awards in Ireland. Qiute right too. By turns lugubrious and celebratory, Kelly's hushed work is as embracing as Reindeer Section, as universal as Travis, as witty as Badly Drawn Boy and as individualistic as, well, himself. While John Peel is already a fan, it's to be hoped Britain shows the same taste as Ireland and clutches Kelly's unfettered romanticism with as much enthusiasm. A minor masterpiece.
John Earls
The Last Post is the vehicle for Dublin songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Alan Kelly. And Dry Land is the follow up to his 2000 debut, Love Lost. Already this yearning, trembling and heartfelt gem has been nominated Best Irish Album for the 2003 Meteor Ireland Music Awards. With any justice, though, Dry Land should be given the red carpet treatment on a global scale. Kelly has the ambition, scope and above all the effortlessly majestic tunes to do so.
What The Last Post specialise in is the clear blue clarity of string-soaked chamber pop. Waiting, for instance, hammock sways on a lyrical loveliness redolent of Nick Drake. Same too for Only Thing That Eases The Pain, a David Kitt-assisted bout of hazy stringed melancholia that's as uplifting as it is crushingly fragile. Yet it's not all ennui-piloted wooziness.
The glassy and deceptively forceful You've Got It All erupts on massive tidal waves of guitar mangled FX. Since when did chamber pop evoke the ghosts of Kitchens of Distinction? Other surprises include Can't Wait 'Til Tomorrow, a pared down country ballad in the bitter blue mould of Emmylou Harris.
But whatever direction Kelly drives his lush songs, they're unified by pin-sharp arrangements, spiritual timelessness and a purity that illuminates as it caresses. There's nothing here that's too laboured or too slight.
Instead Kelly's flowing rich melody, packed into a wonderfully concise 32 minutes, ensures you'll be revisiting 'Dry Land' on a regular basis. Open the window and let The Last Post breeze in. This is the essence of Spring in all its balmy revitalizing glory.
Neil Davenport
www.bleed-music.com
The Last Post - Dry Land Dreamy heartache that doesn't outstay its welcome.
Tipped off by the ever reliable John Peel, I was curious enough to indulge in the first album by The Last Post - Love Lost, released in 2000. Initially believing it to be rather staid and boring, I found myself drawn to it repeatedly, the melancholic harmonies weaving themselves into my consciousness. A quick glance at the track titles for the much anticipated follow up, Dry Land - Only Thing That Eases The Pain, Good Things Don't Last That Long, It's All Over - and it's clear that this is going to be more of the same. Primarily the work of singer-song writer and multi-instrumentalist Alan Kelly, Dry Land is thirty-two minutes of melodic harmonies and doe-eyed sorrowful vocals. Hammond and piano merge with laconic, strummed guitars to create a sound bare and minimalist, yet somehow rich and wholesome as well. The tender vocal hum of Kelly is the carrying axis of the whole soundscape, oozing sensitivity and bruised romance. Quite simply, it's beautifully constructed, and it's easy to see why Dry Land has been nominated for the Best Irish Album for 2003 at the Ireland Music Awards. Like its predecessor, this is not an accessible album. The similarity of pace and texture demands repeated attention for an understanding and appreciation of the nuances at work to come to the fore. No real tangent from the first album then, but when the quality was so good in the first place we really can't complain.
The second album in his new guise from former In Motion Dublin singer-songwriter Alan Kelly was hailed by many as the Irish album of 2002 and its release beyond native shore should safely see it finding a home on 2003's best of lists too. Melancholic pop ballads are his stock in trade, delivered in a choirboy vocals and enfolded in the big strings layered sound (Waiting, It's All Over Complete with big brass finale) of Phil Spector, the sweet summer lush harmony dripping melodies (Only Thing That Eases The Pain, Change) of Brian Wilson and the country soul (The Midday Sun, Can't Wait Til Tomorrow, of Gram Parsons.
Pitched somewhere between The Prayer Boat and The Fat Lady Sings, with fellow Dubliner David Kitt taking lead on three of the album's stand-out numbers, it's music for the twilight hours when the sound of shattered hearts falling on rainswept streets drowns out the noise of the world.
Mike Davies
The second album to hit me was The Last Post's Dry Land. I'd never heard anything by them before, so I certainly wasn't expecting to fall in love on first listen. Their sound reminds me of The Bluetones song A Parting Gesture, which in itself might explain why I've given this album so much attention. David Kitt joins as a guest vocalist on a few tracks, which instantly takes me back to the cool, green oasis that was the Acoustic Tent at Glastonbury 2002 when I fully understood his genius. It's rubbed off onto The Last Post, and I only hope this album gets as much attention as David Kitt has done in his native Ireland.
ROCK SOUND
As Morrissey nearly sang once, oh, you winsome devil. The Last Post, lest you've not had the pleasure, is primarily Alan Kelly, in much the same way that Aztec Camera was chiefly Roddy Frame, and, impressively, that's a comparison that really holds water.
As the single Something Tells Me (You'd Be Good For Me) (and how old-fashionedly sweet is that title?) suggested at the tail end of 02, this turns out to be an unexpectedly early christmas present for sensitive souls everywhere, all bruised romance, positively blushing Hammonds, laconic guitar, and some of the most doe-eyed vocals commited to record since the quiter moments on the first Bluetones album, helped no end by worth-seeking-out troubadour David Kitt.
There's a song here called good things don't last for long too, and, at slightly over half an hour, the Post man's got a point. Luuuuuuuuuuvly.
8/10 Iain Moffat
This second album proper from Dubliner, Alan Kelly is a welcome continuation from The Last Post's last offering, Love Lost two years ago. I can never quite get the ballroom of romance feeling out of my head every time I hear Kelly's songs. You've Got It All and Waiting are prime examples of this sentiment and maybe it's the Dub in him but there is a definite back o' the bus, timeless, sing-song quality here seldom heard on new releases today.
With help from his friends and family (brother and sister Fionan and Aoife), David Kitt on Only Thing That Eases The Pain, and the wizardry of Marc Carolan at the controls, Kelly lures you into his reclusive world of heartache and joy, country style. Beautifully arranged, It's All Over closes a relatively short and sweet album that is most definitely welcome in my collection. File under Ierne!
Martin McCann
The second release from Dubliner Alan Kelly under the name The Last Post is a marriage of convenience between romantic melodies and lush orchestration. After the demise of his former band, In Motion, Kelly self-released a couple of seven inches on the Via Dolorosa label before the release of his debut album Love Lost.
As The Last Post, his brand of sophisticated pop owes a debt to sixties greats such as Phil Spector and Brian Wilson. Layering strings and horns with drums and harmonised vocals, Kelly creates lavish yet still-intimate arrangements. Although the lyrics can sometimes veer towards naivety, with fellow Dublin musician David Kitt guesting on stand-out track Only Thing That Eases The Pain and sweetly pitched harmonies from Aoife O'Leary throughout, Kelly's grand vision remains intact.
Late night listening from a fragile world.
Caroline Hennessy
Any album that contains a prologue as wonderfully written as Leagues' introduction on the cardboard sleeve, has to be worth a few hours listening time, and after thirty minutes alone with Dry Land I felt compelled to grab my stereo's remote control and press the repeat button. Opening track Something tells Me (You'd be good for me) sets the scene, lush melodies, rich vocals supplied by Alan Kelly, and delicate lyrics, while the second track, Only Thing that Eases the Pain sees David Kitt lending his ubiquitous voice to the proceedings. The result is a tender, loveswept, epic of lighter-waving proportions, which just eclipses it's stunning companions It's All Over and Waiting - another song featuring David Kitt. Alan Kelly seems to be standing at a crossroads on a lonely road, not knowing which direction to turn, be it Palace Brothers-esque anthems, Jubillee Allstars style melodies or the poetic craft of The Fieldmice, and eventually ending up turning off down a lonely side-road that leads to a place called The Last Post, dry land and somewhere that feels right.
Despite accolades from the likes of DJ John Peel, The Last Post remains one of the Dublin music scene's best-kept secrets. Not that it's a band as such - more an open-ended home studio project, overseen by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alan Kelly and featuring contributions from whatever musicians happen to be passing at the time. This second full-length album is the first on which Kelly has had a decent budget, and it shows in the wide-screen arrangements, swelling choruses and lush production that at times recalls the more ethereal moments of the Beach Boys. At a time when rackety, DIY lo-fi music is becoming all the rage, Kelly's lavish soundscapes provide the perfect antidote for closet romantics everywhere. His lyrical tales of lost love may have a bittersweet taste, but they're always driven by a robust sense of melody - and the presence of such big names as David Kitt strumming away in the background suggests that his cool quotient is set to rise and rise. Time, surely, to start spreading the word.
Andrew Lynch
Multi-layered, mellow and sumptuously melodic, Dry Land, the follow - up to the well received 2000 debut Love Lost, is a quiet triumph for songwriter Alan Kelly, who effectively is The Last Post. Recalling everyone from the inspired amateurism of Belle & Sebastian to The Cocteau Twins low-key melancholia, with elements of Jeff Buckley and The Beach Boys, Dry Land betrays a heavy heart. The songs, which barely reach walking pace, don't so much follow each other one-by-one, as blend seamlessly and dreamily into one another. The opener, Something Tells Me You' d Be Good For Me with its lovely loping basslines, crisp snare and heart - warming harmonies, virtually melts into the similarly constructed, Only Thing That Eases The Pain.
Waiting ( featuring David Kitt on vocals ) is almost gothic - country meets the Go-Betweens, a smart combination of jangly textures and shimmering high - land melody. The hopeless, desperate pleading of Can't Wait Til Tomorrow echoes the sentiment in Brian Wilson's, Don't Talk Put Your Head On My Shoulder, while You've Got It All, with its sparse arrangement slowly building into a crescendo of voices and guitars, is a genuine highlight. On the downside there is a sameness (no doubt intentional ) to the pace of the songs most of which are saturated in strings, organ and sundry other subtle instrumental embellishments; rarely it has to be said to the detriment of the songs. It's not exactly a bundle of laughs either - Kelly's otherworldly melodies and love - lorn lyrics come straight from the heart and dark night of the soul. But in the right frame of mind and in small doses this can be spirit - lifting stuff. A late - night, early - morning album, if ever there was one - a broken heart rarely sounded this compelling.
Colm O' Hare
THE IRISH INDEPENDENT
This second album from the Dublin collective is a real grower. It doesn't sound all that remarkable initially, but then it yields it's many low-key, laid-back charms and you're left with a delightful record. Singer Alan Kelly has called on the assistance of an eclectic group of musicians including the hard-working David Kitt. The results: the string laden majesty of Only thing that eases the pain; the Kitt harmonies on the standout, you've got it all; and the bittersweet change. There's also a handful of lovely little instrumentals. On the downside, the album does feel a little one-dimensional with song after song about the perils of love, but they are executed with such class that you can forgive them. Weighing in at 32 minutes, this self-produced album won't tax your time, but you'll be glad that you made it's acquaintance.
John Meagher
THE TICKET
Love Lost, Alan Kelly's debut album as The Last Post from 2000, was a beautifully conceived collection of heartbreak pop music. Yet even as one of the most accomplished albums of the year, it practically wilts next to it's successor, Dry Land. Dry Land is an oasis of everything that's good about modern pop music, songs articulate in longing, loneliness and hope. Not only has Kelly orchestrated a romance of real strings and crescendo guitar chords, he has rewritten the book on vocal harmonies. Check out his pitch-perfect sing-a-long with David Kitt on Only thing that eases the pain, or the incredible Cocteau Twins-style constellation of voices on Change. The Last Post is a national treasure.
Leagues O'Toole
DUBLIN EVENT GUIDE IRISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR
It was a close call, but The Last Post's Dry Land, with it's sardonic and unrequited love songs, narrowly triumphed over Decal's masterpiece of electronica, 404 Not Found. Ironically, both albums shared a track in Waiting. After that the Jimmy Cake were in the top three for the second year in a row, with Dublin Gone, Everybody Dead, and, given a bit more time, might have been contender to pip either of the top two, which were both released earlier in the year. Redneck Manifesto again successfully captured their visceral live sound on Cut Your Heart Off and Goodtime John's debut outing obviously struck a rustic chord. Of all the albums in the top ten, Gemma Hayes broadened her fanbase the widest, and it was the production on her debut which helped straddle critical and populist acclaim. It was left to both Boa Morte ( Cork ) and The Reindeer Section ( Belfast via Glasgow ) to represent music from outside Dublin, while Large Mound made the most likely to be liked by AC/DC album of the year.
Few live shows but two very fine collections in Love Lost and First Love had hinted at Alan Kelly's ( whose vehicle The Last Post is ) great songwriting talent. Dry Land saw that talent, both as songwriter and arranger, fully blossom. Before the cd had even lodged in the machine, there was the wonder of the artwork, a kaleidoscopic digi pack delight, so bright and persuasive that you just knew every detail has been thought through meticulously. The beach ball on the disc was the icing on the cake. Opening, the playful Beach Boys romp Something Tells Me, is by far the most musically optimistic Last Post moment to date, but the emotion is still unrequited. Then there's Only Thing That Eases The Pain, where David Kitt joins in for a verse or two, more ambition, bigger strings and a sense that Dry Land is finally Kelly's moment. There's a short instrumental interlude with Goldrush before Waiting, a full band version of the same tune that appeared on Decal's 404 Not Found album ( curiously and by coincidence album number two in our end of year poll ). Four songs in and it's four flawless tunes, four pop classics, four nil, four on the door and easily the best Irish album of the year. With muscular rhythmical backing where it's needed and Aoife O'Leary's perfect saccharine backing vocals, Kelly surrounds himself with a motley crew of brass, string and percussion players, all of whom help elevate these songs to a new level. There's little question of these being rough sketches of recordings constrained by budget and lack of imagination. Dry Land takes Kelly's vision to it's limits. The distorted guitars on You've Got It All and the pleadings of Can't Wait Til Tomorrow are other highlights. If there's an obvious fault here it's that The Last Post are stuck in some Smithsonian like cycle of pessimism and unrequited love, but many of the instrumental breaks brighten up Kelly's meticulous examination of human relationships. With the perfect It's All Over, Dry Land finishes 32 minutes and 7 seconds after it started. The only thing to do is pause for breath and hit the start button again. A great, great record that somehow seems to have passed under almost everyone's radar. Maybe it's not too late.
Dave Roberts