Reviews | ||
All Music Guide - "Jelly Legs" "With his debut album Jelly Legs, young Irish singer-songwriter Mundy tosses a sparkling sonic net over the vapid pop of the mid-'90s. His confessional musings and superbly crafted songs are a welcome and exciting addition to the high standards of Irish rock. With echoes of atmospheric, late-'80s pop (Ian McCullough) and Celtic rock (U2, the Waterboys) Mundy's occasionally eclectic sound is held together by poetic lyrics, a simple folk sensibility, and beautiful guitar work. Love, of course, is a frequent theme, from the sweet "To You I Bestow," (also featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 film William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet) to the supremely melancholy "Gin & Tonic Sky." The "big sonic" atmosphere is pushed and pulled into harder-edged explorations of sound and subject on tracks such as "Blown Away" and "Sisters." Aching looks back at the hometown "Reunion" reach out and grab you with superbly manipulated angst. The fabulous epic "Springtown" continues the working-class traditions of Bruce Springsteen and Joe Strummer with sublimely Irish touches. Mundy's debut effort is well-crafted. With emotional glimpses into his world, there should be plenty left to explore." ~ Theresa E. LaVeck, All Music Guide
Green Immigrant - December 2004 "Green And Independent" The many miles separating us from home can make us lose touch with our roots. As far as music goes, we can easily slip into the scene Stateside, losing track of what's going on "over there." Listening to pop radio or watching MTV over here, you might get the impression that Irish music is U2, The Cranberries etc.... It isn't. I didn't realize how much music had changed until I heard The Green Album: New Music From Ireland, Vol. I. It's the first in a series of compilations crossing the Atlantic, compiling 13 tracks from independent musicians at home who have been rising to the forefront of the Irish, and European, music scene. It's eclectic. Some tracks incorporating a myriad of styles fusing rock and Hip Hop; synthesizing soft instrumentals stressed with the heavy beat of Hard Rock. It's 80s New Wave weaved into contemporary rock. It's a compilation so diverse you can't really crunch it into a genre. Some of the artists you are certain to have heard before. The Walls, a four-piece guitar band, was formed by brothers Steve and Joe Wall, formerly front-men for 90s knockout groove The Stunning, one of the more successful Irish bands with a string of hits and number one albums behind them. They have also opened for Dylan and U2. Tracks include "The Tiny Magic Indian" by Blink, hailed as by The Irish Times, hardly an 'indy' outfit, as 'one of the best Irish records you'll hear this year.' Such recognition and acclaim shows that bands like Blink and other oracles on The Green Album aren't just making it mainstream; they are making the mainstream. The new must eclipse the old; this looks like the future of Irish pop music.
Hot Press - "Raining Down Arrows" 12 May 2004 While it is often true that your inner voice is your harshest critic, it would seem that Edmund Enright is far too severe on himself. Apparently, Mundy doesn’t rate himself too highly as a songwriter but to these ears Raining Down Arrows is a winner, displaying a far more mature songwriting style than either of his previous outings, while remaining true to the Birr-man’s stance as a likeable everyman. I’m not suggesting for a minute that Mundy is acting in any way. Indeed, I think the Offaly singer would find it impossible to adopt any persona but his own: his songs always seem to ring with a refreshing truth and honesty. Who else could have written about something so personal, and yet at the same time so ordinary, as getting in trouble with his partner for staying out drinking with his mates all night (‘By Her Side’) and having to answer to his better half in the morning: “I gotta get home early, because my head’s beginning to tingle/ The conversation is getting scary, ’cos all the boys are single”. Similarly, the country rock-tinged ‘Love And Confusion’ is about, eh, being in love and being confused, while ‘You Are The One’ is so unashamedly romantic as to give David Kitt’s Square One album a run for its money. Meanwhile, ‘Soul Mate’s uber-catchy chorus is guaranteed to be belted out with gusto by Mundy’s legions of fans at venues all over the country this summer, and the warm and fuzzy electric guitar-driven ‘Too High’ is surely a single in waiting. ‘Car Pound’ is almost cinematic in its depiction of being stuck in school on a Monday afternoon, staring out the window and wishing the time away until the bell rings for the end of the scholastic day. Bizarrely, this white trash, trailer park adolescence as viewed through the eyes of a BIFFO sounds frighteningly on the money, displaying a tenderness that you just don’t get with Eminem: “And you can bring your girl along if she brings a lovely friend/And we’ll show them what us town-boys do with time to spend.” Recorded in August 2003 in Austin, Texas, with Mark and Nina Addison, and mixed by Dave Odlum in France’s Black Box Studios (fast becoming a home from home for Irish musicians in general and the Odlum brothers in particular), Raining Down Arrows sounds uncluttered and effective, with little in the way of bells or whistles to take away from the immediacy of the recordings. Indeed, on tracks like the gentle ‘Something Good’, the gorgeous ‘All The Love’ or the affecting ‘Strange Hotel’, it seems that there’s almost a mini-Mundy performing live inside your speakers. The title track, however, is arguably Mundy’s finest moment to date. Musically, it’s pretty much just acoustic guitar and vocals, with a side order of slide, bass and drums, but Mundy’s voice has never sounded so full or so emotive as he narrates the litany of relationship disasters that have led him to this state of drained melancholy. Simply recorded and performed, Mundy’s third album sees him doing what he does best: writing strong songs that burn with a fire that’s born of honesty and experience. You can’t really ask for more than that.
John Walshe
Hot Press - "By Her Side" 17 May 2004 Colm O Hare
RTÉ - "24 Star Hotel" With '24 Star Hotel' sitting for two years in a drawer in his home, you have to ask whether Mundy is a very patient man or if he just didn't realise how special some of the songs on his second album are. Having parted ways with the major label he was signed to, he's put the record out himself and there's more than enough here to say that he'll enjoy the same success as recent others who've gone it alone. There may not be many tracks that scream daytime radio, but there are a handful which highlight someone growing ever more into their craft. He works best when everything is low key – as evidenced by standouts 'July' and 'Healthy'. When he turns up the guitars on the likes of 'Addicted', 'Mexico' and 'Mayday' his sound loses something, these tracks only serving to show how strong the songs surrounding them are. A minor moot point though, when you listen from start to finish and as benefits someone who's gone through the industry ringer and come out the other side, he manages to sound delicate, defiant and all the better for it. Harry Guerin 3/5
cluas.com - "24 Star Hotel" I just don’t have the heart. I was going to make a brief critical comment about one aspect of Mundy’s latest offering, but I can’t. This album is simply too good. It doesn’t deserve to be criticised. One thing I will say though is that the man has an ability to lie straight-faced, while presenting us with evidence that completely contradict his claims of being “all out of melody…”. Um, sorry to say this Mr. Enright, but on the evidence of this album, the one thing you certainly don’t lack is melody. Listen to 'Drive', to the hauntingly beautiful finger picked guitar that lays the foundation for the track, or the Oasis like chorus that emerges from the beat heavy 'Addicted'. Or the gloriously soaring strings at the end of 'Healthy'. Or how about the closer? A laid back collaboration with Ben and Jason, that would be worthy of inclusion on Ed Harcout’s 'Here Be Monsters'. I could continue along this vein about every track, but instead I want…..oooohhhhh feck it, c’mon people, if you’re not nodding your head throughout 'Mexico', and clapping along to the (admittedly corny) break in the middle of it, you must be half dead! Now, back to the serious stuff. In my opinion, the high point of the album occurs in the middle, with 'July' and 'Linchpin'. July is an absolute gem of a song, with a guitar that jumps and skips its way through the virtues of levi asses, and the month of July in general, with Mundy’s amazingly dextrous guitar work, and Binzer’s energetic drumming complementing each other perfectly. You’ll be “my my my my my my my my my’ing” all the way home from the pub after you’ve listened to it a few times. Linchpin is a completely different proposition, a quietly reflective song, apparently about suicide, and the need for people to open up, and not bottle up what they’re feeling: “You’ve gotta let me in to pull the roots / You’d better let me in to find the truth / And pull the linchpin”. The backing vocals (which sound like Mundy double-tracking himself) lifts the song out of the normal insular, depression-filled angst that the topic generally brings out in songwriters, and takes it to a place where you forget you’re listening to a song about suicide. This is pretty much as perfect as pop gets, go out and buy it. Album of the year so far. Ciaran Wrenn
local.ie - 'The Moon Is A Bullethole' After what seemed like a fairytale few years, 1999 must have been close to a living hell for Mundy. He completed the follow-up to his 1996 debut, but then parted company with Epic records, leaving him with an album that he couldn’t release. You’d expect ‘The Moon is a Bullet Hole’ to be a bitter piece of work, but to his credit, he’s put together four songs that surpass anything he’s done before. The EP finds him moving away from the folk influences that were apparent on his 'Jelly Legs' album, and embracing technology, much like David Gray did on 'White Ladder'. The opening track ‘Mayday’ is a cocky strut that suggests this guy hasn’t lost any of the focus that was so apparent on songs like ‘Pardon Me’ and ‘To You I Bestow’. There’s also a psychedelic touch that works well with the robotic-like drumming. Five more songs would have made this a serious second album, but if this is any indication, there’ll be one along shortly. ‘Healthy’ and ‘The Kids Aren’t Stupid’ are great examples of a songwriter and singer coming into their prime. Make no mistake; Mundy is someone who can pen the type of songs you’ll never want to forget. Daniel Hegarty
Westnet - "Jelly Legs" June 24 1997 A long line of talented musicians, from U2 to Sinead O'Connor, hail from Ireland. Continuing the tradition comes Mundy, from a town called Birr, so small (pop. 4 000) you need a magnifying glass to find it. But that doesn't stop him from creating some full-bodied rock'n'roll. I can see why, with "Life's Just A Cinch," people make the comparison to Nirvana, with its blend of acoustic guitar during the verses and heavy electric guitar for the chorus. Mundy, however, resists the comparison, and claims a folk heritage along the lines of of Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Maybe when Mundy pens the songs they sound folky, but once his backing members literally electrify them, they take on a punchier tone. In general, the production is sharp and clear, the lyrics can be decrypted without the liner notes (which is just as well, 'cause his handwriting is unreadable!), and, sign of a musician with experience playing live, all the songs snap shut without studio fadeouts. The album starts off awkwardly with "Reunion". It's hard to put the finger on what's at fault; the song just drags. The second song however, "Pardon Me," is where Mundy really gets into the stride of things. The song is powered by a subterranean bassline, ringing guitar work, with the verses sung in restless urgency and a soaring chorus that is inspired and inspiring. "Song For My Darlin'" is a longer, quieter ballad, a blend of acoustic and fuzzy electric guitars and toms. A heartfelt longing, and when he says "I shave my face almost every day now," you have to remember that Mundy is only 21 -which means that when I was born I was listening to Alice Cooper and other bands too embarrassing to mention. But I digress. I've had my attempts at writing lyrics, and, well, I've kept my day job. It's not I who could have come up with "I put you on a train, you should have heard the engine's laughter." in "Gin & tonic Sky". "Blown Away" and "The Stone" are more showcases for Mundy's talent. It seems that songwriting is effortless to him. The lyrics, the arrangements all seem to come naturally. I bet he had a lot of fun in his busking days. People must have thrown pennies in his guitar case and said "Man, you should be recording these songs". And this is where Mundy differs radically from the only other busker-turned-pro that comes to my mind, to whit, Gordon Gano and the Violent Femmes. The production (by Youth, ex-Killing Joke) of the album doesn't try to capture the barebones on-the-street-corner sound, but takes advantage of the studio, and puts it to good use. Much of the richness also comes from his fellow musicians who should be given their fair share of the credit, Cion (Stan) O'Callaghan on drums, Shane (Fitzer) Fitzsimons on bass, Stephen (Steo) Farrell on electric guitar and Rosie Wetters who lends a touch of cello to a couple of tracks. My favourite track on the album is "Springtown". A letter to friends left behind in a small town... something I can personally relate to. "How are they in Springtown,/can you still drink the water that flows 'neath the sports park?/Is there still apples in the castle to steal/and how does it feel to be stuck there?" A common theme to his songs is the personal observation of the loss of friends, people going, travelling far away, going their way. The album closes with "Private Paradise", wherein Mundy himself says "You'll never see me again, cause I'm going away/Somewhere I can be on my own, all alone/Where all is calm." Mundy writes from the heart. There are a few flaws here and there; hackneyed phrasings ("You're running low on coal/I'm running low on soul"), sometimes a tendency to bury songs in overworking. However, it's easy enough to forgive. As things stand I'm patient enough to give the lad ten years or more to see how he turns out. If he can survive the hype, he'll go a long way. Wish him good luck. David Landgren
The Lobby Bar profile - Mundy Following the recent success of Mundy's appearance at this years Witnness Festival as well as the release of his current album '24 Star Hotel' this year, Lobby Promotions are proud to present Mundy at The Everyman Palace Theatre for one night only. Summer may not have kicked in yet as far as the weather is concerned, but the sound of summer will be in the air with the release of Mundy's new single 'July' this month. Originally released last year as part of a double A side with Mexico, it was only a matter of time before a new, remixed version of long time live favourite JULY came to light. JULY encapsulates what summer is all about. A beautiful melody, sing along chorus and feel-good lyrics should ensure JULY is the summer anthem of 2002. The release of JULY comes hot on the heels of Mundy's long awaited second album, '24 Star Hotel', which went straight into the top 10 upon release. Since then, the album has sold in excess of 4000 copies, has received numerous accolades from both critics and public alike and is well on its way to achieving gold status. On the live front, 2002 has been busy for Mundy. Sell-out shows across the country, a jubilant Vicar Street concert in front of a capacity crowd and a show stopping performance at the Heineken Green Energy Festival in Dublin Castle, all led to Mundy being invited to play in front of 100,000 people in Dublin's Phoenix Park, as part of the Irish team's homecoming celebration concert. Witnness Festival Mundy's finest hour came late Sunday afternoon in front of a packed audience who were eating out of his hand from the first few bars of 'Anchor the Sun' to the last rousing chorus of new single 'July'. The set which included long time favourites such as 'Gin and Tonic Sky' and 'To You I Bestow', as well as tracks from the current album '24 Star Hotel', had them singing along and screaming for more at the end. If it were possible for an already standing audience to give a standing ovation, this was definitely it. On Saturday afternoon, in what was only supposed to be a 15 minute signing session in the Hot Press Signing Tent, Mundy signed over 400 fans CD's, postcards, T-shirts, hats, stomachs, bra's and a lot more (!!) in a session that lasted close to an hour and a half! In the end the good people at Hot Press had to cut the crowd or Mundy would have ended up missing his show and camping overnight! It was a fitting end to a week that saw '24 Star Hotel' climb back up the charts to No.37 and following a performance such as this who's to say it won't climb even higher. Even now the weather seems to be improving in advance of the release of his summer anthem 'July', which hits the shelves this Friday. Mundy's time has definitely come and after all the hard work that's been put in over the last few years, who knows what the next few months will bring.
cluas.com - Mundy & Paddy Casey Ruby Sessions, October 2nd, 2001 Mundy has had a tough time of it. Touted as some sort of Bob Dylan a few years ago, he had what teenagers dream of - a record deal, a song in the hippest film of the year, and a legion of fans. And he was pretty good too. But it was to his credit that Mundy always took such comparisons for what they were - only comparisons - and when his label didn't release his second album, he was circumspect, and took some time out to travel. Now he's back in action with a new release on Camcor, his own label, and he was in flying form in the Ruby Sessions in Doyle's, a venue he obviously feels comfortable with. Among the support acts was Settler, who delivered a set of uplifting songs, with inspired lyrics and interesting melodies. A surprising new addition to the Dublin music scene, the foursome engaged the crowd with their warmth and charm. Goby played a set that evoked the Cocteau Twins and Edith Piaf. Despite some people in the audience talking loudly, the power of the singer's voice was impressive. Finally, the man himself, Mundy, got up and let rip on the acoustic guitar. Sporting a black t-shirt emblazoned with "New York", he grabbed the crowd by the scruff of the neck and unleashed a parade of songs, including the classic "Gin and Tonic Sky", as well as "Mexico", one of his newest songs. He made interesting use of a live sampler to turn himself into a one-man band, and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the night. He was joined at the end by Paddy Casey who, surprisingly, played a version of "No Digitty", as well as "Stir it Up" by Bob Marley. It was a rousing end to a rousing evening, and it was good to see the boy back in town. Long may it continue this time. Sean Gilmartin
local.ie - Mundy Mundy must surely be Offaly's proudest migrant musician. Having defied the common laws of the music business by recording his debut album, Jellylegs, at an unseemly early age, Mundy then proceeded to do what countless others have spent lifetimes idly chasing: he secured a lucrative place on the sexiest of shop windows, the soundtrack album to Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet. So, 'To You I Bestow' wended its way to the HMV's of Tokyo and Timbuktu, with not so much as a whisper from the man himself. Seldom do the dice fall so magnificently. Mundy's taken the time to let the experience seep into his bones before embarking on his second studio album, in the company of no less a being than Tommy D., who's worked with the likes of Catatonia. "I feel that this will be a logical progression from Jellylegs," Mundy avers, "except that I'm a few years older now, so I suppose that'll make itself felt in the music. But the thing is that I didn't go out and buy myself a whole new suit, just because I've had some success. The songs on the next album are still me, it's still going to be Mundy out there."
Western People - "24 Star Hotel" Independent Mundy "24 Star Hotel", the second album from Mundy, gets its long overdue release on Friday, April 19th. Recorded in London with producer Tommy D, "24 Star Hotel" is Mundy's much anticipated follow up to "Jellylegs", which catapulted the Offaly born singer onto the international stage in late 1996. "Jellylegs" went on to sell 50,000 copies worldwide and saw the then 20 year old Mundy tour with Alanis Morrisette, Neil Young, Van Morrison and The Manic Street Preachers to name but a few. There was to be further success for Mundy when his song "To You I Bestow" featured on the soundtrack to Baz Luhrman's "Romeo and Juliet", and album which went on to sell 11 million copies worldwide. Following the promotion and touring of "Jellylegs", Mundy started recording his second album. At that stage problems arose between Mundy and his then record company Sony as to how commercial the songs should be. These on-going differences failed to be resolved and in January 2000 Mundy and Sony parted company. Mundy took some time out to travel, all the time wondering if he could survive without a record company. Deciding that he could, he started his own record label Camcor Recording and to date has released an EP "The Moon Is A Bullethole", a single "Mexico / July", and now the new album. "24 Star Hotel" is a collection of 12 songs written between 1996 and 2000, dealing with love, life, addiction and travel. The album is the latest chapter in the Mundy success story which has taken Edmund Enright from his native Birr, where he began to learn his craft from various songbooks and records by Dylan, Hendrix, The Doors, Muddy Waters and REM, to Dublin. Straight out of school Mundy played on the city streets and in The International Bar where he was introduced to the music of John Martyn, Nick Drake and many more. Mundy is set to tour again throughout May and June including Dublin Castle with The Frames next Monday as part of the Heineken Green Energy Festival, and Vicar Street, Dublin, on June 6th.
Western People - Mundy 5/2002 A five-star performer in a 24-star hotel Edmund Enright was born in 1976 to parents who were publicans in Birr, Co Offaly. In 2001 he was born again. This is not a tale of a spiritual journey in the religious sense. Instead it’s the story of a man who rose to the top too fast, fell from a dizzy height and is now climbing again. The 26-year-old Mundy (Edmund’s childhood nickname now adopted as his performing moniker) who will be playing in McGarrigle’s on Friday, May 17, is very different from the starry-eyed 19-year-old who was, briefly, on top of the world. Mundy’s tale begins in earnest in 1996 when, as a then little-known busker turned singer/songwriter, he was chosen (well that’s not strictly true. One of his songs was chosen) to appear on the biggest selling soundtrack of 1996, Baz Lurhman’s “Romeo & Juliet”. Mundy’s “To You I Bestow” was part of an album which sold 11 million copies worldwide. With the sales came the success and on the crest of this wave Mundy released his debut album “Jellylegs” in late ‘96 Two years of hectic touring and promotion by Mundy went largely unacknowledged by his record label Epic (owned by Sony), who decided not to market the album strongly, despite it’s critical acclaim. It led in the end to his acrimonious departure from the label. Such a split from such a prestigious record company would have left many artists despondent, but a quickly maturing Mundy was more determined than ever not to fail.
A sobering image in his mind was pushing him on, as he recently told the Sunday Tribune: After a break at the age of 23 the touring continued and Mundy returned to the studio to record a handful of tracks for the EP “The Moon Is A Bullet Hole” in 2000.
The standout track on this mini-album was “Mayday”, a song with more embellishments than any other Mundy track before or since. The double A-side single “July”/”Mexico” was released, fittingly, in the summer of 2001. Gone was the extras. This was Mundy stripped bare, a sound very similar to his live performance and all the better for it. His latest release is “24 Star Hotel”, the long awaited second album which has been available on the shelves since the middle of April. It contains last year’s single and “Mayday” along with nine other tracks which have been laying in the Mundy archive for over a year. Ironically it was the very success of “To You I Bestow” which helped to finance this album, an album which will, intentionally or not, distance Mundy from his first big hit. | ||
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