Reviews | ||
RTÉ - "Catering For Headphones" - Mar 16 2004 Finding themselves in an adventurous mood, a three-piece from Cork decided to add to the solid indie-based sound they had cultivated on their debut album 'Losing Patience'. Dispensing with verses, choruses and other unnecessary restrictions and letting atmosphere substitute for structure, they have created one of the best Irish records of the year. 'Catering for Headphones' is an album filled with music of quality. From the first eerie samples on 'Waller St' to the brilliantly titled 'Return my Rabbits', this record constantly manages to surprise. The dreamy quality of the music is sustained well over the course of the ten tracks, with the weaker songs being unremarkable rather than annoying, and rarely inciting the urge to hit the skip button. Successfully making music that is both experimental and listenable is a tough needle to thread, and with such a young band allowances could be made if the results were less than perfect. That no such excuses are needed is a testament to the quality of an album that can comfortably stand toe-to-toe with anything released by the bands that so clearly inspired it. Mogwai beware. With a rhythm section that is every bit as inventive as the band it supports, and a knack for surreal and catchy melodies, Waiting Room stand every chance of doing as well as they deserve to. Ray Donoghue, 4/5
Hot Press - "Oxegen 2004" - Jul 12 2004 Waiting Room Anyone who thinks that music festivals are an orgy of drunken mindlessness clearly was nowhere near the New Band Stage for Cork’s finest Waiting Room. They appear to be nervous, and it is precisely this nervousness that gives one the impression that, as performers, they have yet to grow into the songs that they have created. Giving new bucks like Razorlight and Sons & Daughters a run for their money, Waiting Room blur the boundaries between languid, dreamy, Pumpkins-eque euphoria and sturdily built lo-fi rock. Finally, their nerves give way to reveal a band that is fuelled by pent-up, pained energy. In all, it makes for superb listening, and it seems that the hype surrounding them is justified. The smart money says that the Waiting Room are not long for the anonymity of early afternoon stints at music festivals.
Hot Press - "Catering For Headphones" - Mar 5 2004 Cork, for many years, has been the hotbed for many of Ireland's more absurd or bizarre musical offspring to vent their creative spleens. The Sultans and The Franks all hailed from the Southern capital, and even Microdisney had their moments, but there's nothing ironic or fun-filled about Waiting Room. Maybe it's the fact that they had their gear destroyed in a studio fire during the making of this album, but there is something remarkably serious and focused about Catering For Headphones that belies the band's relatively tender years. After the eerily intriguing intro that is "Waller St", we're dragged along with the muscular instrumental 'I Took Some Painkillers', which manages quite a number of tempo changes over the course of its 87 seconds. 'Another Take' is the first real sign that Dave, Nigel and Wayne mean business: think Mercury Rev jamming with Sparklehorse and Mogwai, and you're part way towards appreciating its stop-start staccato rhythm and gorgeous melody, augmented by some deliciously understated cello. 'Message Received' starts off in a similarly low-key manner, builds up a noisy wall of distorted guitars, before spiralling back down to earth for the fragile finishing bars. Then there's the slightly angular, almost military, rhythms of The Flaming Lips-esque 'Angel' to get your head around, or the soaring guitar wig-out that is 'Carousel'. The three-piece prove themselves accomplished musicians throughout Catering For Headphones but it's not about dispassionate musing or choosing style over substance. 'Amsterdam' and 'Today Left Me With' practically glow with warmth and emotion, while I defy anyone with a heart to listen to the mesmerising 'Return My Rabbits' and remain unmoved. It's fantastic to see a young band unafraid to take risks, diverting from the mainstream musical motorway onto a series of less direct but far more beguiling byroads. Catering For Headphones beats with an experimental heart, backed up by superb musicianship and genuinely moving songs of real artistic and musical merit. Refreshingly inventive, often magical and consistently brilliant.
Irish Times The Ticket - "Catering For Headphones" - Feb 26 2004 "From deepest, laid-back Cork, Waiting
Room don't sound like they're in any particular hurry, but their second
album still manages to go somewhere special. It begins with a lonesome
instrumental, Waller St, all plaintive cellos and picayune spoken word
samples, then tumbles into the Mogwai-evoking I Took Some Painkillers,
before pulling up abruptly and shifting into such gently persuasive alt.folk
songs as Another Take, Message Received, Amsterdam, Return My Rabbits and
Today Left Me With, the music almost catching its breath to give the vocals
room to resound. True to its title, this record caters nicely to those who
like to kick back, put on the headphones, and float into the heart of
darkness."
95FM.ie - "Catering For Headphones" - Mar 10 2004 Initially I made this mistake, I expected Ian and Guy wannabes; post punk angular guitars and anti corporate, moralistic politics in a Cork accent. Thankfully, my fears were not realised. ‘The Waiting Room’ may well be fans of the DC legends but it is the band’s other influences; Mogwai, Nad Navillus, Low and Sebadoh, whose echoes can be heard reverberating most clearly throughout ‘Catering for Headphones’. Hailing from Cork this is the three piece’s second album. Their first "Losing Patience" was a much more indie affair. Since then there has been somewhat of an evolution in the band’s sound and their latest album, ‘Catering for Headphones’, released on the Cork based independent label ‘Out On A Limb Records’ is an altogether more adventurous and experimental effort. The album opens softly with a gut wrenchingly beautiful melody over which Charles Manson ominously discusses the nature of reality before concluding, ‘ Believe me, if I started murdering people… there'd be none of you left." From this point on the scene is set, a mixture of art and entropy looks set to ensue. The rest of the album takes us on a journey through muted, sombre and tranquil terrain that sounds like a broken heart on a winter’s day. Imagine smooth as butter bass lines; odd time changes, a loud(ish) quiet dialectic, subdued female harmonies, the rather sublime resonance of a cello and a xylophone and you’re half way there. The influences are obvious Mogwai, Unwed Sailor, anything from Louisville, but think reverence not emulation. Some of the tracks are instrumental like the enigmatically titled ‘I Took Some Painkillers’ and the carousingly climactic ‘carousel’. However, the tracks which feature Nigel’s vocals are the most haunting. With just a delicious hint of a Cork accent his voice is all at once creamy, warm and thick. Yum. Lyrics recount the agony of missing the one you love, trying to get over the one you love, loving the one you love, ‘All that matters is that your heart beats with mine’ Nigel whispers on ‘Amsterdam’. Whilst on ‘Angel’ he softly laments "I miss your smile / I miss your face", Just how many unhappy relationships and emotional turbulence can one person endure? Mind you the band did undergo some trauma recently, losing around €10,000 of equipment when the building next to their practice rooms caught fire. Bands from their native Cork and from farther afield like the Dudley Corporation came to their rescue and saved the day. Proof if it were needed of how well respected and admired ‘The Waiting Room’ are. The title suggests that this music caters for headphones and just as the experience of listening to music through headphones is intense, intimate and personal, so too is this album. However, I have to say I prefer to listen to this album just before I fall asleep, as like a dream it is bittersweet, haunting and intangible. ‘Catering for Headphones’ will usher you into an ethereal dream world without sending you to sleep. Published 10/03/2004 by Mo Doran (Alternative Ulster)
Campus.ie - "Catering For Headphones" "Hailing from Cork, Waiting room deliver a unique sound that comfortably slides and cuts through genres with an infectiously laid back air. The three-piece formed only three years ago, and almost instantaneously set about putting their first songs to record. The resulting debut album, "Losing Patience" was very much a mellow indie record; which Mark O'Sullivan (hot press) described as "packed full of three minute pop gems", while inside cork's Michael Carr compared the album to "Pablo Honey's more vibrant moments...slower...more imaginative". Since that particular release, the band have embraced the likes of Mogwai and Fugazi to showcase the full scope of their talents. Audience feedback from time spent in various haunts across the country were enough to encourage Waiting Room to become a more audacious and experimental outfit. The proof of this shift from the band's earlier material can be seen in the forthcoming release of "Catering for Headphones", Waiting Room's new album that is to be released by Limerick/Cork-based independent label Out On A Limb Records in February 2004. From the opening instrumental assault of "Waller St" and "I took some painkillers" to the aching tenderness of "Angel" and "Today Left Me With", the album moves melodically across diverse territories. Singer Nigel's gentle and mellifluous yet enduring vocals, and the incredibly taut and meandering rhythm section formed by bassist Dave and drummer Wayne, are now complimented in studio by lush string arrangements and sweet female backing vocals. The eagerly anticipated release of "Catering for Headphones" will be met by the return of Waiting Room to the live circuit. The tour for the album will take in dates across the country, before the band leave for the UK at the end of February. "....given their penchant for incisive three minute rock-outs topped off with the sweetest voice in the People's Republic." Leagues O' Toole, Irish Examiner.
The Lobby - Waiting Room profile "Hailing from Cork, Waiting Room deliver a unique sound that comfortably slides and cuts through genres with an infectiously laid back air. The three-piece formed only three years ago, and almost instantaneously set about putting their first songs to record. The resulting debut album, "Losing Patience" was very much a mellow indie record; which Mark O' Sullivan (Hot Press) described as "packed full of three minute pop gems", while Inside Cork's Michael Carr compared the album to "Pablo Honey's more vibrant moments…slower…more imaginative". Since that particular release, the band have embraced the likes of Mogwai and Fugazi to showcase the full scope of their talents. Audience feedback from time spent in various haunts across the country were enough to encourage Waiting Room to become a more audacious and experimental outfit. The proof of this shift from the band's earlier material can be seen in the forthcoming release of "Catering for Headphones", Waiting Room's new album that is to be released by Limerick/Cork-based independent label Out On A Limb Records. From the opening instrumental assault of "Waller St" and "I took some painkillers" to the aching tenderness of "Angel" and "Today Left Me With", the album moves melodically across diverse territories. Singer Nigel's gentle and mellifluous yet enduring vocals, and the incredibly taut and meandering rhythm section formed by bassist Dave and drummer Wayne, are now complimented in studio by lush string arrangements and sweet female backing vocals. The eagerly anticipated release of "Catering for Headphones" will be met by the return of Waiting Room to the live circuit. The tour for the album will take in dates across the country, before the band leave for the UK at the end of February."
KNIT - Knitting Factory, NY live review "Late show : The four guys in Omaha indie rock band Little Brazil carry themselves with such an easy-going vibe you'd think they were brothers instead of a group of just-turned 21-year-olds trying to get people to hear their music. The appeal comes from their seemingly effortless -- and probably deceptive -- innocence. Other than being unashamedly indie, the band doesn't have a particular sound. It's certainly not emo. What gives Little Brazil a leg up on the plethora of indie competition is Hedges' love for basic melodies, great guitar lines and his strange, childish warble. The closest comparison could be to the long-defunct Topeka band Vitreous Humor and, at moments, Hedges' old band The Good Life, especially on the faster numbers that never lose sight of their embraceable indie-pop roots. Rounding out the bill is Waiting Room, on their first American tour. Hailing from the shires of Ireland, Waiting Room deliver a unique sound that comfortably slides and cuts through genres with an infectiously laid back air. The three-piece formed only three years ago, and almost instantaneously set about putting their first songs to record. The resulting debut album, "Losing Patience" was very much a mellow indie record; which Mark O' Sullivan (Hot Press) described as "packed full of three minute pop gems", while Inside Cork's Michael Carr compared the album to "Pablo Honey's more vibrant moments...slower...more imaginative". Since that particular release, the band have embraced the likes of Mogwai and Fugazi to showcase the full scope of their talents. Audience feedback from time spent in various haunts across the country was enough to encourage Waiting Room to become a more audacious and experimental outfit. If you're an indie scenester, this is a show not to be missed." | ||
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