Album review - Supermodel Twins 'Raincloud Free'

Supermodel Twins
‘Raincloud Free’
(Gohan Records)

IF EVER there was a more appropriate album title, we haven’t heard better than the much anticipated debut from local power-popsters, Supermodel Twins.
‘Raincloud Free’, unlike other obscure monikers we have heard in the past, does exactly what it says on the tin; delivering a blistering, 11-track, 35-minute collection of upbeat pop-rock songs in the mould of Weezer, Nada Surf et al, with a Beach Boys-meets Green Day dash thrown into the mix.

The album will certainly brighten up your day and take your attention away from the deluge currently falling outside your window.
This is undoubtedly the album’s strength and sees the Limerick five-piece wear their hearts on their sleeves, unashamedly allowing the above influences to ring clear on the album, avoiding any kind of pretension at trying anything other than blasting out good solid pop songs.
Produced under the expert gaze of The Cranberries’ axe-man Noel Hogan, the glossy sheen on this album add greatly to the wholesome sound - a testament to Hogan’s growing production skills.

However, and we offer this by way of constructive criticism, where the album falls down is its reluctance to vary from its obvious formula, sticking rigidly to a heavily Weezer-influenced sound, all American-twang vocals and loud guitars.
Simply put, Raincloud Free is inhibited by its style and lack of originality, but, it is fun, and there are some really decent pop songs on offer here.
The first couple of tracks set the scene and surprisingly, offer some deliciously off-kilter and quite subversive lyrics buried within the seemingly saccharine melodies; on opener While You Were Out, the singer details snooping around said girl’s apartment; on the superb One Step Behind, reminiscent of early Foo Fighters material, a song which boasts taut melodies and coruscating guitars, we hear elements of the same theme, “everywhere you go, I’ll be there / always one step behind”.
The toned down and more reflective My Girl presents engaging melodies a la Fountains of Wayne and shows more depth, as does the excellent Bruises, popping with handclaps and effervescent melodies.

However things start to unravel on the ill-advised and poppy ‘Hilary’, which includes the following lyric: “ever since I saw you in that movie / where you tried to hide your boobies”, and so on.
The zingy melody of Footprints In The Snow and soft-core rock of Modern Day Robin Hood are better, but overall this album’s lack of scope and depth proves its undoing.

Pity, cause there is some serious potential here.
RATING 3/5

Dolores O'Riordan speaks to the Limerick Leader - confirms Cranberries to reform

Alan Owens
A RELAXED Dolores O’Riordan has given a rare interview in advance of the release of her second solo album and has confirmed that the Cranberries are to get back together in the near future.
Speaking exclusively to the Limerick Leader in advance of the release of her album, No Baggage, later in the summer, O’Riordan revealed that she got together wit her former band members as recently as last week.
“It was great, I saw them last week when I was down in Limerick, we all got together with all of our kids and had a nice time hanging out,” said a happy sounding O’Riordan.
In fact, the band, who sold more than 40 million albums worldwide before going on ‘hiatus’ in 2003, loosely discussed plans to reform earlier this year, but Dolores has instead insisted that they will return to both the stage and the recording studio in the near future.
“Oh yeah, I would see it on the cards in the future,” she said.
“With this (solo album) being out I will probably do a tour and in the next year or two it would be a really nice thing to do. I think creatively we (the Cranberries) would have to write some amazing music and go where we haven't gone before and make an album that is totally different to what we have done before.”
Dolores, who divides her time between Dublin and Ontario, where she lives with her husband Don Burton and their three children (aged 3 to 12) and a 17-year old son from Burton’s previous relationship, said that living ‘in the forest’ in Canada and bringing up a family has made her much more relaxed.
“I am very relaxed really and I think it was essential to step out of the equation of being in the Cranberries and take my four years in the forest being a full time mom and getting away from it all,” she explained.
“For so long there was so much pressure, when I was young I felt like there was too much focus on me, for any kid, when you are 20 years old and that many people are looking at you, of course you are going to screw up, everything is under a microscope, everything is magnified, every mistake that you make is publicised.
“But when you move away and get away from it all and start to have kids - suddenly it is not all about me, it is about life and you have this real love and this reality that perhaps is something that I craved for so long.”
The famous singer still feels a deep affinity to her home-town.
“Oh yeah, my parents being there is my biggest connection, when I go back it is like as if time hasn't elapsed. I go off walking and I fall right back into some of my childhood moments, which is nice. It is where the journey began.”
No Baggage is set for release on August 21 and Dolores has revealed she hopes to play in Limerick when she goes on tour in Erurope later in the year.
A full interview with Dolores O’Riordan will appear in the Limerick Leader closer to the release of her album.

Dolores O'Riordan to release second solo album

DESPITE recent local speculation that The Cranberries were to reunite, lead singer Dolores O’Riordan is in fact set to release her second solo album this summer, the Limerick Leader/On The Beat can reveal.

The album, No Baggage, will be released in Ireland on Friday, August 27, a follow-up to her debut solo album Are You Listening? which was released in May 2007.

Speaking about the album, O’Riordan has explained that it explores subjects very close to her heart.

“I probably haven’t worn my heart on my sleeve like this since the second Cranberries album (1994’s No Need to Argue),” said the Limerick native. “It’s at times very confessional and dealing with my true emotions. Everyone, through their experiences or their background, has had terrible moments where they think they can’t handle it. With this record I’m trying to show that, no matter how bad things may seem, it’s not really that bad in the big picture.”

O’Riordan is currently dividing her time between her home in Dublin and Ontario, Canada, with her husband Don Burton, their three children (aged 3 to 12), and a 17-year-old son from Burton’s previous relationship.

The Ballybricken woman said she takes solace and inspiration from her Canadian home “deep in the woods. There’s lots of wildlife around, and it’s about as far away from ‘society’ as you can get. It makes for a nice little escape.”

O’Riordan points to her environment and contended family life as a particular inspiration for the album.

“A lot of this material was written and inspired by what’s around me,” she explained. “I know I’m fortunate to still have my parents, and I didn’t want to be one of those people who’s always on the road or in the studio who suddenly realises they should have spent more time with their children.”

While it was claimed that O’Riordan’s solo career failed to take off, her debut nonetheless sold 350,000 copies worldwide. This is however a mere fraction of the estimated 40 million album sales the Cranberries enjoyed over their 14 year career.

A reunion of the Limerick band remains a possibility, but it is understood to be unlikely to happen in 2009.