19 Apr 2024
UsernamePassword

Remember Me? | Join | Recover
Click here to sign in via social networking

Andrew Keoghan - Album Review: Every Orchid Offering

01 Aug 2016 // A review by Andrew Smit

This album is quite a stylish collection of sophisticated pop music that exudes into your ears and surprises you with its dreamy soundscapes and eclectic rhythms. Each song is subtly different with each possessing a unique and interesting diversion from the overplayed mainstream pop music of today. Every Orchid Offering has a distinctive sound, it’s not too experimental, but each track is intriguing and your curious as to where it will lead you.

Andrew Keogan’s dulcet tones are delivered in a very melodic Sinatra style, and his tender crooning attends to the varied cool grooves on the album perfectly. There are also 2 excellent duets with Chelsea Nikkel (Princess Chelsea) like the cool Stuck in Melodies which has a delicate slow groove and its gentle melody is bolstered with rich and unique harmonies with Chelsea, the other is the stark They Don’t Want a Boyfriend which delivers some inimitable vocal moans around an otherwise crisp vocal arrangement amongst its stomping rhythm. Like the song titles the lyrical content is interesting and engaging and thankfully Andrew's discerning vocal delivers a very audible narration in a very smooth melodious way.

There are some great 80’s funk beats and they deliver a much better sound to the so called contemporary R&B pop that you hear on mainstream radio today, the best of which are heard in the wonderful Queues at Dani Keys and No Simple Doll the latter being another duet, this one with Hollie Fullbrook (Tiny Ruins). Andrew occasionally dishes out some surprisingly high pitch frequencies that are like splashes of extra colour and expression, and it adds to the overall broad experience the songs on the album provide. I liked the track Won’t Let You Go with its sweet electric guitar and synth string sections that really made the track take flight.

Ending with the very dreamy Running your left feeling curious and yet content, overall the album is like that, you were given new sounds and new arrangements, and they were just different enough to provoke you, and most importantly entertain you.

 

About Andrew Keoghan

Andrew Keoghan fuses carefully arranged electronic, RnB and orchestral elements, with songs sometimes delicate and sparse, other times layered and orchestral.

His debut LP Arctic Tales Divide was released in 2011 in New Zealand, receiving a nomination for the Taite Prize (inspired by the British Mercury Prize) and named The New Zealand Herald’s Top Local Album of 2011.

His songs reflect a fascination with unconventional love and unexpected encounters.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Andrew Keoghan

Releases

Every Orchid Offering
Year: 2016
Type: Album
Arctic Tales Divide
Year: 2011
Type: Album

Other Reviews By Andrew Smit

Album Review: 1 Drop Nation
20 Dec 2022 // by Andrew Smit
Opening with a very spiritual Maori haka Intro - Waerea, we were introduced to the opening track Homeland, which is an unashamedly patriotic Aotearoa anthem with repeated strains of "We are one nation". This is a track that proudly declares love for home, while also being a rally call for the future.
Read More...
Tahini Bikini - Album Review: Fever Dream
15 Nov 2022 // by Andrew Smit
An album full of very danceable funk tunes, loaded with tight guitar, bass, brass and percussion that provide a perfect foundation for the expressive soulful vocals of Madeline Lucy Taylor. Her unique clarity is reminiscent of Amy Winehouse or our own Kiwi songstress Gin Wigmore.
Read More...
Haze Lane - Single/Video Review: Natural Feeling
22 Aug 2022 // by Andrew Smit
Matching the songs title very aptly South Auckland indie band Haze Lane has produced Natural Feeling, a very organic song that does indeed deliver a very smooth natural feeling. The ultra-cool ambient sound is reminiscent to the early roots sound of Six60 and L.
Read More...
Gig Review: Anthonie Tonnon @ Hollywood Cinema, Auckland - 14/05/2022
16 May 2022 // by Andrew Smit
On a coolish Saturday evening it was great to see a rather large crowd that clearly were so happy and eager to experience a night of live music, and what a perfect venue to stage it at the slightly musty but still majestic Hollywood Cinema in Avondale. Opening the proceedings was the cool 4 piece band Lips with their ambient 80’s groove thanks to the techno synth sounds from keyboardist and singer Steph Brown.
Read More...
Vogel Town - Single Review: Sludge City
24 Apr 2022 // by Andrew Smit
Interestingly Vogel Town's new song Sludge City begins with an automated telephone voice, and then a street argument which is soon accompanied by a very groovy walking bass line, quickly growing from just a couple of notes to a broad melody of its own. At first the only addition is some nice, nonchalant drum fills, but as the background street noise fades away, the introduction of vibrant reverberating guitar strums adds a final element that completes the ensemble perfectly, and altogether this provides a very cool bluesy vibe.
Read More...
SKRAM - Single Review: Living Our Lives
22 Mar 2022 // by Andrew Smit
Beginning with some straightforward but quite funky keys your soon steered to a very upbeat and chunky ensemble of music that energetically drives along with its super groovy reggae vibe. SKRAM are a very high energy 3-piece pop group that have delivered a fine tune that embodies their claim of “energetic” perfectly.
Read More...
Tomorrow People - Album Review: 21
02 Jan 2022 // by Andrew Smit
Tomorrow People have produced a wonderful assemblage of uplifting reggae tunes that are performed and sung with heart and purpose. All 16 tracks are packed with brilliant harmonies that are propelled along by the glorious uplifting off beat rhythmic delight that reggae music delivers so well.
Read More...
Torn Chorus - Single/Video Review: This City Floats
10 Sep 2021 // by Andrew Smit
From a simple opening beat to a wonderful flourish of acoustic guitars layered with luscious chorus and flange effects, the new single from Torn Chorus, This City Floats, is brought to life with wailing electric lead guitar licks and slides that sound melodically precise and emotive. Crisp vocals tell you about the labour and reward that you get for following the beaten path to the top, which as the video shows so well, is Auckland’s remnant volcanic cones, but the metaphor could be used for any journey in life.
Read More...
View All Articles By Andrew Smit

NZ Top 10 Singles

  • TOO SWEET
    Hozier
  • BEAUTIFUL THINGS
    Benson Boone
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • LIKE THAT
    Future And Metro Boomin feat. Kendrick Lamar
  • END OF BEGINNING
    Djo
  • I LIKE THE WAY YOU KISS ME
    Artemas
  • WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS (WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE)
    Ariana Grande
  • STICK SEASON
    Noah Kahan
  • TEXAS HOLD 'EM
    Beyonce
  • LEAVEMEALONE
    Fred Again.. And Baby Keem
View the Full NZ Top 40...
muzic.net.nz Logo
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report a ProblemReport A Problem