Phantasmagoric is a bold solo step for Humanzi frontman Shaun Mulrooney, that sees him collaborating with acclaimed percussionist Earl Harvin. The story goes that Mulrooney walked into a quiet club night in Berlin and, within ten minutes, had managed to convince Harvin to produce his album. Clearly a persuasive chap, then.
Unfortunately the album doesn’t exactly charm you off your feet. It’s good fun in parts, Mulrooney’s raw, boisterous guitar strutting through the tracks with relentless energy. ‘The Worm Of The Third String’ fuses a Britpop chorus with a garage rock verse, which sounds a lot better than that might suggest. The snarling vocals are gritty and unashamed to waver in the name of rock ‘n’ roll.
But the record leaves a lot to be desired. When he’s not cultivating his image by mentioning cigarettes and absinthe (‘How Could I Turn You Down’), Mulrooney too often resorts to predictable rhymes. The apparent lack of lyrical rigour spawns such empty sentiments as: “You gotta give me credit, it’s the best that I can do/ in the past I wrote letters and even made a trip to the zoo”. Whimsy has a place for sure but not if it suggests a genuine lack of inventiveness.
The record is redeemed by tracks like ‘Closure’ and ‘The Fisherman And His Soul’, which have as much substance as attitude. A promising ‘80s theme also surfaces on ‘Something Dark’, a blend of spacey synths and a brooding Billy Corgan impression.
It’s a brave move to make a solo rock record, and one for which Shaun Mulrooney should be applauded. But if enduring greatness is the aspiration, there’s still work to be done...