Where This Good Life Goes

Dubliner Daragh Dukes is another of those artists who hasn’t waited for major label interest before attempting a release. Instead he flogged his ‘Wonderdog/Widescreen’ double-A side single on the streets of London, attracting the attention of BBC London DJ Sean Rowley along the way. So impressed was Rowley that he formed the Diamond Head label in order to release Dukes’ work. This six-track mini-album is the first issue of that union.

What first strikes one about Where This Good Life Goes is how very different it is from a lot of the guitar-driven cock-rock currently doing the rounds. This is the musical equivalent of the graphic designer’s adage, ‘White Space Is Good’, with whispered vocals skirting around minimal guitar loops, underpinned by glacial electro sweeps and epic female harmonies. Indeed much of what’s presented here has an almost movie-soundtrack feel, coming across as a sort of lo-fi Blue Nile.

What could very easily have become indulgent nonsense is saved by Dukes’ fine ear for melody and arrangement, utilising deceptively simple hooks and slowly building creations of real beauty. Standout tracks include ‘Wonderdog’ with Pat Shortt contributing the saxaphone line and ‘This Comes To Pass’ with a fine if un-named female vocalist. Ultimately though, each track on this album has something unique to offer the listener while remaining true to the album’s overall sound.

A fine and unusual debut.