Reader's Wives

No, don't worry, I'm not putting out a call for you to send me pictures of your other half in the altogether. Seriously, I've not stooped that low yet. (Especially as it seems I now have more female readers than blokes - or perhaps women just like to comment more. ;-)

Occasionally, something happens that makes all the time I spend writing this blog worthwhile. Mostly it's in the comments that people leave, or in the links from other people's blogs... but sometimes, I get actual genuine freebies. One of the best examples yet came from the band Reader's* Wives. I read a review of their music on another site (can't remember which now, sorry) and left a positive comment. A few days later Niall from the band emailed me direct, offering to send me their entire debut album on mp3 to listen to and review. It's been on my hi-fi ever since, though the move has prevented me from listening to it as much as I'd have liked (still haven't got the music system set up properly!) or from writing about it here. Until now.

Reader's Wives are an Irish 4-piece - a little bit indie, a little bit folky, a little bit rock, a little bit country - who count among their influences James Joyce, Peep Show, Jarvis Cocker and Aesop. They write witty, wry and literate kitchen-sink dramas / social commentary vignettes with titles like Advertising Heroin, Sexually Attracted To Myself and I Don't Need To Be Seduced. Their self-titled debut album was voted one of the Top 10 Irish Albums of 2008, and yet it's a bugger to track down a copy to buy. I couldn't find it at all on Amazon, though it is available to download from Play.com.

In describing the debut, Niall says on his myspace page:

A record that's of it's time with a track list that reads like the best kind of stand up-comics' set list. If you're aware of any subject that's previously been deemed unsuitable for song, let me know & I'll have a crack at writing a song about it for you. The sort of sounds I have in mind is what you might call Americana, for Europe. Its materials, subjects & targets relate to European history, folklore & European geography, & my songwriting ingenuity, for what it's worth, hinges, I think, on both agreeable melody & topical lyrics that aren't afraid of making concessions to humour, dark or otherwise.

And if that doesn't make you want to hear more, I don't know what will. Here's a video based around one of my favourite tracks on the album, Are You Coming For A Drink After Work, Princess?



*The placing of that apostrophe appears correct, suggesting one reader with many wives. Which kinda fits this band perfectly.