Isaac Grinsdale has been making music in a series of rock bands for years but is now focusing on his own music, taking it in a more acoustic direction. Tricky to categorise, Isaac’s sound can be described as acoustic alt rock / indie with a bit of singer songwriter thrown in for good measure. Super talented, he brings that to his new EP, Entertainment, where he plays not only his signature guitar but every other instrument too.
The lead single, ‘Blind Leading the Blind‘, is a deft introduction to Entertainment; the two and a half minutes pack a serious musical punch. Isaac says that he is “inspired by the band Refused…we should be playing at the edge of our ability and pushing the boundaries” and this first song personifies this approach. The rich melody combines with Isaac’s voice to give us a glimpse into a grainier side. There’s a hint of Paul Weller and Radiohead in there too.
The title track has a sound of Brit Pop about it, with an honest vocal delivery and guitar led acoustic sound that talks about being able to “express yourself on stage…face the world”. If that isn’t a perfect description of what being a musician entails, I don’t what is.
The third and fourth tracks are both slower in style and provide a counterpoint to the raw energy of the first two songs. ‘Nullius In Verba‘ (take no one’s word for it) builds up to a seismic point and then draws back, a nice metaphor for the translation of the title. ‘Speed of Film‘ takes us to the end of the EP by walking us through a lifetime of memories: “all these clips make up who we are” is a gifted way of looking at how our memories make us into the person we end up as. Leafing through the memories in our heads we of course experience them as movies, not still images, the difference between them is only the speed of film.
Entertainment is a fine example of a musician testing his own boundaries and coming up with a very entertaining listen.
As befits a musician who has been making music for a while, Isaac’s advice for aspiring musicians is rooted in the practical: “Practice like hell until you’re super tight. Make sure any record that goes out is professional mixed and mastered.”
Entertainment is released on November 12. Get your copy here.
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