Featuring the infectious, instant-classic debut single "Monsters Under the Bed," a cheerful ode to paranoia and information overload set to a tune that recalls both
Beck and
Blur at their respective finest,
The Early Learnings of Eugene McGuinness is a too-brief introduction to one of the most interesting and most British songwriters to come out of the current neo-Brit-pop spate. The
Arctic Monkeys,
Franz Ferdinand, and the
Kaiser Chiefs, not to forget minor acts like
Little Man Tate, are all entirely capable of catchy tunes and clever lyrical twists. But the best tunes on this eight-track mini-album reveal
McGuinness to be shooting for something a bit more than the next "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor." A wordy lyricist with a strong eye for sociocultural detail,
McGuinness is firmly in the sons of
Ray Davies camp alongside the
Television Personalities' Dan Treacy,
Paul Weller, and
Damon Albarn: the jauntily snarky city travelogue "Bold Street" and "A Child Lost in Tesco" are particularly solid examples of his lyrical bent. Musically, the album can be overstuffed and over the top, with
McGuinness seemingly throwing every arrangement and production idea he could into songs like "High Score" and even the relatively simple closer "A Girl Whom My Eyes Shine for But My Shoes Run From." The ungracious might complain about the resultant busy, hyperkinetic sound, but in fact, it's a perfect counterpoint to the jangled edge of many of
McGuinness' prolix lyrics, and more restrained tunes like the gentle "Madeline" provide respites from the sonic onslaught. Barely 21 when he was signed to Domino Records and given his own subsidiary label,
Eugene McGuinness has both talent and potential, and bears watching. ~ Stewart Mason