For those of us who fondly remember the late, great Dublin band, Ten Speed Racer, it should come as no surprise that former front–man Dermot Barrett’s first album released under his given name is a perfect example of hook–laden power pop at its finest. What may come as a surprise is the fact that, for Dawns Eras Tides, he has got the band back together.
All three brothers Barrett are present and correct, while Terry Cullen returns on drums and Joe Chester, who also produces the album, is back playing whatever he can get his hands on: guitar, piano, organ and banjo. The easy rapport between these musicians adds up to a confident record, that’s skillfully played and tastefully rendered. Fans of Ten Speed Racer and Barrett’s previous solo work under the moniker Maskedman (check 2011’s The Illusion of Grandeur), will find themselves on familiar ground, but Dawns Eras Tides is a much more stripped-down and mature affair.
Standout tracks such as lead single ‘Decisions Decisions’, the driving, fuzzed–up indie stomp of ‘Stealing Stars’, and the top–down driving rock of ‘Muddy Water’ are all examples of a swaggering Americana that Wilco would be proud to call their own. And, on songs such as ‘Save Me With Love’ – a cool breeze of a love song – and on the sun–kissed ‘A Seam Of Gold’, it’s clear that the Norway–based songwriter has crafted an album custom–built for the famous Irish summer: upbeat pop songs with big, sunny choruses infused with a sense that the clouds are gathering just beyond the horizon.
‘The Wood Beyond The River’ is a perfect way to end the album: a carefully constructed mini–epic with a sparsely arranged three–chord repeated pattern that never goes quite where you expect it to, its ebbs and flows are a testament to both Chester’s production and Barrett’s economic songwriting.
_Out Now

Rating: 7/10
Key track: 'Decisions Decisions'