A new name to me, Neil Myles has, it appears, been travelling to foreign parts these last few years, but is now back in Drogheda, from where his gameplan for world domination is being launched, comprised of seven tracks and clocking in at a concise 24 minutes, Myles’ debut mini-album reveals him to be a writer and performer of some promise, but you get the sense that he has more to say, and that he might realise his potential more effectively with a slightly larger budget.
For now, though, his voice is strongly Damon Albarn’s and the songs too lie in that quadrant between Blur and Squeeze,melody-laden but lacking the sense of irony and humour found in the work of Difford and Tilbrook. The album’s opening track ‘Good Times’ is radio friendly in the extreme ,and some of the other material – ’Chains’, for instance, hints at a more powerful muse lurking under the surface, but ultimately the album lacks the killer punch of a Damien Rice or a Mundy. For now, keep a watching brief, and file under work in progress.