Rating: ***
Howard Beard-Marlowe is a lad from Birmingham, UK.
He's also a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist that played literally every note on his latest EP "Journey to the Centre of Yourself".
He describes the album as "a very personal reflection on my life from 18 to 24." Damn. Those are some year amirite? Anyways, it's a six-song collection that I'm really looking forward to checking out.
Let's Journey together, shall we?
Listen to "Journey to the Centre of Yourself" on Bandcamp here:
"Hooray Beer" is a delightful ditty complete with a mischevious beat and Queen-like harmonies. This actually reminds me of something that would be on Queen's "Jazz" album. Great way to start the album. "If You Could See Yourself" is next. It has a Coldplay vibe to it. Vocally, H! is very strong. He has a unique vocal delivery that really makes the songs pop. "Chasing What You Don't Want" starts slower before it builds to a blistering crescendo. Another really strong track. "Life's Too Short" is an earnest tune with a pleasant melody. Serious subject matter that ends up sounding hopeful and inspirational. "No Way Out" is the first track that I would consider a proper ballad. I'm not loving it. It comes off a little heavy-handed. The EP ends with "Where Do I Begin". It's a solid track, but I can't help but feel like we lost a little stream here at the end.
In spite of the slow end to the record, this is an EP I really enjoyed overall. The first four tracks are really great, which makes me wonder if H! should have just cut it there. If he had, this would be a 4 and 1/2 star effort. As it stands now, It's a solid 4.