And Our Afflictions Shall Be Eased

Last night I was at an exclusive album launch party for Simon T. Munro's new EP And Our Afflictions Shall Be Eased. (Simon currently has a website under construction.)

Simon performed the songs from his EP in a very intimate venue, and it was all recorded live for future use. Really great. I say "exclusive" and "intimate" - it was 20 people, in Simon's own home. Both stylish, and punk rock in ethos.

Simon's music is softer and more touching than your usual acoustic singer-songwriter fare, somewhat hypnotic at times. The music is technical and exciting, but where he really stands out, in my view, is in his lyrics. Here are some that particularly touched me. From Sailor, Sailor:

Sailor, sailor, sailin' o'er the ancient seas
We are content to be forsaken for what has been foreseen
As the storm embraces us in our cause
For we cannot sail into defeat on a crimson sea

And from The Dance of the Summer Breeze:

I turned around and she was nowhere to be seen
I had never known such sorrow alone on the beach
Memories came and went with the waves on the shore
As if her touch moved back and forth out of reach

The link I gave in the first paragraph is to Simon's MySpace page, check it out to listen to some of his songs.

One of the best parts of the evening was after the performance, while everyone was socialising, there was a guitar and piano just sitting there. There were a good number of musicians in the audience, so they didn't stay idle for long - soon someone even brought out a bodhrán, and there was a good jam session. I really love impromptu, off-the-cuff creativity like that, and there was so much talent and energy in the room that I was really buzzing. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on the EP, and also his full album, which should be finished by this time next year.