Martin Gallagher - Morning Fantasy

Hear The Track Here

Well this is the third time around for MP3 Unsigned's Martin Gallagher and I haven't recieved a good kicking yet so I think it is fair to say he isn't related to those other Gallaghers. Stylistically he's a far remove from an Oasis retro remake and owes more to the old standard; credible arrangement, tasteful aural decorations and a trick at writing a catchy song. I admit I liked, very much, the tribute song to his father, By Your Side (December 2005) and loved its simplicity and its emotional reach - not easy given an acoustic setting.

What give it a point though is the song. No matter what you daub on top of it, it won't mean anything if the tune doesn't have meaning, and musical reference for the listener, and in that respect Martin has definitely come good. Although it's a bit on the light side, the production is certainly meaty enough where it's needed, the bass in particular was right in the pocket. Mind you, I have a thing about walking basslines anyway and this one pounds the pavements from here to yonder. And that's just the chassis of this fascinating peice of music, and while I can (and probably will) pull a few holes in the mix/production, there is no doubt that musically this is a real high spot for Martin and he no doubt feels good about it.

As indeed he should.

It's a terrific track; full of Beatle references, gorgeous harmony backing vocals and some very slick moves from the man himself. For my money, all this achievement was undermined by a couple of things, nothing really major and may not indeed by spotted by that many listeners. Firstly, the drums kinda disappeared entirely once the song got a-pumping, and for a track with this amount of oomph that is definitely not a good thing. For a guy who is also steeped in the UK culture I can spot millions of local references in what Martin does, and I guess it is one of the reasons why I think most people won't notice the odd strain in the main vocal, they will be too busy wallowing in the nostalgia for the world Martin grew up in. Morning Fantasy is a bright and extremely pleasant track whose overall performance makes it happen and it's certainly the best thing I have heard from him yet.

Highly Recommended (for a great song and arrangement)