The raw materials with which Ieuan Williams works are very solid indeed – he is a competent guitarist who sings in an appealing baritone voice. These qualities, plus a breathy, soulful solo brass sound should make for a decent track, but this track fails to go anywhere, despite a long crescendo and increase in texture as the track progresses, with bass drum and bass guitar added in the final stanza. Poor production fails the more forceful section – they are severely hampered by an awful bass guitar sound and poor balance. Although it displays some interesting lyrical ideas, a lack of harmonic interest and dirge like pace mask the tracks more positive qualities. ‘Trees’ comes with a B-side which is, although poorly recorded, a somewhat stronger song. Ieuan Williams is worth being aware of; there is obvious talent here, but it needs to be backed up with more nuanced song writing and higher production values. PH
soundcloud.com/ieuanwilliamsmusic
