Choice music awards finalists

R.S.A.G

Organic Sampler

Angela Macari O’Looney

Alternative/Soul/Acoustic act R.S.A.G. or Rarely Seen above Ground could be frowned upon by professional musicians for doing them out of a job. Why you may ask?
Jeremy Hickey who started out as a humble drummer in Kilkenny band Blue Ghost has created his own virtual band!
Using his on-screen bassist and any other necessary instrumentalists and the help from Paul Mahon who provides the live visuals, his show is done with twenty first Century Technology!

This strange collection of work by Hickey, involves the blending together of overdubs of percussion, eclectic melodies performed like the vocal ramblings of a madman, jazzy bass variations and bits of this and that. What you hear is a rattle and hum that will test your oral endurance to the limit, when you tune into this album!

For me personally this R.S.A.G. journey began like a wine tasting experience. You had to take time to taste it, swill it around and allow it to linger on your musical palate. With a fine wine, you are supposed to spit it out. With this music, I broke the rules and knocked it back and grabbed the bottle for another swig!
And now I am addicted, as will anyone be, who takes the time to try out Jeremy’s exotic and very beautiful Organic Sampler!

Between the two discs which are included in the sleeve, this album totals seventeen songs. The first track is called Countin’ Down.
With a continuous riff from start to finish, this number has only one or two lines of lyrics.
The music however, which is loaded with bassy monotones, haunting backing vocals, lots of cymbal and a bustling beat speaks volumes!

Stick to your line

The intro here is a simple one note rhythmic riff, with drums and cymbals breathing life into it .Throughout this piece a punchy baseline is supported by another guitar which plays intricate lead. The drums and percussion par excellence reach right into your soul!
Shuffling and urgent, this number has a catchy beat and that constant baseline is very appealing too.
Jeremy and his backing vocalist Jamie Walsh do a chant with disjointed sentences and some quite melodious scat, to add interest towards the end of this song.

Talk Back Crawl back

Oom cha Oom cha Oom cha Oom cha! This is the intro of this number that I absolutely adore!

It’s a nice jazzy piece, beginning with a simple beat, tapped out to be later joined by some really sexeee bass!
Jeremy’s vocals are seductive, with a hint of harmony just barely there in the chorus. Things become more complex, with weird goings on midway through that only a techno genius could put into words!
However as hard to define as it may be, the baseline throughout this and all the tracks is just so delightful that you feel the need to click your fingers to it.
Towards the last line of this number, a jive style riff comes in that takes things to a different level and although his voice is like some kind of jazz singing phantom, his style really grows on you in this one, which winds down with a terrific drum roll!

The Climb

Beginning with tragic sounding minors played on a Cello, this piece goes on to become a cool song, with distortion packed guitar chords, mace and a lot of exciting alternating drum beats. There’s a dynamic orchestral development, which then moves into a modern jazz type verse. The bass is divine as it ripples in a way that quickens your heartbeat!
Jeremy’s last lines here remind me of the retorts of a husband whose being nagged;
Stop your bitchin’ let’s just figure it out, stop your moaning, lets just figure it out!

Days go by

A slinking Pink Panther beat; a magical bass riff and quite a sweet melody make this a memorable number. There’s a drum break with percussion/drums doing chops, delectable loops, paradiddles and the sneaking ‘Shhh!’ of cymbals. Bass then does a solo that is sweet.
The chorus is fun with a refrain behind the vocals of ‘Wah wah wah’!

Good Times (Don’t be a Fake)

This is a really catchy song, with an exotic style tattoo tapped out for the intro. An acoustic guitar accompanies Jeremy and for a change his voice sounds quite light and appealing as opposed to the creepy style he adopts at times. A pretty riff echoes in the background on one of his wonderful virtual instruments. The lyrics are a little strange but carry a kind of philosophy ;be glad for tomorrow and not the too late, don’t make it fake by hate too tired too wake.
The chorus is also really pleasant, with that lovely dance beat going on throughout.

It Over

Choppy!
This number is quite a fast moving busy one. Stop start style beats and the use of the word Stop are effective with the constant onslaught of drums, imaginative percussion and bending baselines. Also a wonderful musical break just at the end of the piece lifts the mood and sweetens it up.

Bad Seed

With the funky vocals, the hammering drums and acoustic chords, snare and cymbal audible and a lot of trix with stix throughout, a sweet melodic Cello (Ruth O’Leary) and a never ending stream of alternating rolls, this number is an eclectic treat to the senses!

Moving Image

Beginning with a James Bond style mysterious intro, this number has delightful rock guitar riffs, bending bass and a single line of; We gotta move to set a scene on the stage of the new found pity!
This is done with Jeremy doing the lead vocals and a backing vocal singing in unison, but in a higher octave. This creates a sense of drama!
He finishes each line of the song with Cha cha cha> . I could certainly cha cha to this exciting music!

The bonus disc has equally divine pieces on it. But my choice of this tasty dessert after that exotic main course, would be
Tell it like it is
The guitar riff is simply beautiful in this piece, with bending notes here and there, a fast beat and the lovely build up to a full orchestral sound. This is an instrumental with only a heavenly ‘ah’ sung somewhere along the way!

I’ve been waiting
A bending bassy riff and a spurt of vocals in places are the basis of this track!
There’s a xylophone creating an ethereal quality to the proceedings. This is a soothing and pleasant experience!

Delayed Melody

This is the last track of the two discs and is done with jazzy vibes, a baseline doing a continuous riff and a hushed jazz beat.

A music arranger’s nightmare, this album goes from number to number, without a break. Mostly you are inundated with a baseline, percussion par excellence, the beats and rolls of the maestro himself and his chants, with the occasional hint of harmony spliced into them!
Produced arranged and performed by Jeremy Hickey, mastered by Fergal Davies, with Artwork and design by Ross Stewart, some drums performed by Alan Dawson, while on certain tracks vocals are shared by Jamie Walsh. Finally not forgetting the beautiful Cello which adds class to the album performed by Ruth O’Leary, these are the many extra facets that colour the already colourful and extraordinary work of genius here in this enticing treasury of music!