Review #28 : Paddy Kaye
Review #28
Artist: Paddy Kaye
Album: What It Means to Be Roadkill
Album: What It Means to Be Roadkill
Paddy Kaye’s debut album “What It Means to Be Roadkill” is by far one of the best modern folk albums I have heard. Admittedly based on the title I originally thought I had this one pegged. I read the name and I was like, “this album is going to be lyrical strong, mostly just acoustic guitar, and very gritty”. Well boy, was I blown away!
So to start, I wasn’t always into folk music, when I was in high school if it wasn’t punk rock it went right over my head. Bob Dylan was boring, Willie Nelson was way too country, Joni Mitchell I just couldn’t get into it, and Leonard Cohen… well, I still only know one song by Leonard Cohen. Long and short of it though, I was a shitty music fan and all I cared about was power chords and what pissed my Dad off. Fast forward like five or six years, a few music classes in college, and a weird neo-folk revolution that even Mumford & Sons abandoned, I discovered that folk punk was a thing. Through that revelation I became obsessed with artists like, Frank Turner, Chuck Ragan, Mischief Brew, AJJ, and even started modeling my own music to their sounds. Thus, I finally found the time to go back and appreciate the roots of folk, and I think that’s exactly what Paddy Kaye does here. This album is a strong tribute to the roots and best modern examples of folk music, but brought to a
whole new level.
The album starts off with Island, which at the moment I think is my favorite number on this 12 track record. The song begins simple, very light guitar and violin, and is styled similarly to some songs written by British folk artist, Will Varley. By the second verse though, we are treated to gritty, Chuck Ragan-like vocals that really push Paddy’s sharp lyrics forward. The lyrics here basically sum up the current status of the ongoing wars in the world, and what they leave behind. I think these first three minutes really do a great job of setting the tone for the tracks to follow
While the Paddy Kaye band is really only one member, Paddy… on stage he is accompanied by five additional members who definitely always have something to do based on how built up this record and its songs are. This singer-songwriter did not want any of his pieces to go out on a whimper, each track features drums, lead guitar, violin, bass, acoustic guitar, or all the above. I personally cannot wait to witness this act live
and in all its glory.
At the moment, Paddy’s highest played song on Spotify is Hope and Humility, which features his dark bluesy vocals and lead guitar. Ironically, this one of the tamer songs on the album. This one really reminds me of a sound that can be found by listening to artists such as, Blind Pilot and Iron & Wine, and it has a tone that I think works very well for Kaye. That said, I love the built up and progressive songs so much that I just want to keep hearing more of that!
Honestly, between the production, lyrics, instrumentation, swell vocal editing, “What It Means to Be Roadkill” is an experience that music fans of all genres should just take in and see what they can out of it. There is a lot of good imagery and relatable thoughts in these lyrics that I think speak very broadly and are easily digestible to all. Seriously, give Paddy Kaye a shot next time you’re flipping through Spotify looking for something new.
Ryan Hanratty
Frosted Green Productions
whole new level.
The album starts off with Island, which at the moment I think is my favorite number on this 12 track record. The song begins simple, very light guitar and violin, and is styled similarly to some songs written by British folk artist, Will Varley. By the second verse though, we are treated to gritty, Chuck Ragan-like vocals that really push Paddy’s sharp lyrics forward. The lyrics here basically sum up the current status of the ongoing wars in the world, and what they leave behind. I think these first three minutes really do a great job of setting the tone for the tracks to follow
While the Paddy Kaye band is really only one member, Paddy… on stage he is accompanied by five additional members who definitely always have something to do based on how built up this record and its songs are. This singer-songwriter did not want any of his pieces to go out on a whimper, each track features drums, lead guitar, violin, bass, acoustic guitar, or all the above. I personally cannot wait to witness this act live
and in all its glory.
At the moment, Paddy’s highest played song on Spotify is Hope and Humility, which features his dark bluesy vocals and lead guitar. Ironically, this one of the tamer songs on the album. This one really reminds me of a sound that can be found by listening to artists such as, Blind Pilot and Iron & Wine, and it has a tone that I think works very well for Kaye. That said, I love the built up and progressive songs so much that I just want to keep hearing more of that!
Honestly, between the production, lyrics, instrumentation, swell vocal editing, “What It Means to Be Roadkill” is an experience that music fans of all genres should just take in and see what they can out of it. There is a lot of good imagery and relatable thoughts in these lyrics that I think speak very broadly and are easily digestible to all. Seriously, give Paddy Kaye a shot next time you’re flipping through Spotify looking for something new.
Ryan Hanratty
Frosted Green Productions
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