For the past twelve months singer and songwriter George Byrne has been working away on his debut album, an exquisite offering of songs under the banner of Foreign Water.
Foreign Water (which features guest appearances from Lior and Holly Throsby) is nothing less than an achingly passionate, textured and intense album of contemporary songs that illustrate why people have been muttering the words ‘George Byrne’ and ‘huge potential’ in the same sentence for some time now.
Coming from a creative family (with sisters involved in publishing, painting and acting), the multi-instrumentalist grew up in the Sydney suburb of Balmain, hanging out with the likes of Alex Lloyd, Josh Pyke, Holly Throsby and numerous other contemporary musicians.
After a number of years as a hobby musician (and a serious career as a photographer) it was whilst travelling in Spain early in 2004 that Byrne decided to take his musical inclinations a step further. He bought a guitar from a busker and started writing songs. After asking fellow musician David Lane for some advice, Byrne was pointed in the direction of producer (and Church drummer) Tim Powles. The two connected and began working together recording a collection of songs.
Having released his debut EP ‘Iron Skies’ in Oct of 2004, Byrne found his song Goldmine a constant fixture on the playlists of radio stations such as JJJ and FBI. The song is included on the Foreign Water album. He was also selected as one of JJJ’s Next Crop artists and as a result of this exposure has since had a busy year supporting such acts as The Church, Missy Higgins, Lior, Katie Melua, Thirsty Merc, Alex Lloyd, Epicure, Dan Brodie, Old Man River and Jen Cloher.
Byrne’s debut album opens with the title track, a tune that perfectly reflects the songs to come. Sparse, reclined and cool, Foreign Water features simple bass and acoustic guitars swaying on a loose bed of infectious funk-folk beat. Once the band drops in it isn’t long before the distinctive, creamy layered vocal sound (that Byrne is steadily making his trademark) is stirred into the mix, making the track simply enthralling.
You’ll hear trace elements of early Pink Floyd, Ryan Adams and Beck, as Byrne continues his exploration into loose flowing and richly layered melodic folk-rock with the help of respected producers Jonathan Burnside (The Sleepy Jackson) and Tim Powles (The Church).
With a voice reminiscent of a young David Gilmour and the ability to write music that ranges from atmospheric soundscapes (with cascading strings and haunting pedal steel) to pop-rock gems to simple Neil Young-esque acoustic/harmonica laden ballads, Byrne’s record is beautiful and captivating.
Foreign Water is a journey in itself. Go and get it.
PRESS:
“Foreign Water is a wonderfully laid back effort from George Byrne. His languid vocals are effortlessly teased along with some nice acoustic and slide guitar pieces or occasionally accompanied with a slightly bigger host of musicians that fill out but don't crowd out the intimate feel. There's a definite air of Mutations-era Beck about the use of the harmonica and guitars, not to mention a certain vocal similarity. Definitely one to while away the winter hours while dunking jammy dodgers in hot tea and reading the Sunday papers.” - Tasty Zine - August 2006
“A stunning debut of quietly beautiful songs from a Sydney singer-songwriter who has been triple J fave for the past year or so. As well as the standout tracks introduced by an earlier EP release – Goldmine and Paralysed – Byrne offers laid-back, rootsy rock gems which draw you in with their simple melodies and hooks and his smooth-as-silk, lazy Sunday drawl. He goes alt-country on the ballad Everybody Hides. Fans of Pete Murray and Gomez will find plenty to keep them entertained here.” - *** 1/2 - Kathy McCabe - Daily Telegraph – August, 2006
“In the lead up to his debut album Foreign Water, Sydneysider George Byrne had kept company with the likes of Missy Higgins, the Church and Alex Lloyd, maintaining a solid touring schedule throughout the writing process. He’s obviously picked up a few of the finer points of songwriting from his esteemed stage mates; Foreign Water shows a depth of character that was absent on his well-received Iron Skies EP. Offering achingly intimate moments such as “Already There”, as well as some surprises – like the New Wave guitar oddity “Tongue Tied” – Byrne reveals an ability to blend the comfortably familiar with the cutely quirky. He seems most at home on slower acoustic numbers, like the Paul-Kelly-turned-alt-country of “On My Mind”, but Byrne is versatile enough not to depend solely on his staples.” *** Australian Rolling Stone - September, 2006
“I’m listening to George Byrne while the rain pounds the windows of my office. It’s dull and grey and I have my lamp on to make up for the lack of light, even though it’s only midday. George Byrne’s music makes me feel warm, like I have pulled a big doona up over myself and wrapped myself in wool. Some albums have a distinctly ‘seasonal’ feel and this album is winter. Byrne’s vocals are cool and complimented by the guitar, which at times feels alt.country, blues, even surfer and the use of strings throughout touches on the grandeur of Silverchair arrangements. At times it plods a little and gets weighed down by its consistently slow pace, but something interesting always comes along to reinvigorate your interest. Some guest vocals from Holly Throsby on ‘We’ll Come Around’ are a lovely addition and some more fermale vocals throughout might have been some more icing on the already delicious cake. This is an intriguing debut album, that of course still needs a little work (it might have been better shorter) but it hints at another great singer/songwriter who has been flying under the radar all these years. Lovely.” - Indie Album of the Week – The Brag
“Sydney songwriter George Byrne throws in a bouncy bit of ‘80s pop-rock halfway through this debut album. Don’t be fooled, though; he’s more like Beck circa his folky 1998 album Mutations. Byrne sits between weariness and wakefulness: finger-picked guitar, gentle country-rock ambience, harmonica and a voice that can turn sad at the drop of a battered hat. Already There and We’ll Come Around are standouts. If all the songs fail to reach that standard, there’s still enough to suggest there’s real talent here.” – Bernard Zuel, Sydney Morning Herald, August, 2006
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