The CLUAS Archive: 1998 - 2011

23

A review of the album 'I'll Tear My Own Walls Down' by 'Bill Coleman'

Bill Coleman Tear My Own Walls Down

Review Snapshot: I’m not going to blame my lengthy absence from this site on this album. That would be slightly harsh. It most certainly did not fill me full of inspiration and enthusiasm for writing though. An insipid debut effort.

The Cluas Verdict? 3 out of 10

Full Review:
Bill Coleman is an Irish singer-songwriter. Yes, another one. This, his debut, is a typically unoriginal effort. Coleman’s voice appears sweet but by the third track will simply irritate the listener. His lyrics are that of a bored 14 year old who thinks he can be the next great poet. The songs limp by. I despair.

‘Say It Like You Mean It’ starts off with simple and such catchy pop riffs that one could mistake it for being Rilo Kiley for a moment. However, Coleman’s voice combined with lyrics such as “I want you to want me, and I want to want to want you back” ruin any chances I thought I had of finding a gem on this album.

‘The Pull Of The Pint’ is the standout track on this album. It’s a simple track in which Coleman ditches the annoying whine from his voice. But it’s not enough to redeem this album.

I don’t know what it is about singer-songwriters that annoys me so much. I hate trash metal for example, but those bands don’t annoy me nearly as much. These guys go through a break-up and decide that the only way to get over her is to pick up a guitar. They exorcise their demons by exposing the public to their uninventive playing and awful lyrics. Their existence simply riles me. 

It’s not necessarily a bad record, just utterly mediocre and forgetful, like so, so many.

Garret Cleland


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Nuggets from our archive

2004 - The CLUAS Reviews of Erin McKeown's album 'Grand'. There was the positive review of the album (by Cormac Looney) and the entertainingly negative review (by Jules Jackson). These two reviews being the finest manifestations of what became affectionately known, around these parts at least, as the 'McKeown wars'.