TOM MORIARTY – Snapshots Of Reality – Driftwood Records

Tom MoriartyIt’s been a while since Tom Moriarty’s debut album, Fire In The Doll’s House, but we are promised its successor in the spring. In the meantime there is a special edition of that album with four new tracks and this brand-new EP.

In complete contrast to the rather bleak cover photo Snapshots Of Reality was recorded in sunny Ibiza. There is an apparent effortlessness about Tom’s writing. ‘Finding A Better Way’ is the key track with ‘Fade Away’ a close second. The latter has doomy drums and nicely understated lead guitar and Tom’s voice at its gruffest. The former has sweet vocal harmonies but its message is to keep on trying to find that ‘life less ordinary’ before the possibility is lost.

‘Falling Down’, based on a simple acoustic guitar figure, is again about the have-nots – ‘the scars they don’t stop bleeding when you’re falling down’ and I guess we all know how that feels. ‘My World’ is a catchy love song with a West Coast vibe and a nice solo that leaves you wanting to hear more of it. Finally, ‘Hunt You Down’ is a “follow you to the ends of the earth, girl” love song which Tom manages to make sound vaguely sinister.

Dai Jeffries