Cellar Door
Demo
Sharing their name with two-piece and four-piece alternative rock outfits from London and Cardiff respectively, Cellar Door have been going the longest (since 2003) and clearly have different musical intentions from their namesakes, veering towards an acoustic, folky sound.
Based in Christchurch and playing venues from Southampton to Bridport, their new demo provides four laid back tunes which showcase both Aimee Grinter and Mike Brown’s exceedingly awesome top-notch talent.
‘Cold Light’ sprinkles the demo into life with an intro combining sliding bass notes and a plucked high end which manages to be both beautifully delicate, yet expansive in feel. Immediately Mike Brown’s guitar mastery becomes apparent however, the arrival of Aimee’s crisp, clear and warm voice (not a million miles from Tori Amos) signals the start of an emotional relationship between vox and strings.
‘Cold Light’ is a song about dealing with a difficult past when the dust has settled and, by using the simple combination of acoustic guitar and vocals, manages to deliver its message in a direct and heartfelt manner. While there are one or two chord progressions which sit awkwardly with the ear, the track has that unnerving quality to draw you in deeper with repeated listens and is probably the best of the four tracks on offer.
‘All of the Time’, being a gently uplifting tune about being lost for words through desire, sees more in the music department going on. A brief appearance of an additional blues guitar in the intro sets up the promise of a reappearance which unfortunately doesn’t happen. However, the use of a glockenspiel, bongos, and a bass guitar give the track an additional dimension which at no point gets in the way of the excellent acoustic guitar and vocal. Aimee’s voice is again on top form delivering a lighter side to her range while underlining its versatility.
‘Got With You’ is a much more low-key affair with a sparse acoustic introduction leading to a drawn out vocal delivery. Minimal in nature, the guitar keeps matters simple leaving room for the happy lyrics to be delivered with an almost sad emotion. Aimee’s voice manages to feel slightly Bjork-ish round the edges and the undecided tempo and loose feel to the tune gives a slightly disjointed feel, which I suspect was not their intention.
‘Too Touched’ wraps up the CD with an uplifting track dealing with issues of self-esteem and self-confidence in the face of other people’s overwhelming egos and hang-ups. The track includes some great guitar runs in the intro and sees the arrival of some backing vocals enhancing the determined feel of the chorus. Building as it goes the track culminates in some intense strumming and vocal poignancy.
Haunting in places but with an overall feeling of warmth in the face of emotional distress, Cellar Door have put together a CD which clearly shows an immediate talent with a promise of serious future potential. Whether this is a potential which finds its way to a wider audience or remains in the field of acoustic folk rock remains to be seen.
Written by Habert on
