Album Details

• Artist: Velma
• Album: Jellyfish Rain
• Label: Audioill
• Year of Release: 2008
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2008-07-24

Velma's power pop is just what the summer needed. Their sound is full of hooks, ringing guitars and sunny vocals, without a shred of preciousness or feigned irony. Jellyfish Rain is driven by passion and a sense of fun, its sly and inventive riffs competing with vocalist Jeanette Collard for most evocative sound.

The dual guitars of Rose Kelly and J.P. Daly weave and slice in and around on another, giving "Pacman" and "Living in Cyberspace" and the rest an edgy, larger than life feel. Epic pop that is straight on rocking and not over-layered or fey is rare. In a sort of cheeky way too, the rhythm section, lead by drummer Siobhan McKenna, keeps a solid but slightly disjointed beat. It is a jagged counterpoint to the ringing guitars and further adds to the Belfast quartet's fire.

The five tracks here all sound huge but intimate; like all great pop, Velma sound necessary and about to vanish into thin air at the same time. "Jelly Fish Rain" is the record hundreds of bands would kill to make, and thousands have failed to make.

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