Music from the Heart

Sean T MacLeod is a former and founding member of the Dublin based band Cisco. Having recorded with U2's Paul Barrett, the band achieved critical acclaim in their  home country, as well as serious interest abroad. Since the split of the band, Sean has been recording and releasing his own solo work. Sean will soon release his 5th solo album New Start. He is also an author, having published three books on music to date.

His new single Inside Out explores themes of artistic individualism and commerciality. If you are a Nirvana fan who never got to experience that sound and energy, rejoice because once you hear Inside Out, you would be taken back in time. That unmistakable dark, bass-driven sound would leave no doubt where the inspiration lies. There are bright high notes in MacLeod's vocal, brightening things up and bringing a lovely contrast to the darkness of the musical arrangement. The lyrics bring up a direct, thought-provoking observation of the artistic world. Some lines are bone-chilling such as "the numbers dictate what we've bought and sold".  Quite a sad affirmation for the artists though, in current climate of the streaming world where many pay attention to those numbers and not to the fact that it doesn't mean that much in reality in terms of a benefit for the creators themselves.

 

The B-side of the current release is called I've Seen You Around and it's like a night and day compared to Inside Out. Upbeat, both in music and vocal delivery, the twinkling sounds in the instrumentation add a lovely touch. There's a friendly warmth within the words. Like a reconnecting with an old friend after many years and catching up where you left off.