Emily Capell - Who Killed Smiley Culture EP Review
Emily Capell’s website describes her music as “telling stories of celebrity lust, longstanding musical influences and the ups, downs and rounds and rounds of general adolescence”, which couldn’t be more true in her first EP, Who Killed Smiley Culture.
This is a fresh approach to modern acoustic music and really does raise a smile. The first ‘Emilude’, Brixton Prison describes surprisingly, Brixton Prison and how their ‘mumma has a hump and has not sent any letters, this is a short but sweet melody. ‘Plastic’ has a dark undertone yet not presented so – talk of ‘losing it’ and making real music while others post songs about ‘late nights and mad ones’. Overall, honest and thus appreciated.
'Louis Matthews' is from the pre-Lucy Spraggan era of honesty. Put it this way, it could potentially be as good as what Tu-Pac and Biggie never did. Moreover, I hope Louis Matthews clears his memory stick, sharpish. The second Emilude Pistol; is a thirty-second insight into counting down the days until release and the lack of views from their room as the bars are in the way. I could write some arty-statement about how the song means more than that – how its an insight into the life of someone without any opportunities and its holding onto possibilities for the future, but this isn’t VICE. It’s still witty, obviously.
'Hit The Road Jack' has to be up there with the better songs. It’s the first chance to hear Emily Capell’s voice unleashed within the EP. How could anyone not want to sign that Eliza Doolittle-esque voice? ‘It’s Happening Again’ reinforces the slightly darker undertone, yet sung with such conviction with stings that almost make it sound up-beat. The third ‘Emilude’, ‘The Notorious M.L.E’ is the final instalment of the Emilude’s covering the release of this infamous M.L.E in another 30 second quip, finishing off the EP with the release, trying together the lack of letters from M.L.E's mother and the counting down of the days until this prestigious event.
If you check out her EP below, you’ll find a bonus track ‘My Dad’s A Smiths Fan’. Littered with The Smiths references and lashes of wit. This is by far my favourite song, if you only have time to listen to one song in-between another portion of Pampepato before rushing to another all-night ‘funky-house’ exclusive party in Hoxton, this little number is all you need to give you a taste of what Emily Capell Music is all about.
Also, for those that actually care – I have sat in a dingy stairwell surrounded by droplets of someone else’s blood and old McDonald’s writing this, surrounded by the distance thumping of Wiz Khalifa’s earlier material from a house party not too far away. It's fortunate then, that the encapsulating melodies from Emily Capell are beaming from my dying laptop. 7/10
James Nichols
