Ollie Newton, a singer songwriter from the East Midlands has just released his impressive debut album titled ‘I Don’t Know Why I’m Not A Poet’ under the stage name Yakov McIntosh. Strings of creative lyrics, guitar driven, and an indie sound, make up ten cleverly crafted songs.
Moody, melancholic guitar starts off the album - ‘Trainspotter’ capturing the feeling of an early morning commute. This track sees the first deep, unique vocals which complement the tone effectively. It is steady and skilfully structured an almost abrupt ending feeding nicely into the second track.
In quick succession comes ‘(We Got On) Like A House On Fire’ This was the first single release from the album which was a good choice, cohesive in genre matching the mood. A clever use of vocals comes at the end, adding depth and a unique addition.
Softer guitar is in ‘The State Of It All’ a riff included in the bridge is groovy and draws on a more art rock style with a slowing tempo. ‘Girlfriends/Boyfriends’, the second single release from the album, also breaks out into a groovy riff for the bride and a build-up of both drums and guitar emphasie the chorus.
The standout track for me is ‘Tupperware’, bringing in a storytelling element it highlights the lyrical talent within the album. A clear representation of an ability to discuss powerful, difficult topics emotively. Deep cutting and brutal lyrics are accompanied with a solemn guitar. The end is particularly striking, a riff that has hints of influence from the Arctic Monkeys works well in parallel with softly spoken cutting lyrics.
he album progresses into more experimental rock with tracks ‘We’ll Never Have Paris’ and ‘Serenity Is A Thing I’ve Never Known’ Harder hitting drums and dirtier guitar feedback show that McIntosh is unafraid of experimenting with bold results.
After building up the energy with the previous tracks ‘Sunspots of Sincerity’ draws back, acoustic guitar is captivating bringing attention to softer vocals.
Finalising the album is ‘(Baby)… I Don’t Know Why I’m Not A Poet’ and ‘Godspeed, Valentino’ The indie sound coming back in with faster tempos and closing with quieter guitar.
‘I Don’t Know Why I’m Not A Poet’ is a great example of an album that combines different elements of the indie and rock genre in a cohesive way. It has notable creativity and lyrical talent a huge achievement for this debut album.
Make sure to listen to ‘I Don’t Know Why I’m Not A Poet’ out now:
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