Russell's Reviews
'It's always good to end on a high note and at the other end of the scale to The Delta Frequency too. The 'Yern' EP by Julius, is the latest offering by a young man who has graced these pages before. Suffice to say the lush textures and warmth of the EP is up to his usual standards and then some. There's not a bad moment across six tracks, but special mention must go to 'The Line', which is the modern olde folk that Jim Moray and King Creosote specialise in and especially 'Wind And Bellows' which is a delicate acoustic piece, beautifully played and delightfully sung.'
www.russellsreviews.co.ukUnpeeled
MNMMMN
Julius
"Yern EP" (White Label)
Like foreign policy, "Yern" is very English, not British. Like fashions that recycle, reappear and relapse into 'fashion', this is a set of songs that are timeless only in that they echo the medieaval as well as the moptop. So, you'll be cocking one ear at Led Zep with "The Line" in much the same way you will, with "Longing Pt 1" be bending the other one to something snooping around an early Yes album and this is all very, very, retro polished, rural cool rock, but it's still very much the kind of thing that Robert Plant wouldn't be arsed to piss on, even now. Not insincere, not 'bad', just a step back from the originality and quality heard previously. Like red wine, go for the previous. www.juliusmusic.com
www.unpeeled.co.ukIndie Launchpad
* Rating : 9 out of 10
Every now and again, I come across an artist by mistake. With Julius (Matt Adams) it was when he was in his former incarnation of Madam. I discovered him via The Boy Lacks Patience and was eager to review his music. However the CD he had, was fairly old and he wasn't overly keen on pushing it any more. He said he'd keep in touch though and several months later contacted me and, well Yern is the result. Although it's nice to see him abandon the name Madam, which just brings ladies of ill repute to mind, I'm not overly enamored with the new name of Julius, which now brings to mind the thought of orange juice. Yes, I know I have a vivid imagination and it's not something switched off easily, much to my annoyance sometimes.
The album opens with "Longing Pt. I" and really got me excited about the tracks to come. This is a track with the wonderful ebb and flow quality, that I've talked about a lot, but usually in more electronic and ambient releases. Here it's a very simple arrangement of guitar, piano and strings, with some very understated vocal accompaniment. Absolutely fabulous stuff. The second track "The Line" takes a slight deviation, but more in the vocals, than anything else, with a wonderful Marc Bolan/Jeff Buckley feel to them. The music is simply stunning in it's simplicity, but so thoughtfully arranged. OK, so we're only two tracks in, but I'm sure you can read between the lines and see I'm very, very excited about this EP.
Listening to "Wind and Bellows" on headphones is just a sheer joy. The acoustic guitar sounds amazing and the vocals have a wonderful, natural feel to them. A very simple song, but a very enjoyable one nonetheless. "Untitled" again follows a very simplistic pattern, but here the vocals again have that Jeff Buckley feel. They also remind me a bit of The Boy Lacks Patience. "Tired" has a more aggressive guitar style and has a very familiar feel to it, reminding me of that guitar virtuoso, Gordon Giltrap. It's still a fairly laid back tune, but has those guitar moments or outbursts, akin to a guitar almost shouting.
And so the EP finishes of as it begins, with "Longing Pt II". This is certainly an EP that has me chomping at the bit for more material. I hope Julius is with us a long time, because this really is an incredible EP that deserves some major recognition.
Conclusion : An absolutely outstanding EP make no mistake.
www.indielaunchpad.comSubba-Cultcha
With the touching, emotive grit of Bright Eyes, but without the wavering vocals, Julius takes the classic song writing of Grand Drive, and gives it an innovative edge like if Stephen Malkmus was in charge whilst Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly was making the tea - with a wondrous production and addictive melody.
www.subba-cultcha.com Julius Yearn EP by Julius
Music // Jane // 26th November 2006
Jim received a CD from Julius. As he "just likes punk and occasionally Tindersticks" he thought it might be more my sort of music. He was mistaken:
"Are you taking the piss Jim? With a musical piece like that; lyrics that begin 'Have you come lady to dance for me' sung in the style of a jester from the court of Henry VIII, and a cover note written by a bloke who's never escaped his aloof-no-one understands me-I am so alone-stage, the only fair comment I can make is that he perhaps should have been shot at birth. My ears are offended that you thought they might like it. Jim, it's not even bad...it's BAD!!!!"
Julius was born from the ashes of many a thing long forgotten. I know this because he said so himself.
You can check Julius out for yourself on his MySpace page. Despite my comments I recommend you do......
www.paper-jam.co.ukMAPS Magazine
Julius - Yearn EP It does what it says on the tin. Being called 'Yearn EP' what could it possibly be about? Hmmm? Yearning for something presumably, another person perhaps? Oh boy you bet it is, Julius has got it bad and written some songs with medieval minstrels and folk music in mind.Opening with 'Longing Part I' (and yeah, there's a Part II at the end), this acoustic, mellow arrangement of strings that waxes and wanes all the time is pleasant; like discovering a warm sunny evening, and this remains throughout the six tracks (with the odd storm cloud here and there as you will discover). Musically this arrangement is agreeable, though the lyrics are a tad over pronounced and sound a bit like they are being made up on the spot. In places he goes for that high note that unfortunately is just out of reach. Towards the end of 'Tired' some erratic strumming comes out of nowhere and feels like a bomb is being dropped on this sunny evening that you discovered. Similarly in 'Untitled' where Julius smashes on his strings every time he opens his mouth to do what singers do. Why? This peculiar little trick makes the songs feel disjoined. 'Untitled' is difficult to listen to right the way through because I don't think even the artist really knows what he's up to. That said, do not expect some Guillemots type of jam here, it remains close to the ground and errs heavily on the darker side of melancholy. I think he's striving for the Jose Gonzales vibe…'Longing Part I', 'Wind And Bellows' and 'The Line' are most coherent and cheer(ier) of the tracks, hinting that there may be some hope amongst all this longing and yearning that who ever made the artist lose his mind may put him out of his misery.I do think it's worth a listen; there may be some hope for Julius and his eccentric style of making music somewhere down the road. Review by Nancy Roxxwww.juliusmusic.com
www.mapsmagazine.co.uk