Yoriyos - Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (Rarechords)
3/5
By: Gareth Roberts
With an album titled 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee', it's fairly clear what kind of genre we're going to be discussing, suffice to say it isn't going to be death metal or jangly indie pop.
'Endoscopises' gets the ball (or should that be tumbleweed?) rolling with an enjoyable number which reminds me of those 'classic' songs which you hear on the radio but can't quite put a finger on who was responsible for it (invariably it's Chris Rea or Dire Straits, but I digress). 'Nomad's Dream' is similarly timeless, although if I'm brutally honest it does sound a tad tired, but still, it's a nicely put together song.
The press release suggests that Yoriyos is fiercely independent, releasing this on his own label, now, whether this can be translated into 'can't get a deal elsewhere' is neither here nor there, the point I'm trying to make (really!), is that for a self released record, it is of remarkable quality. Yoriyos seems to have created a biog shrouded in mystery, indeed, one look at the website and you'd be forgiven for thinking he was brought up in a wigwam by the Sioux.
Despite this somewhat self indulgent misdemeanour, there is no doubt that the music is coming from a genuinely heartfelt place, and thankfully this comes across well on record. 'Another Revolution' is a modern take on the protest song, and it works, thus is one of the highlights on the record. 'Run Dry' and 'The Pied Piper' are two more good but samey (clearly a fan of the old 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' mantra) numbers, which is the story of the record really.
There is definitely something going on here to be cherished, but it seems that the 'something' is the same thing over and over. A tidy release, and one which a lot of people will enjoy, however you can't help but feel that if he pushed himself a little, the results would be far more rewarding, both for him and for us.
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