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Dreamy but attention getting, [The] Caseworker is compromised of Conor Jonathan, Eimer Devlin, Will Waghorn, and Monte Vallier. And this quartet, led primarily by Jonathan and Devlin, ensure that the listener will be drawn in by the intricate melodies and the subtle, hook-leaning groove found here, starting with the pleasing title track. Alluring and at times hypnotic, songs like “Markievicz’s Walls” and the heady “Mullin’s Hill” build into larger indie-rock gems that recall a timid Jesus and Mary Chain. The first “great” tune is the mid-tempo and delightful “Advice”, even if it’s not all that musically cheerful. At times, this material tends to go over the same ground, especially with the lackluster and lukewarm track “Shroud”, which sounds somewhat aimless. As the album continues, the band makes certain that they will go out strong, starting with the pretty but somber “State” and the quirky, deliberate “My Quare Moon”. “Identity AA1” goes out with a whimper, but it is a very gorgeous whimper.

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Originally from Cape Breton, MacNeil is currently writing for the Toronto Sun as well as other publications, including All Music Guide, Billboard.com, NME.com, Country Standard Time, Skope Magazine, Chart Magazine, Glide, Ft. Myers Magazine and Celtic Heritage. A graduate of the University of King's College, MacNeil currently resides in Toronto. He has interviewed hundreds of acts ranging from Metallica and AC/DC to Daniel Lanois and Smokey Robinson. MacNeil (modestly referred to as King J to friends), a diehard Philadelphia Flyers fan, has seen the Rolling Stones in a club setting, thereby knowing he will rest in peace at some point down the road. Oh, and he writes for PopMatters.com.


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