Egg Hell "Once Part Of A Whole Ship" 2014***

plan of a raft that was once part of a whole ship

Back in the day, I used to know every last group active in the Greek alternative rock scene- a few of them personally. I'd see them at the clubs or listen to them on the specialized radio show (hosted by former Panx Romana drummer Dimitris Dimitrakas, I believe it was called "Rock'n'Roll Voitheies"). I kinda feel guilty, being so out of touch now. So I'm glad to present a modern Greek indie band - the atrociously named Egg Hell. This CD was a present from my best friend Anastasia, who is a DJ/journalist/publishing house worker etc. It is the debut of Sao Paolo born/Athens resident Jef Maarawi. The album is a varied affair that can be generally described as indie folk-pop. Radiohead seem to be the main influence, but almost every song is in a different style ranging from pop to folk to electronic to experimental. "Never Sailed" for example starts as a whisper and gradually transforms into an indie pop that reminds me of James. "Suffering" is the radio-friendly Coldplay moment and "Gingerhead" a lyrical song with dramatic strings. "Particles" reminds me of that long forgotten group, The Band Of Holy Joy. I doubt Jeff has ever heard of them, he was unborn when they disappeared from view. "Pandemic Blues" is more experimental with electronic sounds (the "Kid A" moment) and "Black And White Shoes" (Damien Rice-like) indie-folk. "Fish" reminds me of those likeable Belgians dEUS, "Porto Madero" is delicate folk a la Nick Drake etc.  Sorry for the parade of references, you can take it as a sign of the elusiveness of Maarawi's sound. The cd cover and title are actually a cryptic reference to the wreck of the French frigate Medusa and the raft the survivors made from the pieces of the ship (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raft_of_the_Medusa). Besides Egg Hell, it has inspired a (rather more famous) painting, currently at the Louvre. If what you read sounds interesting to you, the album is available via iTunes. I don't know if it's physically available outside Greece.

**** for Suffering, Gingerhead

*** for Never Sailed, Black And White Shoes, Fish, Porto Madero, Particles

** for Pandemic Blues, Oh Lord, Napoleon, Useless Captain