Thanks to all the people who pimped our wares on Triple J. Your CDs are in production.

In other news, the EP has been reviewed by Ross Barber of ReviewYou. Check it out!

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Artist: The Bent Legs
Title: The Bent Legs EP
Review by Ross Barber
Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)

The Bent Legs is an Australian-based band made up of singer-songwriter Craig Lawton (vocals, guitar, programming), Rob Martin (drums), Jay O’Neill (guitar, vocals) and Niall Kennedy (bass guitar).

The boys certainly have a lot of experience between them; Lawton and O’Neill have been playing and writing together, within different outfits, since the early 90s.  Martin has played in blues and rock outfits in the UK and Australia, playing many different styles throughout the years.  Kennedy has also played in several bands in Ireland and Australia.  The Bent Legs are truly international in their lineup, and this is also evident in their sound, which has been influenced by their Australian, New Zealand and Irish backgrounds.

These years of performing and writing have given The Bent Legs a strong foothold in which to build on.  Individually, they are accomplished musicians, and together they perform with an energy and confidence that only comes with dedication and musical experience.

The Bent Legs EP was recorded at Toyland Studios in Melbourne, and features five tracks of alternative indie, performed with enthusiasm and self-assurance.  The tracks are written around the themes of lost love and protest, and combine live studio recordings, strings, programming and layers of textured vocals.  Opening track “Turnaround” is an upbeat slice of indie, featuring strings, which give the track a slightly more dramatic, epic edge.  “Restless Moon” is almost a throwback to the Brit-pop sound that was popular in the mid 90s.  In fact, The Bent Legs have taken many of the best aspects of 90s indie/rock and molded it into something up to date, and uniquely theirs.

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“Be Like Me” takes a detour from the upbeat, driving sound heard in the previous three tracks.  This is by no means a bad thing; in fact, it introduces us to a different, slightly more melancholic side to The Bent Legs.  As the track builds, the hook becomes more prominent and becomes almost anthemic.  In some respects, “Be Like Me” could quite happily sit within some of the softer moments of grunge, yet feels like a far different beast at the same time.

Closing track “Protest Song” features some great group harmonies, and is in a similar vein to “Be Like Me.”  It is possibly the strongest, most emotive track on the album. The harmonies really make “Protest Song” stand above the rest of the pack, and make it the perfect song to close the album.  It is also here that the guitarists are able to showcase their proficiency, without it sounding overblown or pretentious – it works in the context of the song, and feels right.

All in all, The Bent Legs EP is a very solid effort from a group of accomplished musicians, who are clearly capable of covering different genres and who have something to say.  It’s a style that is difficult to categorize and deconstruct, but when the music’s good and the lyrics speak to you, how important is the analysis, really?  If their next release contains tracks as strong as “Protest Song” then it will definitely be worth waiting for.

A quick word about a give-away we’re doing. The EP was a digital-only release but there are a small number of actual discs in circulation.

So what do you need to do to get one of these rarities?

Take 5 minutes to do these 3 steps:

1. Go to Triple J and register if you haven’t already:

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Registration/register.aspx

2. Then go to our band page:

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Artists/View.aspx?artistid=62486

3. Click Rate on “Protest Song (Radio Edit)” or another song and give us a review.

It’s that easy. At the end of next week we’ll look at the best reviews and give away 5 of the discs.

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In other news, we’ve been asked to play quite a few gigs but at the moment we’re working on new material for a larger album release later this year.

Also Rob got engaged! 🙂

We’ll keep you posted.

Formed during the naughties when the world was becoming increasingly inward looking and fearful The Bent Legs came together to capture some of the mood and love of the time. Tunes banged out after midnight in the inner North. The drummer with a bung knee who would turn pale occasionally when the songs stopped. We kept playing late into the night, holding on, not knowing that all our lives were about to change.

The Bent Legs are Craig Lawton, Jay O’Neill, Rob Martin and Niall Kennedy.

A few years ago we started jamming in Brunswick. The tracks here were laid down in Northcote and then they were almost lost amongst house moves, child-raising, breakups, operations and an almost deportation.

Then late last year Vital Mastering in New York took a stab at restoring and remixing the original takes. The resultant mixes were sent to Studios 301 in Sydney to be mastered by Steve Smart whose credits include Washington, You Am I, The Jezabels, Crowded House, The Living End, Midnight Oil, The Cruel Sea and Regurgitator

And now you have a chance to listen The Bent Legs self-titled 5-track EP.

During the next few weeks I’ll be updating the site with some funny stories about the recording sessions, the lyrics and some of the back-stories. Subscribe to this blog – ie. join the fan club – by entering your email address in the box in the right sidebar or alternatively follow on Facebook or Twitter.

Followers, subscribers etc. will get access to a FREE acoustic live track during the next month so get on to it.

There are many options for getting hold of the tracks so check out the Buy page. And after you’ve listened to the songs, write some reviews because it helps us out and we also get to know what worked well.

Chonk on!