Reviews of Skully's Music

Honest reviews by Skully music fans......

** If you would like to add a review of Skully's/Metisse's music, please contact me by leaving a message at www.myspace.com/sammilee. All contributions will be considered.**

The Enchantment of Skully's Subsonics & QXD Technology.

Review by Pam from MA

Skully's music provokes ones senses.
Cunningly placed 'subsonic'1 bass notes are felt before they are heard. The realistic musical effects of the steady rhythm of the Toulouse 3:30 am Goods Train soothed my anxious nerves as the placid strings helped form joyful images of a sunny, lush green French countryside. This lead to my first experience with the gut vibrating sensation of 'subsonics'1 that came from the series of four bass notes that emphasize the downbeat in the clickity-clack of the wheels from the Goods Train rolling across the steel rails in "Gare de Montrabe" from Skully's "Without A Voice" (WOAV) album.

On the desolate drive along Route 140 to New Bedford Massachusetts while listening to "Sadness" from Métisse's "My Fault" album, I felt a pulsation in my chest like a Mack semi-truck passing or multiple ruts in the pavement. Realizing it was neither, thus adjusting the volume, revealed a subtle crescendo of 'subsonic' strings at 1:25 to 1:30 in this beautiful Skully creation.

Like the enigmatic sensation in my chest, the first time I fell in love with Stephen4 at age 7, I could feel the thump of my heart in the two 'subsonic'1 bass notes that follow the series of five audible bass notes repeated in "I Love You", from Métisse's "Nomah's Land" album.

Skully's QXD Technology2 engages you into living and feeling the whole story of the piece.
He has masterfully developed and incorporated the QXD Technology2 where the placement of each sound is key to the genius of his musical compositions. Although a bit of music by itself may arouse a specific emotion, skilfully mixed together, Skully's concerto creates an eventful environment for the listener. His multi-dimensional "soundscapes" 3 are purposely intended to stimulate emotions in the listener. One not only hears but literally feels the music of Skully's compositions creating a complete penetrating experience. Each composition transports the listener through an interactive and affecting event formulated by the listener's own imagination.

As I listened for the first time to "Journey to Oasis" from Métisse's "Nomah's Land" album, the tubular and panting sounds of inhaling and exhaling lulled me into a false sense of control over my breathing. The moaning strings combined with the strained clacks and deep drum beats set the pace for my footsteps along the arduous journey across the hot dry dunes of Sandy Neck, Cape Cod. At the uplifting melody of the sitar and Aïda's joyful chants, when I realized I had stopped breathing because the tubular and panting special effects had paused; I had to GASP and remind myself to BREATH! The bubbly, clicking and sizzling electronic music felt like warm droplets of soft rain refreshing my face as I became encouraged at the realization of my journey's end.

The mournful strings and anxious symbols in "Life" from Métisse's "Nomah's Land" album thrust me into the emphasis of the agonizing event. The short almost indistinguishable hums, chants and moans carefully threaded into the mix of sombre strings and piano brought back the very real sharp pain of heartbreak in my heart and chest. As the strings elevated and the Steinway piano became more emphatic, I found myself smack at the receiving end of these AT&T telephone messages. My heart became hard and cold from the sharp pain of the tenacity depicted in the thumping bass and defiant Steinway. Once again, I had to remind myself to BREATH!.

Skully's creations leave you with a sense of rewarded stimulation. I could taste the smoothness of the yummy Semi-sweet Chocolate Fudge and feel the delight in my tummy as my spirit joined the small child skipping and dancing around his living room to the happy chorus of the Hammond organ in "The Seaport Fudge Factory" [in San Diego CA] from Skully's WOAV album. I laughed as the image of the giggling musician at his keyboards, mixers & gadgets enforced the tempo with the drums & symbols; and rolled out a Ragtime piano medley to extend the ecstasy of the delicious experience.

Skully's winning makeover of the old Irish folk tale of "Molly Malone" from his "Irish Makeover" album is better than reading an Irish Fairy Tale; and has to be the best version ever done. Identifying each sound effect relative to the story has been a part of the wonderfully entertaining experience. Myles O'Reilly's gently masculine vocals and the delightful harmony engaged me through to the sad ending. Molly's cloth handbag tugged on my wrist from the weight of the coins dropping in. I was jostled and tossed by the bumping of the Woodies wheelbarrow across the cobblestone roads. My forehead felt sympathetically warm for Molly's suffering of the Fever. And for me the reward was the excitement of feeling the chilled swoosh on my face of Molly's ghost rushing past.

I am so blessed to have had the privilege of literally feeling these wonderful events in listening to Skully's brilliant multi-dimensional musical creations. Each one has been more exciting than the last because I invariably hear thrilling new sound effects at repeated listens. For me Skully's music is like waking up to the joyous song of the Robin announcing a new Spring day; and like the reward from waiting on the Lord for answered prayer (it will be far greater than you could have ever imagined.) Anyone who listens to a Skully5 'soundscape' will surely reap the benefit of his brilliant talent and expertise in the use of his QXD Technology.

Footnotes:
1 s%u016Db-s%u014Fn%u0301%u012Dk (adj.): Of less than audible frequency. Having a speed less than that of sound in a designated medium.

1 'subsonics': Go to Métisse on MySpace Music at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=81863203 and click on 'view more' for the "Journey to Oasis" blog; read the comment posted by Métisse on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 10:30 AM.

2 Details of QXD Technology, devised by Skully can be found on the Métisse Official Website Homepage at http://metisse.music.free.fr/index.html ;click on "QXD Technology" in the 2nd row of tabs.

3 Go to Métisse on MySpace Music at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=81863203 and click on 'view more' for the "Journey to Oasis" blog.

4 If you are a glutton for punishment {LOL-JK} and you like to read, an explanation of Stephen relative to Skully's piano can be found in my Wed. Feb.27,2009 blog "First Loves & Skully's Piano" at http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=399370878&blogId=472961685

5 For more information on the career of Skully, please visit http://www.squidoo.com/SkullyWithoutAVoice.

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Skully's "Without A Voice"

Review by Berry from Oregon

Sitting here with the window open, listening to the rain drops hitting the leaves of my Lilac Tree.

I love all of Skully's music, but I keep coming back to his 'Without A Voice' digital album. Although all the songs are purely instrumental, so much of Skully himself is in each and every song! Sometimes I wonder how many sleepless nights he spent up working and thinking, to get everything just right. One can tell that he poured his heart and soul into creating 'Without A Voice'!

Living in Oregon and waking up to the rain hitting the window panes once again, Skully's 'It Rained That Morning' has become my favorite song. Oregonians have a saying: "Don't just stand in the rain, FEEL it!" I "feel" the rain while listening to this beautiful song! Early morning dawning, simulated by strings. A little "rumbling" in the back, just like before a storm. The piano setting in when the first raindrops start falling. The guitar accompanying the piano, the rain increasing. The song ending with the piano by itself, tiny raindrops continuing to fall, echoing while the song slowly fades away.

Here comes 'Arduity Sails By'. Literally! I am not sure if Skully got his inspiration to this song by one of the big Ferries in the Irish Sea, or by a Sailboat gliding by. To me it sounds like the engines of the Ferry are slowly starting, turning into the rhythmic, steady sound one can hear when the Ferry leaves port and gains speed. A little creaking and moaning, after all the engines have to run day after day, but there she goes!

Love Trains? Listen to 'Gare De Montrabe' and go on a journey through the country side. You can hear the rhythmic, metallic sound made by the wheels of a moving train. The clickety clack everyone is familiar with living close to a train station.

'My Waltz With Matilda' is another favorite of mine!
I sat listening to it one night and imagined an entire story to this song:
Someone walking up to a big, beautiful old house. It is empty and overgrown by ivy. The person opens the front door and walks into a great hall. Silence greets the person, and only the stairs creak when the person walks upstairs. A double door leads into a ballroom. There are no furniture left, but in the far left corner a grand piano with a piano bench awaits. The person sits down on the bench, opens the lid, wipes the dust off the keys and starts playing 'Matilda'. For a moment it seems like the old house is waking up and is listening to the music. A young couple appears out of nowhere and starts dancing. Laughter, bits and pieces of conversations and the clicking of champagne glasses can be heard. As soon as the music ends, the couple disappears and the house is quiet once again. The person closes the lid softly, gets up and looks around one more time. Down the stairs and into to the great hall the person goes, closes the front door and walks away.

Cont'd next page

Reviews Cont'd

'Trouble' must have given Skully the most Trouble, pun intended!
What a challenge it must have been to combine the flute from the 1970's Horslips hit 'Trouble With a Capital T', and the guitar from their acoustic album 'Rollback' recorded in 2004. The end result with the 2 melodies combined, and the flute and guitar playing for the very first time together, is amazing!

These are just a few songs I love listening to from this beautiful digital album! Skully's pride and joy, rightly so. Go and give it a listen and make up your own stories to each song!

Skully is a remarkable artist who will welcome you warmly as his "friend" on www.myspace.com/skullymusic!
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Irish Makeover Review/Skully

By: An Adoring Fan in California in the US of A: Darlene Napier Upton

I hardly know where to start, how about the beginning;

I first meet Skully around last December 2008; I had posted on myspace that my son and I had gone to see the Fairly new Irish/Scottish group in Los Angeles, at the Nokia Live on Thanksgiving weekend, I was so excited; then, not knowing what was going to happen I get a message from a guy in Ireland, Cork to be exact, who tells me about himself and a new CD called "Irish Makeover' I had no idea how lucky I had become.
This man is a genius; I listened, I fell in love with his all so special musical talent, and Skully and I have messaged each other via myspace ever since. You can tell how much of his heart and soul he pours into this music. His music masterpieces are direct from his heart to the hearts of his listeners. This man is gorgeous, caring, fun and totally too awesome for words. Skully deserves to have his talent recognized and heard as much as possible and I know he will be around for a long-long time. It's very amazing to me that he takes the time to answer all the posts personally from not just one but a few sites with care. Now about Irish Makeover;

I have my favorites;

Molly Malone; couldn't be any better, I absolutely love the vocals, it's powerful and its one you hum along to all day, out loud or to yourself. It's exactly what he states; Chill Out, Traditional Folk song. Skully's musical talent shines as well as the vocals. As described by another, his instrumentals give 'wings' to the mind%u2026.flight to the imagination%u2026
%u2026. %u2026

Black Bird; VERY excellent, I LOVE this song, makes me feel like I'm in Ireland in a mystical place in total serenity; a total unique and entrancing sound. Kate Murphy's harmonizing vocals and Skully's electronica talent make this song extremely passionate..

All Around My Hat; this makes me happy, upbeat and like nothing can change the way I feel; Skully's amazing talent shines, the vocals are in true Irish spirit and make this song unforgettable.

King of the Fairies; I play this one on my way to work, yes, over and over, it puts me in a great place and wanting to be the Queen of the Fairies and nothing can stop me now! It's a pure Skully masterpiece, the sounds are powerful and mystic and I like being there!

Shirin; this is one of Skully's very own, straight from his heart to yours. The sounds are beautiful and passionate, you can tell a lot of love went into this song, it tells a story of the man who created it.

Mardyke; another one of Skully's very own; catchy, fun and upbeat, instrumental perfection at its finest; takes you to another world where there are no problems or sorrow, to a totally different place, to Skully's world.

Skully's talent doesn't stop here, these are just a few of my favorites off of Irish Makeover; he's very much involved with other musical masterpieces other then just this one; check his myspace page, facebook, reverbnation, and you'll see, you will not be sorry!

I couldn't of said it any better then this;
Listen to 'Irish Makeover' and a makeover is exactly what you get.
Timeless Irish Classics have been given a fresh appeal reaching out to new listeners across borders, time zones, and electronic pathways. Digital Irish sounds refresh the baton which has been passed down for generations. Celtic music is suddenly modern and COOL. Everybody loves it. The man behind the music is a modern marvel - some say a genius.
(I took this from another friend's post, its too good not to mention)

I just can't say enough about Skully, his music is as refreshing as he is; he's a true talent and I wish him the best now and in the future, he has a lot to give and I'm sure he will be the BEST amongst the truly musical genius' of the entire world!
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My Waltz With Matilda" from Skully's "Without A Voice" album

commentary by Pam

This beautiful piece of piano music from Skully is a journey of enchantment filling one's heart with joy, security and romance.

It begins with restrained intermittent high pitched notes from the ivories that imply the reluctance of the lady to accept the gentleman's hand in dance. The tender melody from the Steinway encourages the reticent pair of dancers to embark on their waltz. Skully's masterful blend of reassuring harmony carries the couple into a compatible movement of merriment.

His soft deep tones supporting the refrain reveal the roguish smile on the gentleman's face as they glide across the floor while the interspersed twitter notes denote the lady's nervous giggles.

The rich bass ivory keystrokes embody the strength of her dancing partner as he sweeps her into a spin-and-dip with his firm but gentle grip on her arm and she succumbs to his masculinity.

As the music fades, the couple waltzes away into the night disappearing as they are enveloped by the fragrant evening mist.

You can purchase this piece at itunes.